A chaotic summer

This summer has been quite chaotic for me. It has been the best summer ever in many ways, but also the worst summer ever in some (luckily a lot fewer!) ways. I have been fighting with back problems since the beginning of June, and it is is still an issue (however a lot more manageable now than 3 months ago), and that has really bothered me. I’m continuously working on it, and I hope that it will submit to my efforts eventually (rather sooner than later). I’m still able to run, which makes it OK, but I’d much rather not have to deal with it at all.

The weeks I spent in Italy  before and during WOC were really great in most ways, but it was also really demanding emotionally for me. I had quite big personal problems, that I didn’t want to talk about too much then, and that I thought I could handle, but it was always there jostling for my attention, which made it difficult for me to relax and to focus on the right things. The thing that bothered me was the relationship between me and my girlfriend. After 8 years together we have seperated. It was a mutual decision, we agreed that we both needed to move on and start something new. Even though we ended on good terms, it has been a tough summer. Becoming a couple at age 14 and 16, we have spent a huge part of our lives together, and now everything is new. A lot of my energy has gone into this. I have moved back to my parents (for the time being), and I am just trying to figure out what to do with my life, apart from orienteering.

Looking back at WOC, I have learned so many things about how to handle my emotions during a championship. I have always just taken each day as it comes, and things has always gone well for me. This was the first time I came in to an international championship with any troubles at all, and it was a big difference. I am not used to performing during emotional chaos. Maybe I could have managed better if I didn’t have my back problems on top of all this. These two things just stole too much energy from me, and I didn’t manage to focus enough on the tasks ahead of me. The middle distance was a disaster, and served as i big wake-up call for me. I redid my plan, and came in to the relay a lot more structured and aware of the difficulties. And this is what I’ll do ahead of WOC next year. So I will be at the top of my game, already from the start. And then maybe we’ll see something like this again!