pleasure before business

Many important orienteering races have passed the last three weeks. Here you can find the results of the four testraces:

world cup middle distance 23.6.2012 (My running time was about 50 Minutes, I ran before the world cup)
Postfinance Sprint 24.6.2012 (Here also I ran before the world cup. My result: selection race Postfinance Sprint)
test race middle distance 26.6.2012
test race long distance 27.6.2012

The day after the long distance I got mentally prepared for both realistic possibilities: Student World Championships or no Student World Championships. Then I looked up the decisions of the coaches and was happy that I was selected for the Student World Champs in Alicante, Spain. Cool!

This meant flying to Spain two days later and doing two orienteering trainings (getting familiar with the stony, dry and detailed terrain) before the championships started with the long distance on tuesday, july 3rd. I ran the long distance, the sprint and the relay. 2nd place, 15th place, 2nd place.

WUOC long distance 3.7.2012,   article on swiss orienteering homepage,  split times
WUOC sprint distance 4.7.2012,   split times , article on swiss orienteering homepage
WUOC relay 6.7.2012  ,   split times , article on swiss orienteering homepage


After some not very good results and a bit too much mistakes at the testraces in the end of june (with the long distance I'm not satisfied at all, the other testraces were ok), I'm very happy to know that I can also do good results! After all that I can run a good first leg for my swiss team. The moment when I realized (through the speaker) that I passed the spectator control at first position was great. Not only because I have been running completely alone before this control. Great was also the moment when Sarina came to the finish at 2nd position for our team. I have been much more nervous waiting for our last leg runner than at every orienteering race I've done on my own!

2nd place with Julia Gross and Sarina Jenzer!

The sprint race was, let's say "special". Because the map was not really standardized, you had to be very flexible. I was not. I had big troubles with the map maker style. Not during the whole race, but enough to arrive 2:44 behind the winner Iveta Duchova.

By the way, my dear room, if you're wondering why I'm not cleaning you up, and, my dear training diary, if you're wondering why I'm not filling you in: "Pleasure before business" seems to be my favourite statement at the moment. For example the Urner-OL on the Gotthard Pass on monday and the mountain tour from Kandersteg to Adelboden on tuesday was it absolutely worth!

Strength training on the Gotthard-Pass ;-)

On the very windy Engstligengrat

Now I'm looking forward to the world championships of the best sport ever, which take place less than 2 hours by public transport from my home in switzerland! It's great to be here now, even though I'm not participating in a main race.