Back to the stony roots of orienteering. Training in Arboga.
August 1, 2007 ... by Jan Sidla
How was iron weighed and taxed in the times of King Gustav Vasa? When did Arboga OK win 10MILA for the last time? Fo-ot went to Sweden to find out and well, to win O-Ringen.
After some weeks of hard training back in hilly Zlin, the strategy was to take it easy.
Instead of running Elitserien on the first weekend
we decided on hunting for some o-ecstasy at the Eskilstuna Weekend.
And the mossy Sormland's woods around Svalboviken couldn't please us more.
As the split times show, when the map gets detailed and the distances between controls shorter it is hard to keep up with locals.
Nevertheless, Michal Smola in the dress of Sodertalje-Nykvarn OF pulled off a victory in H21 Long, to the very astonishment of the commentator.
In contrast and not surprisingly, the winner of 10MILA Arvid Imark in the Arboga OK colours finished second in H80.
Then we set our base in the land rich in history and stones, in Arboga. We had a few jogging sessions with the map and spent a lot of time on special running techniques and strength exercises. We came across a lovely site for running of short intervals right behind the Watch Tower of the Jehovah brotherhood on the way to the car wreckage.
For a sprint training in the town of Arboga, there was only a map drawn in the normal key, not to ISSOM standard available.
In addition, I had a quarrel with OCAD about the scale and as a result printed a 1:7500 map.
Michal spent some 19 minutes on this brisk 4.2km sightseeing. He missed the Iron Scales though.
They are not on the map but you can come to see them to the Iron Square (Jarntorget) near to the control number 13.
You can follow the river from there and, after hitting the Hjalmare Canal
continue a nice 13.7km jog along its nine locks all the way to the lake Hjalmaren.
As a crucial training before the World Cup in Mjolby I consider the middle distance on the map from this year's 10MILA.
It took Michal 38 minutes to accomplish this 5.9km course.
I borrowed the 15-to-16 leg from 10MILA and used it in the opposite direction.
As a rule a long stretch between two controls is vital on a middle distance.
From a mathematical point of view differences between way choices eliminate themselves on shorter legs,
whereas there is nothing to compensate for a mistake on a long leg. So, make a good way choice and stick to it!
Michal chanced the paths to the left but got confused by fields at one point.
Sauna and blueberries and then up to O-Ringen we went.
Many thanks to AOK and all friends in Arboga.
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