Week 27 - Good trainingweek and more knowledge about my next year

Not so much to say about this weeks training, besides that it has almost gone according to the plan as a hard week of training  (18 hours training, 15 hours running, and 158 km running). I'm pretty satisfied with that, and I can now take an easier week of training with good conscience.

Maybe more interesting, I have had some interesting meetings in the beginning of this week, and I now know more about what I will do the coming year(s), besides running. More about that later...

I also had a meeting with the national team coach, Torbjørn, and we have decided that it will be the WOC-longdistance which will be my second priority next year, after the WOC-Sprints. I'm looking forward to this combination and I hope that my preparations will go well, so I can be able to improve my 8th (2013) and 9th (2012) place from the WOC-longdistance. I think the terrain for the longdistance in Estonia will suit me well, like it did in Switzerland and Finland, and I'm very motivated to give the WOC-longdistance another shot next year.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Week 28 - Back in normal training

The last week consisted of more than 18 hours of training and 14½ hours of running (154 km), and it feels good to be back in normal winter-basic-training again, even though my shape is not as good as it was before my sickness.

I periodize my training during most of the winter in a 3-week cycle, with 2 weeks with a high total trainingload (high volume of low-intensity training and 3-5 sessions of high-intensity sessions) and 1 week week with lower total trainingload (lower volume of low-intensity training, but still 2-5 high-intensity sessions). The low-intensity training is mostly done as long running-sessions (1½-2½ hours) on different surface (road, paths and terrain), but also some shorter recovery running-sessions. The high-intensity training is mostly done as longer interval-sessions, with high, but not maximum effort, and some orienteering-sessions in competition speed (high or maximum intensity, depending on the duration of the session). Besides that, I do some strength-training, both heavy resistance-training for the legs and corestability-training, to be stronger, more efficient and not least prevent me from overuse-injuries from the high running-load I have.

Last week is a good example of a week with a high total trainingload. During the winter the total trainingload will not be much higher than it was last week (which was also quite high). This week will also be a week with a high training-load, before an easier week between Christmas and New Years, where there will be no organized training. From the 2. January the EC-training will start up again, and so will a new period of high trainingload.  

The shape is not very good right now, but this is not important, because I don't have to be in good shape now. Of course it is hard mentally to be beaten by the others on most trainings, but I know that this is how it usually works for me. I just have to accept the fact that I'm in bad shape, but if I'm patient and keep focusing on my own training plans, the situation will be quite different when the Spring and Summer comes...

Week 29 - Sickness and constant adjustments in trainingplans

A classic example of a training week, that didn't go as planned, due to problems with sickness.

Sickness is often a difficult obstacle for your training, because it's not easy to find out when it's ok to start training again and when it's not. Especially when coughing, I always have problems finding the right balance, because in my experience you can keep coughing for weeks, without actually being sick. The coughing will more or less continue not affected if you train or not. However, Ane has been coughing for almost a month after Smålandskavlen, without training, so I have been nervous that this would take some time for me as well.

  

This week I felt in my body that it was ok to start training easy again on Tuesday, but I found out on Wedensday that it was too early, and had to adjust the plans again. It was ok to have some short easy trainings though, to keep my legs functioning, and I could focus more on strengthtraining, which didn't affected my lungs. I have had problems sleeping during the week, which have disturbed my normal balance and making me tired. In the end of the week my coughing, sleeping and feeling was better and I was able to start training more normal again. 

The week wasn't a disaster and the break from normal training wasn't too long. The week was supposed to be easier after a tough build-up in training in November, and maybe it was good to get a little more rest before the tough training-weeks to come.

The positive things was that I could focus more on my strengthtraining during the week, and that the soreness I had in my calves/akilles dissapeared.       

Week 30 - tough week of training

Here comes the first weekly blog about my training towards WOC 2017. 30 weeks to go...

"As a new thing this year I will try to post my completed training every week from now on and as a countdown until WOC 2017. This is mostly inspired by the traininglog of Thierry Gueorgiou which I have enjoyed reading during the last year. I like the concept of sharing knowledge and if this can be interesting and maybe inspire other runners or coaches, it's great. On the other hand I also think that even though it will be a bit time-demanding project, it will also inspire me to think more about what I'm actually doing, because I have to tell everyone afterwards. Hopefully this will give me a stronger feeling of obligation towards my training than usual.

I will focus mostly on my physical training as this is my main interest, and because it's easier to analyze and sum up than technical and mental training. However, I will try to write about technical and mental training (and other important stuff in my life) when I think it is important.
I will try to be as honest as possible in my descriptions, also when things go badly (because they will occationally, wheter you like it or not). Fell free to ask questions or comment".          
 

But first at short training summary of my training in November, as functioned as a "build-up" in training again:

Week 34 (31/10-6/11): 11:53 hours of training, 8:12 hours of running (82 km)

Week 33 (7/11-13/11): 13:38 hours of training, 10:39 hours of running (113 km)

Week 32 (14/11-20/11): 14:47 hours of training, 11:03 hours of running (120 km)

Week 31 (21/11-27/11): 15:17 hours of training, 12:47 hours of running (138 km)

Total training in November: 61:20 hours of training, 49:20 hours of running (523 km)

Then about last week (week 30):

It was supposed to be a tough week of training, before an easier week after the national team camp. My main focus during November and December is to build up training- and running volume to a high level, besides building up strength again. I'm putting back some longer runs in my basic training and lowering the speed a little compared to last year. I will try to maintain a significant amount of running on hard surface in my low intensity training (road or treadmill). This will hopefully make me strong enough to be able to keep a high volume in training in the new year, with slowly more focus on increasing the amount of high-intensity training.

Unfortunately I started coughing on thursday morning. I seemed like wasn't too bad and I didn't feel sick beside the coughing, so I kept training. I often get problems with coughing after I get a cold, but my experience is that the coughing is not much affected by the training, and it doesn't really matter if I keep training training or just rest, as long as the training doesn't provoke the lungs too much. On sunday I didn't feel normal though, and was low on energy. I will try to take some extra rest in the beginning of the next week.  

2016 Summary... and (at least) one more year!

2016 was a good year of training, with more running than ever. Even though I got two medals and became World Champion again in the Sprint-Relay, my individual performances during the year haven't been as good as hoped, though. It's always difficult to point out what went wrong and I think it is probably a mix of several things. For some reason I haven't been able to perform at my best in the most important competitions, EOC-sprint and WOC-sprint, something that have been one of my strengths for many years. The technical/mental coordination was a problem, especially in the beginning of the season, but my physical shape hasn't been good enough either. At least not good enough to achieve my goals, to be able to fight for medals.

Training summary 2016:

The season started quite badly with a dislocated shoulder in the end of October, but I was quickly back in normal training. Despite another broken rib in February, which only cost me less than a week of reduced training this time, I haven't been seriously injured during the year, and not much sick either.

2016 has also been the year I have ever been running most, both calculated in hours (520 hours) and distance (5415 km), but I have been doing less alternative training and strength-training than earlier.

I have had focus on more running on hard surface this year, and with less longer slow runs than usually and more running in moderate speed (3:45 - 4:15 min/km) and running exercises to be more efficient on hard surface. The amount of high intensity training, and especially the highest intensity (I5), has been less than the last 5 years, and more than half the amount of I5 as in 2014 when I was maybe in my best shape. It has not been an intented change, and I think this reduction has been due to more focus on the sprint, because the amount of high intensity sessions haven't been less, but the duration of the sessions has.
  

The reduced amount of orienteering in 2015 and 2016 can also be explained by more focus on shorter sprint-sessions, compared to earlier years. 

2017:

I have decided that I will (try to) continue at least one more year on the highest level. The last years I have used the fall to feel how my motivation for training and competing one more year has been, but I haven't really doubted that I wanted to continue. It was the same this fall. Even though I'm still motivated I think it is good to spend some time every year to consider other options. When you then decide to continue , I think the commitment will be even bigger, because it is an active choice and not just something you do because you have always done it. If it will be more years after 2017, I can't promise, but I must say that Sprint-WOC 2020 on home ground sounds like something you don't want to miss...

In the same process I have also considered which distances I'm motivated to go for in 2017. Since I have performed top8 WOC-results in all distances and top5 World Cup-results in all distances, the choice is not so obvious. The last 2-3 years I have focused on the Sprint and Sprint-Relay, because I like the concept of the sprint-distance and also saw some improvement potential here. I must say that after the WOC-sprint this year, I was pretty sure that I didn't want to run WOC-sprint again, but this has changed  to some extent during the last months and I have decided with the national coach that my first priority will be the WOC-Sprint and the WOC-Sprint Relay again in 2017. But we have also decided that I will prepare for the forest-disciplines as second priority, as this also motivates me to train even harder in my general basic training during the winter and spring, which consist of lots of forest-training. If I will run the WOC-Middle-distance, WOC-long-distance or WOC-relay (or not be good enough to qualify for the team) will be decided at test-races in Estonia in the middle of May and World Cup round in Finland in the end of May.

As a new thing this year I will try to post my completed training every week from now on and as a countdown until WOC 2017. This is mostly inspired by the traininglog of Thierry Gueorgiou which I have enjoyed reading during the last year. I like the concept of sharing knowledge and if this can be interesting and maybe inspire other runners or coaches, it's great. On the other hand I also think that even though it will be a bit time-demanding project, it will also inspire me to think more about what I'm actually doing, because I have to tell everyone afterwards. Hopefully this will give me a stronger feeling of obligation towards my training than usual.
I will focus mostly on my physical training as this is my main interest, and because it's easier to analyze and sum up than technical and mental training. However, I will try to write about technical and mental training (and other important stuff in my life) when I think it is important.
I will try to be as honest as possible in my descriptions, also when things go badly (because they will occationally, wheter you like it or not). Fell free to ask questions or comment.