Season 2011

Looking backt at the 2011 season there are some races which comes up more than other and which tell a lot about how I manage to get into shape at the right moment or didn't manage it.

Swiss Middle distance Championship
Between January and the middle of April I  spent 27 days in training camp in technically challenging areas (Millau, 2x Clermont Ferrand, Barbatte) and 38% of my training was orienteering. When at home the focus was more on building the running capacities. The factors helps me to performe well at the Swiss middle distance Championship, finishing 2nd behind Matthias Merz.
The annual Swiss Team performance test the week after also showed good improvements comparered to previous years.

Swiss Middle distance Champs

NORT
The spring went up and down with problems to be in shape when I had planned.
Even if Tiomila was desappointment for KOK my race was good and I ran on a good level having the speed of both Lundanes and Gueorgiou.
But the week after I had problem to recover and due to a lack of rest my shape went down quite a lot. Two weeks were needed to get back on a good level.
At NORT I had the same problem. After a good fisrt part of the Tour and a good race at Jukola I had problem to recover and the performance in the chassing start was very desappointing.

Spring Shape

WOC Test races
In the week between NORT and the Swiss test races for WOC I put focus on reloading my batteries. Whit the help of my medicin man I could get back in business. With 3rd and 1st place in the middle and the long test races I showed that my level in the French terrain is good and that I would be a top 6 contender.

Swiss team WOC Long distance test race

WOC
The plan was to spend 12 days in Savoie in the beginning of July in order to get ready for the technical challenge at WOC. But a sprain ankle in the 3rd day put my plan up side down. I had to get on the bike for 13 days and ride instead of surf the curves. The orienteering camps where moved closer to WOC and coming to WOC I had had 11 days with O-training. Between september 2010 and the WOC I spent 50 days and did 88 trainings in WOC relevant terrains.
The 4th place in the long distance was a really nice reward for the work made to prepare the WOC.

WOC Long distance Final 

WC Liberec
After 1 week holiday I went back into training mode in order to get in shape for the last World Cup stages. But a Achilles inflammation stopped my plan and I was forced to rest and to train in the water. At the races in Czech the technical and physical shape were in the basement and nothing went out of those 2 races except that the inflammation was gone and that I could run without pain again.

WC Liberec Middle distance

WC Final
The injury beeing gone I pack some trainings in  the week between the Czech and the Swiss stages. This mini-shaping allowed my fitness to be sufficient for 6th place at the 2nd last WC stage.

Autumn preparation