FINALLY it's time to chill out...

Finally feeling like my summer has begun, I have around two weeks before I jet-set off anywhere and spent the first couple of these days in Edinburgh with Florence literally being massive bums.

I arrived relatively late Sunday night so after a quick catch up slept in Katie's bed. Appreciating that it was a double, completely starfished! The next morning the weather was BEAUT! As Florence mentioned: 'I think you're addicted to sun' which I wouldn't argue with we went for an early morning jog up blackford. Although steep the views were worth it, it was nice just being outside, running but not caring about the time or distance.

Daisy Chain and Sunshine

DUNGARIE LOVE

The rest of the day was so chilled, can't remember the last day I literally did so little!! We stayed inside watched some football, played some football in the sunshine! Florence made me a daisy chain :D I was loving life in my dungaries...literally haven't taken them off in like three days! I decided to teach myself to do keepy-ups (I have no clue how to spell them!) and got to eight!!! Had bare chats, when you have a friend you can just chat rubbish at is the best, you can say anything and they won't judge. Meant I blabbed a lot of rubbish, in particular about my love life...'I'm not a slut, I'm just free'. LOL I mean if I was a boy I wouldn't be a slut! Just cus I'm a girl doesn't mean I am only allowed to be desperately weak and pathetically in love with one boy? As me and Helen read the previous week in Cosmo (I know preaching from Cosmo cannot be a good sign): 'I love you, I just love me more'. I've just got a lot of love for myself right how…and food...and sleep and training. OH AND GYM! Haa and the rest of the day consisted of exactly those things (minus the gym!). We went inside did some baking. Made some cookies and apply traybake, did all the mixing - working on my guns you see ;)

 

MUDDY MESS

In the evening I went for some orienteering sprit-intervals around black field where I'd jogged in the morning. They were super fun, it was So STEEP!! At one point I had no control and was sliding off the side of this steep bank...I got mud all up the side of me. Couldn't read the map and had covered my Durham top and hands in mud! There were four 1km efforts that I did, was exactly what I needed, hilly but fast and on the last two had to really focus and remind myself to RTFM. so many stinging nettles and overgrown parts though so some routes were compromised and I had to peg it around paths instead!

Bought some eggs for tea afterwards, going into supermarkets post-run, covered in mud, blood and sweat makes me feel a little self-conspicuous. Not going to lie I was well aware that I smelt and looked a mess. #athleteprobs OH WELL. Least I'm being healthy right?

Had omelettes and of course stuffed my face with cake and cookies in the evening, whilst watching the Iran v Nigeria World Cup match which was appalling. Got myself Instagram too...went a little crazy on the first day of getting it. #wastingmylife #instagramlove can you tell?

Instagram Love

Following day, Florence went to the gym, I slept, washed up (domestic goddess...shame I can't be this good at uni) spoke to my ma on the phone. Literally feel like I should be the mum and make her do what I say: don't go to work, chill out, take some time off. She is a complete hero and does so much, burns the candle at both ends and never rests! And I wonder why I never seem to be able to sit down and chill out...it's in the genes. Can't wait to get home to see her though, make it easier for her to be her busy self by being a domestic goddess again hahaha. It’s okay, my mums cool; she has snapchat. Is it bad that she is my bestie on it?!

Back to Edinburgh...for the rest of the day before my train home we played football, ate strawberries and cake in the sunshineee :)

A couple of days of food, sun, training and Florence was just what I needed. A chance to see what non-busy, non-travelling, non-orienteering people do with their lives was refreshing but I would quickly get bored!

Jukola...ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY JOINING LILLOMARKA

Palatinate Ball

As the Team Durham Palatinate ball was the Wednesday before I flew to Helsinki I had very little sleep. The ball was great, I won a full palatinate, got two puddings and went out afterwards. All sober. I was getting used to not drinking and although the temptation was there I knew it really wouldn't be worth it. Travelling all day Thursday was not fun, I caught the train at 5.39am and didn't arrive at the school we were sleeping in until midnight! 18 hours travelling!

We were staying in this old school that had out up beds for us and provided us with breakfast and dinner on the Friday - the dinner was so nice, hadn't eaten good food in so so long! The training for me wasn't fun and enjoyable, terrain was tough, soft ground, bushes and crags wasn't my idea of fun, fast orienteering. However I didn't let it bother me too much, I knew I needed to silence my feelings a little bit, stop complaining and use my head a bit more when I orienteer.

Watermelon makes everything better

The easy run in the evening was eventful, although slow, Andrine managed to get the worse luck ever as a bird shat on her. We gave her priority to the first shower...and then ate watermelon to cheer up.

I was in the second team, last leg with Charlotte, Kristin and Siri. WE DID AWESOME! Charlotte completely bossed first leg and we ended up in 69th, the best the second team of LOL has ever been :) my race was so much fun! I didn't even do as well as I could but I enjoyed it so much!! The beginning was good, and I felt fast! I never quite was in enough control that I could say I was working on RTFM but I was enjoying tearing up the forest, bashing my way through shite. Although I do remember hating it when I was on the course...I got so many cuts and bruises and completely bitch slapped by this one tree. I had to stop for about 30seconds as I couldn't see a thing! Even hours after my race my eyes kept spontaneously crying :( I also ran to control four before three but I was loving life at that point, running so fast that I didn't want to stop to read the map. The terrain was better than expected but I think it was just because of elephant tracks! As I wasn't RTFM very well my routes were pretty shit but I enjoyed it wooooo!! And when I finished all the LOL girls were there waiting which was THE BEST :D

LOL boys trying to sleep <3

In total I was on the arena for 13hours, watched the boys start, tried to sleep, cuddled on a roll matt with Siri trying to keep warm, worked on my tan in the showers ha, ate ice cream even though it was freezing and saw a load of Brits and my fav british boy from home, jack <3<3 lol who I hadn't seen in ages!!

With not much sleep again (although I think more than anyone who had tried to sleep in the tents overnight!) we watched Gaute finish for the first team in 19th place!!! Went for a really easy run with Charlotte in the sunshineeee before leaving for Edinburgh! As it was my one year anniversary in Lillomarka me and Ingvild at Helsinki went to eat togeths...which failed miserably I had somehow managed to buy a liquorice ice cream (WHO EVEN MAKES THEM!?). It was vile. I don't like Liquorice

Compared to tiomila, although there was more excitement and goings on at tiomila, I felt I had enjoyed this waaay more - probably because I'd enjoyed the orienteering! I was also beginning to feel more confident in what I would call shitty terrain! Knowing that yeh my body was going to complain and I would get pissed off with the terrain, but not to listen to that physical side of my brain as much....focus on quieting my emotional tired little chimp and getting on with the orienteering and rational thinking :)

World Cup

On the plane from Manchester to Oslo I finally found myself relaxing after a term or revision and exams at university. The Tuesday early in the week I finished my last exam and although most people found themselves drinking and relaxing I seemed to be busy still, packing for the World Cup and the whole stress of my messed up orienteering head had come crashing back - had completely put it off since Tiomila to focus on my exams! I also slept a lot and the flight over was no exception!

Met Robbie, Helen and Annette before travelling out to Kongsberg; I slept in the car course :) arrived at the hotel which was lush. Even though I could have stayed with other British athletes, I chose to stay with Lillomarka, who make my life so much easier and I literally love them all! Best western - the hotel we stayed at- was awesome! Breakfast was the best!! We had like smoothie in this little wine glass! And waffles, chocolate spread in like a toothpaste tube - very cute! Fruit, cereal, cooked breakfast, BROWN CHEESE! Beet root (made myself the best sandwich in the world!!) like everythingggg!!

Friday training was alright...but I had the same kinda meh, neutral feeling I'd seemed to be getting all the time. That evening I sat on my bed and decided to sort it out....really fed up of what wasn't really clicking.

I had an epiphany haha (maybe – probably not but for me it was)...basically I have just been turning up to events and not thinking about what I'm doing. I used to have to concentrate on map reading as I couldn't get away with not doing it but then as the map reading turned into habit, I lost focus to do it and recently have just been floating around the courses, expecting my previous abilities that I've built up to take me around the course. And then when this hasn't worked I haven't really had a reason why, I mean I felt like I was trying and my orienteering wasn't shit it just wasn't quite there. Speaking with Vidar over the weekend and he described this as just, 'losing the grip' on orienteering. I was being sloppy, lazy and needed to refocus my brain as I was getting a bit out of sync.

So to do this I needed to really concentrate and I always remember thinking about how easy orienteering is...you have the map, control descriptions. They tell you exactly where to go so I needed to just refresh myself that they are there to be used; this means reading the map, not just looking at it before running off and having to relocate every 100meters!! I related this to a saying my dad always use to say before I went into exams. "Lucy, just remember RTFQ...Read The Fucking Question". Haha and it correlates to orienteering, I approached it similarly. I mean you wouldn't do all the revision for exams walk into the examination room, sit down and as soon as they say the exam has begun open the booklet and start scribbling everything you know!? You have to read the question to make sure you answer it correctly, using the appropriate things that you've revised!

And this is how I looked at orienteering. Previously I had been doing all this work (aka training hard, gym etc etc) but then as soon as my start time went I was rushing off, eager to use my fitness but without answering the question correctly (without reading the map and planning the leg before executing it) therefore losing time and coming back knowing I had tried hard but hadn't tailored my technical and physical skills to the area.

So for Saturday I wanted to RTFM (Read The Fucking Map) instead of just floating around the course. Reading the map, planning the leg before running off. Although I had limited success with this and in some places it didn't quite work but for the first time since February I enjoyed orienteering!!! And recognised the enjoyment from before - the technical game with the tough physical demand. I got back and yes results wise I was at the bottom but it was incredible how suddenly the focus on position seemed irrelevant. I just wanted to get back out in the terrain and try to get it perfect!!! Results here: WORLD CUP MIDDLE

Crazy how a little shift in my mental attitude seemed to make everything click. My head seemed back in sync and even though the terrain was super tough I didn't mind it at all!

That evening we went to Peppes pizza for the third night in a row....the same waitress was working which was interesting to watch. She seemed to have had enough! Anyway it was a nice opportunity to chat with Ingvild and Helen, enjoyed our tea and then cheekily got a desert (me and Helen managed to try some Oreo dream as well, using our stealth ;)).

OH MY GOSH...also met Matt and Elin’s baby - Aurora! Bloody hell she's adorable, so cute!!!!! Like tinyyy feet and ears and hands! Chubby cheeks but that just made her more adorable ;) And she was sooo good, hardly cried at all!

Anyyyyway Sunday morning I was not running in the World Cup - ran with the juniors in the Norwegian cup although I was starting super early so got a lift with the Brekke family :) started well, really happy!! My RTFM was working like a dream, again where it didn't work (I was being lazy or near the end I got tired and couldn't focus well) I had to relocate and re-adjust my plan a few times. After the long leg I think I fried my body a little and I found it hard to move in a straight line without falling over haha but I finished again really happy! As I was one of the first starters I was in the lead for ages wooohhoo :) but even when the better Norwegians came in I could accept them beating me a lot better than I would have ever expected. I ended in 18th and when I came in, in 68minutes I thought the winning time would be under 60 which it was :) Results: NORWEGIAN CUP LONG DISTANCE RESULTS

Great weekend, lots learnt, even some suntan (maybe possibly burn) and then a long trip home. BUT before went to Vidar’s house for tea, which was beaut! Salmon!! Haven't had fish in ageess- student diet and all that! Had a good natter with Vidar to the airport and then flew to Edinburgh , stayed with an old orienteering friend which was SO GOOD to catch up before getting a train the next day to duzza :) 

Exams, Tiomila, Bla Bla Bla

So I've been useless with my blog...had Tiomila, my first one which was awesome experience. Actually was it...I always just write this and then might not actually mean it. Okay correction it was a difficult experience. I obviously enjoyed being with people in LOL, the atmosphere in it is awesome but felt pretty stuck/trapped in my orienteering habits which were too vague and not disciplined enough to do as well as I wanted. I was also too focused on racing, not the actually race. Stressing about my fitness, exams, and previous orienteering performances - trying to find confidence and pulling at straws. Anyway I spoke to my parents about it afterwards and also Heather (who came up with a method to help J), I did write down everything in my head but don't want that to be on here...hahaha it is emotionally irrational and the definition of "chimp speak". Which is from this new book my dad sent me recently over the exam period. He decided to send this to me after a 'heated discussion' about my training and the amount I should be doing, especially with exams that affect me mentally! I haven't got far through it but it theorises you have the human thoughts which are rational and appropriate and then the chimps thoughts which sometime slip through and are emotionally driven!

My housemate always picks up on my chimp and how it comes out when I'm tired saying I have “no filter when I get tired...just blurt any old rubbish out without a second thought”! Which to be honest I don't think is all bad as then people know where they stand with me right? Instead of being a closed book I am easy to read :) ha.

Anyway exams went well, I did a lot of work for them and felt superrr clever! So would have been pissed if they hadn't gone well. I don't get overly stressed about them although I was a little stressed this year trying to train well and although I forgot about Tiomila and my orienteering issues they were all still there waiting for my head to sort through them.

My nails suffered badly and now keep breaking and I can't stop biting them even though exams are over! #girlsprobz

With exams now over I can spend more time updating this ha, learning Norwegian and being a social butterfly AHAHAHAHAHA and training...and geeking and all that. It's all about balance kids :P ALTHOUGH slight beef coming, no JWOC PARTY?? WTF?

Very tempted to email the organisers and tell them I am English, where the drinking tradition is high. And I have GIVEN IT UP. 107 days now guys btw...completely clean, and JWOC party was my chance to drink again. Obviously I think I will need like a shot now to get drunk but still. I was banking on the JWOC party making up for the others that I have missed. But not anymore pffft. I'm going to make my own party. Which I think others will do and it will probably turn out more of a mess than if they had an organised one. Grrrrr.