EYOC2012 Conclusions: We are all made of STARDUST

Before going to EYOC I was complaining about not having too much speed on track since recently I did 2'17 on a 800m race. I was afraid my training was over-specializing me on Orienteering and, since I am only 16yo, I was beggining to get afraid that in the future I couldn't run fast when I felt like it.
 However, after EYOC I changed this thoughts. I don't need track nor speed if I want to be a great orienteer. My training didn't make me a good runner nor a good orienteer. If I want to be good in something I need to dig deep and focus on that thing and on what I need to do to achieve my goals.

My goal for next year is just the JWOC2013 that will take place in Czech Republic. I don't want just to go there just to say that I went there. I want to go there to make history. To make history I have to become a true orienteer. Forget about the speed and remember about the strength when I need to climb steep hills or need to break going downhill.

Making history... It's possible, even for a portuguese, just look at João "Mega" Figueiredo that achieved 7th place just yesterday in JWOC sprint. Or today Thor Norskov, first year Junior, achieved a 6th place on the long distance, IMPRESSIVE!

These great examples remind me that we are all capable to achieve the top, since we are all made of the same stuff: STARDUST

EYOC 2012 Journal, 1st July: RELAY - THE FACE OF DISAPPOINTMENT

7a.m. time to wake up, eat some things and go.

8.30 a.m. Portuguese team was the first to arriver to the parking lot.

10 a.m. There goes Luis, I hope he can reach with the leading group! Better start warming-up, he doesn't take more then 40minutes!

10.23 a.m. there's Luis! He's running well! Better finish my warm-up and go wait for him!
...
...
...
10.45 a.m. where's Luis? Almost everyone is here... Shit...

10.47 a.m. Is he coming?? Yes, it's him... Well, it's all lost, might aswell do my race...

Entered the woods: oh my god it was all so beautifull. I'm loving this forest! 1, 2, 3, 4 controlled without much problems. Going to control no 5, uops not mine... not my control again... ah now this is mine... Going to 6th and I'm can't find it. Oh wait... I'm in the green area, there's the control. Then, running like a mad man down-hill across the yellows... But... I didn't need to go here... Focus!
Control no7 ok. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 all okay. Spectator area and now I'm entering the more technical area. Control 15 is fine. Lost too much time looking for 16 and don't know why. Going to 17 and I catch many teams! Bulgaria, Spain, Ucrania... were there! Yes! 18, 19, 20 okay! Going to 22! Full speed!!! Wait........ Wasn't there a 21? GO BACK! 21. Now I'm tired. Must give another kick to finish. 22, 23 and going to the finish! There's Miguel waiting for me but I cannot sprint more! Go Miguel!!
Finished!
What's this on my splits paper? "pm"? Shit, Luis did m.p....
We waisted all our chances.
EYOC just for experience yeah, sure but I wanted a medal and we could do it.

EYOC 2012 Journal, 30th June: LONG

I woke up with my stomach much better then the last days. Yes! However, my legs aren't feeling 100%. I guess I lost too much water...

We arrived to the arena and we were given a warming-up map, which was very nice for me to focus. I started to warm-up at 9.50 a.m.

10:42 start time. It seems like have this map on my head! Great! I started with the thoughts that behind me were coming 3 good runners. 

Controlled no1 without any problems. To control no2 I was still entering the map and lost a bit of time, aswell to number 3. Looked over my shoulder: noone's coming. Now, to the path to control no4 and full speed. Oh look! There's the guy from Israel that started 2 minutes in front of me on the end of the path. I lost a bit of direction to go to the other path. Nothing too bad. Found controlled no4.

To control no5 I lost again my direction. Uoops, there is the swiss guy that started 2 minutes behind me... Let's go with him. To controll no 7 we went basically straight but we lost a bit of time on the control area. To control no8 we were caught by the russian guy that started 4mins behind me and 2mins behind the suiss. Damn he runs fast up the hill. I can't keep up the pace. The legs are feeling numb. Lost them to control no9... Now I'm by myself. I'll just try not to lose too much time on technical mistakes.

10, 11, 12, okay. 

I am on the area of control no 13... Where is it?? Map doesn't help. Lift my head, look left: Oh there it is... 

Wait... Who's coming? Oh shit, it's Eduardo Gil, 6minutes behind me... He's passing by me like I'm stopped! 

I'm beggining to have cramps on my legs!!! 

Struggled to control no14 and no15. Trying to run to the spectators control agaisnt my legs will. Run damn it, run! "Water, water!!!" I said to my teammates hoping that would help with my cramps. Nop, not much of a help, but feeling a little better from the rest of my body.

17, 18, 19, 20, the only problem was making my legs move.

21, 22 come ooooon finish finish, ah there it is!

Craaaaaaaaamps, help!!

Time: 69'40''. Wait... Wasn't the predicted winning time 50'-55'? Damn, how is that possible!? I think i couldn't drop the 60' even without technical mistakes!

Waited for Luis... He had the same problem as me! Oh well...

The afternoon was to rest, tomorrow is going to be the relay. I believe we have great chances, however I don't quite understand the order we were given... We work with what we have. And WE are BIG!

(That was what I believed...)

EYOC 2012 Journal, 29th June: SPRINT a.k.a. BAD-LUCK DAY

8a.m. time to wake up. Fortunately my stomach was better. Nevertheless I tried to eat something soft.


11a.m. time to start my warm-up. Feeling very tired. Oh well, gotta race and give it all.


12:03 start time.
Thoughts:
Atacked the first control with confidence. Yes! Leave the 1st control area, oh look a wall, better go round. *take a look at the map*. Uoops, it's crossable:
Stop, change direction, fall, get up. Bits of glass of the compass start to fall off. Shiiiit. Jump the wall, get to the next control, focus.
Bad route choice to the control no3. Nevermind, run! run!
Remind to check the control description for the numbers, don't miss!
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 . All controlled without a compass.
Oh wait, the compass is starting to fall off. What shall I do!?
Control 12, now you already know how to go to 13 and 14 Filipe, just go.
Control no13, next is 14. But what should I do with my compass?? Should I keep the remaining pieces? Where?? Shit Filipe you are in a RACE!
Where's the street for no14!? Where's the street for no14!? Where's the street for no14!? Damn it, I was just worried about the compass and forgot that I was running and I don't even knew where to!
Shit, shit, shit, this can't be happening, I'm beggining to feel my stomach aching and I don't even know where I am. Keep running, keep running! (I'm desperating!) Keep running! Damn it, I know I'm out of the map, just turn right and you'll be on the map again! Keep running! I know where I am now! I'm on top of the map near control no12! Go! Go! Control no14 finnaly! Control no15. Shit, bad route choice to control no16 and the tape of the finish is in front of me, gotta go round! Oh well, the race was already lost... Finished. 19'08'' was the time. I lost 5minutes or more on control no14... And arrived at the end whithout a compass and feeling ill. 


Now time, to wait for Luis to start and see what he can do. I wish him the luck that I didn't have.


Luis arrived, "point missing", shit...


We have another chance tomorrow. "Go for gold" is the motto.

EYOC 2012 Journal, 28th June: MODEL EVENT

28th June was the day we arrived to the awesome "Hotel" in Viam, near the event centre. I was already with a huge stomach ache when we arrived.

When I woke up I was even worse. I was afraid this could be a gastroenteritis. After lunch I decided to take a nap and see if I could go to the Model Event.


Time for the Model Event: I was a feeling bad but I NEEDED to go to the Model Event to get some confidence.

Model Event: I couldn't run much and missed the two first controls that I was looking for. Then I tried to focus and don't miss.
In the end, like all this wasn't enough, I had to run almost 4Km to the vans...

NAOM2012

Boa tarde amigos,

Hoje escrevo em português pois talvez crie uma nova secção do blog dedicado ao Inglês caso arranje o tempo para isso.

No fim-de-semana passado fui correr a Marvão nos Campeonatos Nacionais de Distância Média e de Sprint.
No sábado decorreram os campeonatos de Sprint, constituídos por duas mangas: uma em floresta, caraterizada pelas rápidas mudanças de direção, densa informação e de longa distância relativamente a um sprint "normal", e outra urbana, no Castelo de Marvão, um típico sprint, intercalando pernadas que dava para ir full-speed com outras zonas mais complexas, passando por túneis e escadas até chegar ao ponto.
No domingo, decorreu o Campeonato de Média no mapa do Vale de Rodão, um mapa não só duro como técnico com zonas com aglomerados de mais de 5pontos aliado a uma parte mais rápida nos ultimos 5pontos.

1.ª Etapa de Sprint (Floresta)


Foi uma etapa que me correu mesmo muito mal! Não consegui meter ritmo rápido porque estava-me a ser bastante difícil simplificar e concentrar, talvez por não estar habituado a esta escala num mapa de floresta nem a sprints de floresta. Os pontos 5 e 13 foram os piores, tendo perdido no total, só nestes dois, 5'... No entanto o resto da prova não foi nada boa...

2.ª Etapa de Sprint ( Castelo)

Nesta etapa tentei concentrar-me mais e não perder assim tanto tempo só num ponto como tinha perdido de manhã. O que não consegui fazer... Só no ponto 5 perdi 4 minutos. Sabia que tinha perdido aí a prova e desmotivei um bocado mas a ir do ponto 10 para o ponto 11 deu-me um click e pensei que se não ficasse em 1.º ao menos tentaria ficar no pódio. A partir daí consegui antecipar, fazer orientação a full-speed e escolher as melhores opções a meu ver... Apesar do mp (saltei o ponto 20, esqueci-me completamente!) considero que a partir daí foi bastante positivo. Espero que no EYOC consiga impor um ritmo e antecipar assim.

Distância Média

No domingo de manhã foi a distância Média. Queria ganhar esta prova por isso sabia que teria de entrar no mapa com calma e controlar a prova toda, tentando não "pastar" em nenhum ponto.

Entrei com calma no mapa mas errei para o ponto 1 onde perdi cerca de um minuto. Isto deveu-se em parte por não conhecer o terreno e não percebi a diferença entre o verde claro e o branco. Depois até ao 5 sabia que ninguém iria ganhar a prova ali mas poderia perder, por isso, controlei e não errei, apesar de impor um ritmo lento. Para o 6 queria entrar no caminho de cima e não no de baixo, desconcentrei-me e perdi um minuto em hesitações e na opção ainda outro minuto... Queria atacá-lo por cima... Voltei a perder mais tempo para o 14: tentei ver todas as rochas mas foi impossível e desviei-me um bocado para a direita

Para o ponto 20 perdi bastante tempo, cerca de 1'30'', estava bastante cansado, devido as subidas nos 3 ultimos pontos. Tinha de descansar não só as pernas mas também a cabeça. 

Depois do ponto 20, fui tranquilo, pois vi que o resto não tinha nada que saber. Estava também confiante na prova que já tinha feito.

Acabei por ganhar esta prova e não fazer erros muito graves, o que era o objetivo. Agora só tenho de não cometer esses grandes erros a ritmos elevados.

Na próxima sexta-feira vou comparecer no estágio de seleção pré-EYOC na Marinha Grande mas não vou poder comparecer à próxima prova da taça em Arraiolos e Mora visto que vou ter o exame nacional de Física e Química na segunda-feira seguinte. Até ao EYOC serão umas semaninhas com orientação intercaladas com provas de pista para dar ritmo competitivo!

Cumprimentos,

Filipe

Long Distance and Relay Portugal National Championships

Hello,

Since the last time I've posted here, I already been to France, testing the terrain and preparing for EYOC 2012, that will happen in 56 days from today! EYOC is everyday on my head with the terrains. Everyday I need to visualize the terrains and myself running there. I may have not been good in the races that I did while I was in there, but that was the way for myself to learn. I needed to do mistakes so I could learn. In EYOC there isn't going to be any room for mistakes! I need to achieve my big goals for the season!
After that, I concluded that I needed more hills training and that's what I've been preparing for the past few weeks, mixed with a lot of strength and speed training. I'm feeling really good and fit and that gives me a great confidence for my future races.

So, on the last weekend I went to Gerês to compete in the National Long Distance and Relay Champs.
On saturday it was the Long Distance race, in which I became National Champion of Long Distance. I did a safe race, without risking too much or pushing too hard. It was enough to win, even though I lost around 6'30''. Here is the map:

On sunday, I raced in Cadetes with João Rato and Oleksandr Zaikin on the 3rd leg. I lost 3 minutes but even if I hadn't lost that much time, I could recover all the last time for the first team. So we finished 2nd...

In 2 weeks I'll have my last school sport national champs and in 1 month I'll have the Middle and Sprint Distances National Champs. I may compete in H20 in sprint. I think I'm more capable of great results in sprints!

Till next time,

Filipe