I have always tried to be careful with my training to make sure there was no (or little) chance of getting a long term injury. However, it appears that it is still possible for this too happen. 6 months off and a season missed. Still, if I take the positives out of this then:
1 - I probably would not have got a 2.1 in my final university degree if I had not been injured (a 2.1 and a 1st are the 2 grades that employeers look for from university graduates)
2 - If everybody has to lose a season to injury at some point it is good to get it out of the way early

I hope that I am completely fixed now, I expect there will be some imbalance issues as I continue to increase by training but I will be careful and keep an eye on them.

What is new?

I have moved out to Sweden to "chase the dream" so to speak. I am living in my first orienteers only house which I think will be a good thing for me, I have always preferred to train with other people where possible. I have mixed feelings about the Swedish winter (not being a fan of either the cold or the dark and mixed being a polite way of saying that it is going to be brutal). Still it is exciting. I have some decisions to make on my training plans and the goals for next season. I see night orienteering as a great way to improve my skills and also as the easiest way of breaking into the SNO first team at TioMila, so I think there will be plenty of that this winter.

This weekend coming is 25manna. I expect to be running in the 2nd team but am really looking forward to getting some more big relay experience. After that there is Smålandskavlen which will also be good experience.

Plenty of things going on to keep me occupied for the moment.
 
This year I have joined a Swedish Orienteering Club, Sodertaljte-Nykvarn Orienteering. They very nicely offered me a chance to spend the summer in Sweden, it did not take me very long to accept.

Competitions

I went out to just before Jukola to do a little bit of training. I felt I prepared well and did a decent performance on leg 6 for the 2nd team. I was running well for most of the course but as usual this season I made 1 large mistake that cost me a really good time.

As well as running Jukola I ran for GB in the Nordic Orienteering Tour. This was a massive reality check on just how good the top guys in the world are, I'm not too far off when a leg goes really well but then that doesn't happen much at the moment. Still I left the competition feeling motivated for the future.

The next competition I ran was O-Ringen. I knew it would be tough for me to get a good results in the forest stages so I hoped instead for good performances. I felt I ran ok but was let down slightly by both my physical fitness and my speed across the rocky terrain. The sprint race however was a different story and I finished 5th – winning my first bit of prize money.

My final competition was the SM championships in middle and relay. I was really excited about it and knew that if I could hold myself together that I had a chance of qualifying. Unfortunately my mind got the best of me and I began to think about other things and not the next control. Still it was a good experience to get into this pressure situation. Now I recognise this as a weakness I can work on it over the winter.

The only negative on the orienteering in Sweden was that I didn't do enough. And yes, I put 4 stitches in my knee (but that was at the end and I needed a break from training anyway)
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Job

Whilst I was in Sweden I worked for Scania helping to organise the Griffin Trophy. This is a multi-sport and multi-day team building event for the employees of Scania. I helped to plan and organise the stages of the competition and then to assist in the organising of the marshals when the competition was in progress.

I really enjoyed working for Scania and it was a wonderful experience of the world of work. My current plan is to go back out to Sweden on a permanent basis once I graduate so it was good to get a taste of what life would be like and check I enjoyed it. I most definitely did.



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