okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering
Monday, December 09, 2002
Running in the woods
One of my goals for the fall O' season was to feel comfortable running in the woods.
I hurt myself running in the woods about 15 months ago. Since then, I've struggled to feel comfortable. The worst it got was at the US Short Champs when I felt scared. Running in the woods felt like standing face-to-face with a snarling Pit Bull.
At the US Short Champs, I was still suffering a bit physically. My left leg wasn't yet strong.
More recently, I've felt good most of the time with a few hesitations. My left leg is fairly strong. But, running down hills is not comfortable. Jumping across logs or ditches doesn't feel good either. By "not comfortable" and "doesn't feel good" I don't mean it is physically difficult. I mean that it is mentally difficult. I just don't feel comfortable.
The Possum Trot was a good test. I spent a lot of time running in the woods. Some of the running involved going down hills, jumping logs and running at a decent pace. Those are all things that should test my comfort level.
I'm pretty happy with how I felt. Most of the time, I didn't think about my leg. Most of the time, I ran well. I still hesitated a bit on the downhills and crossing ditches. But, even then I felt cautious rather than stressed.
My goal was to feel comfortable running in the woods. I'm not quite there, but I'm very close.
posted by Michael |
8:19 PM
