Out there...

Witness Mountains

2010-11-30T18:11:00.004+01:00

Another trip report from an unusual location: Hungary! I should have had more of these stories, but sadly nowadays I spend more time away from my home than at home. I recruited a few members of my family to do a walk/challenge in an area called "Witness Mountains". There are several hills/mountains in an area on the northwest of Lake Balaton called wittnes mountains, which are representing volcanic history and solid erosion. This challenge/walk is part of a series and we just decided to do it in a few days before. A few facts: 24km, 820m climb, 3 peaks and 8 control points. We decided to add another peak at the beginning since the peak was really close to the start, so we changed the tour to a 28km, 1100m climb. Overnight there was a massive snowfall which made this hike an absolutely epic trip with lots of falls, mud, snow and laughter. Four of us walked together all the way to the finish line and managed to do it in 6hrs 59minutes, what was only one minute away from the deadline. Great trip and amazing views!

Just a few more days

2010-11-11T19:44:00.005+01:00

Sorry about the long silence, I have been away on expeditions and other trips. I promise I will try my best to please you all with some spectacular photos and interesting trip reports. Please see some pictures above.

Few more weeks away

2010-07-14T16:44:00.002+02:00

Sorry for the silence I have been away in the Alps and now heading to Africa. I will be back with more on Everest Marathon, an article on hiking/climbing in the Alps and some details how to enjoy Tanzania. Just an appetizer from our trip in Mont Blanc Massif.

Marathon course discription

2010-06-22T14:06:00.007+02:00

In a few words I would like to explain the route. There are two Everest marathons, one in November and one in May. Both of them run on similar ground, but the main difference is in the start and finish sections. The one in May starts from Khumbu Glacier (EBC) and runs on a route of: Gorak Shep, Lobuche, Thukla, Dingboche, Thyangboche, Khunde Hospital, Khumjung Hillary School, Syangboche, Namche Bazar following the historical places of the first successful Everest Expedition (reached summit on 29 May, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary). The other one is running on a lower route starting from Gorak Shep and adding the extra miles in Namche area towards Thame, before it turns back and finishes in Namche Bazar. Looking at the profile and the difficulty of both races it is clear that the marathon in May offers more challenges with the extra time spent at higher altitude plus the "breathtaking" Khunde climb (more than 600m). Most of the runners "powerwalk" this part since it is almost impossible to run after spending so many kilometers running downhill at that altitude. If we go more into details this event is a seriuos trail running challenge: icy and snowy start, loose rocks, boulder fields, narrow paths, zig-zags up and down. Both races have limited number of entries, since it runs in Sagarmatha National Park and the impact could be significant. At this time of year the weather starts playing its pre-monsoon game, so please expect anything (snow, rain, sleet, wind, etc). Majority of the paths are narrow so runners need to be aware of trekkers, load carriers, sherpas, animals, etc. The vista on the course is absolutely amazing - if you can look around and behind you without falling- sights of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Taboche, Lobuche, Cholatse, etc. On pictures you can see the start area, Nuptse wall and Gorak Shep sandy field, leaving Pangboche area, Thyangboche Monastry and Namche Bazar (running route comes down on right side -closest zig zag).

Flora and fauna in Khumbu Region

2010-06-22T13:45:00.005+02:00

Just to name a few of the "plants and creatures of Nepal". Also I need to mention animals like musk deer, mouse hare, himlayan thar, snow leopard, choughs, lammergeier, impeyan pheasant, etc.

Tough race in a few words

2010-05-31T14:55:00.006+02:00

Just got back to Kathmandu after travelling back from Namche Bazaar. I have managed to finish the marathon and even take the "first westerner " title.
We are all know that theer was no way catching the sherpa runners, but had a great battle for my final 36th place. I ran/walked for 5:34minutes and finished 4th foreigner (first westerner, behind 3 indian army runners). Unfortunately my stomach issues forced me to slow down/ even walk for a long time after keeping my pace to 4:45-5:05 target time. All happened after the 30km mark and I could not do much... Despite of all these facts I was extremely happy to finish in one piece. More details and pictures soon... (Picture: close to start area at Base camp - one day before the race)

Heading up to the start line

2010-05-21T08:03:00.004+02:00

After 10 days of recovery and slow training in Namche I am heading up to Everest Base Camp ...once again. In the last days I managed to get back to my "nearly normal" health level (thanks to a huge dose of antibiotics) and even I raised my training regime. Yesterday I topped it with a 190minutes run with 1200m ascent and descent. No need to say that my speed was not detectable and my form needs to be worked on. Other than that I feel pretty much ready for the quest. There will be about 100runners with approx. 30 westerners. Next time I will reporting abouth the race itself.

3 week round trip summary

2010-05-13T04:42:00.002+02:00

Just a recap from the last 3 week:
I have missed out on a few bits , but most of my plan was executed in a safe manner.
I moved up in Gokyo Valley and stayed about 5-6days there and I crossed Tso La and moved to Khumbu Valley then to "Chukung Valley" and returned.
Facts:

15 days over 4700m, 7 times over 5100m
3 pass crossings: Renjo La(5400m), Tso La (5350m), Kongma La (5533m)
2 small peaks ( Gokyo Ri, Chukung Ri)
20-25kg backpack, poles, 80% of the time walking and running in trainers
snowed about 4-5 times (no rain)
crossed 3 glaciers
extra feature: Cho Oyu Base Camp visit (amazing place)
additional challenge: viral infection (still recovering)

I will be posting a more detailed trip report (areas, walks, inforation, etc.) once I am back home in June. Of course there will be more short reports on the marathon.

Back in Namche

2010-05-10T14:22:00.003+02:00

Just a short one, before I give a full report. I am back in Namche safe and sound, unfortunately not 100% healthy, but I guess it is all part of the game. I managed to collect a throat infection, so spent some time off and missed out on a few extra bits, but overall had a great time and still up for the challenge. More soon.

Leaving Namche

2010-04-24T09:32:00.004+02:00

Enjoying my last day at Namche Bazar and ending my 4 day training at this altitude. In the next 16-18 days I will be trekking in the higher areas of Gokyo and Khumbu Valley and I return for another week of training here before I finally set myself up for the marathon. It is so far ahead.
Yesterdat and today I managed to do about an 90min each with some walking (which is always a case). If you look at the picture you could see that everything is up or down..there is no easy run.
Just a few things ahead: I will be spending about 16 days over 4400m and try to ascend over 5000m about 6-7 times (walking up a few smaller peaks) to get closer to those famous and amazing places in this part of the Himalyas.

Namche Bazar

2010-04-22T08:28:00.002+02:00

Another post from Sagarmatha National Park. I am still enjoying the luxury of Namche and working on my preparation. Yesterday I went for a a walk/run training and ended up moving in a fair pace, but had to slow down enjoying the scenery, which was unbelievable: Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Everest and many other peaks on the horizon. Plus managed to get out quick before the rush hour , so actually saw some wildlife: pheasants, eagles, vultures.
Today I tested my endurance and went for a 2hr 40min training towards west (Thame, small Hydro-electric station -supplying the area) and back. About 4-500m height gain (up to 3820m) and some tough ground. It was just enough with the food and water I had in my system. I might extend my stay here to get more acclimatized for higher areas, so I could start training there too.

Khumbu Valley

2010-04-20T09:35:00.004+02:00

Believe or not I am sitting in an internet place in Namche Bazaar (3400m) and writing a new post. The last days went well as I had planned. I flew to Lukla(2800m) on 17 April and spend a day with restiing. Next day I went for a longer walk/run and actually ended up moving up to 3500m and ran down, tough workout - 2hrs 10minutes. Next day I was expecting a lot of pain in my quads from all the pounding I did to them, but I still went for a run..on easier terrain. This was a proper one with no stops and walks: 1 hour, down to 2600m and back with lots of small ups and downs (steps, rocks, dust). Some people looked at me with disgust some were just wondering: he probably needs help! Today I came up to Namche with all my gear (25kg) and I am ready to spend more time at this altitude before I move higher up towards Gokyo (4700m).
Weather is holding well and the visibility is great. More soon.

Ahead of the clouds

2010-04-16T14:56:00.004+02:00

I managed to take one of the last flights from England, so I arrived Kathmandu yesterday. Few funny moments were along the journey, as it usauly happens if you make your way through India. I tried to fly lightway, so I ended up with only one check in bag (approx. 20kg, icncluding tent, sleeping bag and all clothes) and no hand luggage except a small digital camera and a money belt. Seemed like I will be quick through security..until I got to New Delhi transit. It took me about 15minutes to get through: they checked my money belt 4 times and my camera case twice..and finally put a massive handbag sticker on my "mouse size" camera case. Of course the sign said: Aeroflot (I was flying with Jet Airways). No worries. Nice temperature on the runway - around +40 Celsius and sunny. Flight was good andf arrived safely to Kathmandu Airport, where I was welcomed by 200 local taxi drivers..wanting a piece of me and my luggage- only charging 5 times as much as they would for a local (of course they never use taxis). After some entertaining moments I found a friend who was willing to have a nice 7km walk with me to Thamel (tourist part), where I invaded my prebooked accomodation and enjoyed an afternoon sleep. Today I spent my time joining the local walking program on the streets of Thamel. Lot of participants and some serious looking, hippy-hobo type, grass type and locals enjoyed the workout and of course we all contributed reducing the smog level by inhaling as much as we can.
Leaving for the mountains tomorrow..Training begins. More soon... (picture was taken on flight to Lukla)

Just a recap

2010-04-14T10:05:00.002+02:00

In a few hours I say bye to european soil, but I thought I lay down a few notes before I dismiss. Last weeks I managed to have most of my trainings on either cross country or sand/grace surface. Also put in some intervall workouts in my legs - somewhere along the 3:30-4min/km mark. Not much and it felt way too fast, but I guess looking at my target time for the marathon I would be better off just running 6min pace :) Yesterday I looked at details of my preperation in Nepal and I changed some: First two weeks I mainly move up to higher areas, making attempts on local hills (up to 5800m) and doing some low level workouts or whatever I manage. Before then I face my travel and a couple of days in "tropical Kathmandu".

Last days in Europe

2010-04-12T15:36:00.003+02:00

After a few workouts in London and Peak District I am ready for a change. I am staying a couple of days in urban environment and hopefully I will be in the Himalayas from 17 April.

Everest Marathon Preparation

2010-04-07T16:33:00.002+02:00

It has been awhile I posted any notes here, I could say many reasons - why, but I just start a new chapter. I have been preparing myself for different disciplines for many years such as competitions, work, general fittness or some extreme ocasions. I am not sure where I should put this one. To me nature is a very special element especially when it comes to mountainous regions and environment. I have been thinking about completing an official marathon distance for a long time. Throughout my 20+ year running career I have done it many times for training, but never entered a real one. It is about time.
Last year I decided to enter this very special marathon which combines distance, mountains and altitude and in an amazing setup: Khumbu Valley
For this reason I changed my training slightly to fit the requirements. Having done some intense workouts such as running in deep snow for hours and skiing 30-40kms on low energy intake I believe I have got a solid foundation to build upon. In the next 6-7 weeks I try to keep you updated how things are going and how I actually prepare for this challenge in Nepal. You can follow me up to the Everest Region. I am not sure I would be available all time, but once in awhile I give some details of my progress and finally I tell you about the race itself.
Everest Marathon facts: official maraton distance, starting point at Everest Base Camp -5370m, finish line at Namche Bazaar -3600m, mainly downhill-but there are some energy sapping uphills, cold, snow, heat, rain, only 100 runners for all around the world and one of the most amazing surroundings-the highest peaks in the world.
One more week until I fly to Nepal until that I do my last workouts in the UK.

Picking up speed

2010-01-26T19:28:00.003+01:00

Late weekly update again. Looking back it seems like I had a decent week behind me. Managed to get a nice balance between guiding and picking up more training. Clocked about 170km skiing during the week and some good runs too. We had our first ski race too (5km classic technique) at Trabelia Lysloype, which went ok. Feeling better this week, but it is time to pick up more running training since Everest Marathon is only 4 months away and I need some mileage in my legs.

Another late week summary

2010-01-15T08:10:00.002+01:00

A week past and training has picked up a bit along with regular guiding days. Managed to have a few sessions in XC skiing both in skating and classic techniques, plus running in snow and and uphill workout. Saturday peaked with a 20km classic tempo and an interval - snow run. I need more of this.

Busy holidays

2010-01-05T19:31:00.002+01:00

It has been pretty busy around Christmas and New Year, but managed to scrape some training together going out few times every week amongst those long guiding days. I do not think I should put down any of these memories until I get some decent workouts rolling. Time will come... I need to strengthen my mind and core before I enter to it.

Last two weeks in Norway

2009-12-28T08:00:00.002+01:00

It has been challenging in the last two weeks at all levels, but I have managed to maintain some sort of shape. I would not go into details much (lots of guiding, few XC ski trainings and few runs in snow). More details in a week after we pass these busy days.

Week of rest and recovery

2009-12-13T19:39:00.003+01:00

As I felt it last week I needed some time off. This week's summary is fairly simple.
Easy recovery week with lots of intellectual uploading. Also moved back to Norway on Friday.
Only activity was on 13 Dec, Sat: 1,5hr skiing and 1,5hr shoveling snow :)

Peaking

2009-12-10T23:16:00.004+01:00

This week I was thinking a lot about ending it with a race or doing nothing at all only recovering from a tooth injury.
Here you are this is what happened:
30 Nov, Mon: Rest day!
1 Dec, Tue: Swimming and sauna 2hrs. No run.
2 Dec, Wed: 80min run-early morning, easy pace. Swimming and sauna 2hrs.
3 Dec, Thu: 60min easy run.
4 Dec, Fri: Rest day.
5 Dec, Sat: Decided against recovery, so be it- Race: 34km trail race, 800m climb, +2-5 Celsius, Bakony mountains(Hungary), 2 mistakes- wrong turn, which added about 15-20min extra to my time. otherwise steady pace until 22km and getting tired gradually towards the end. Last 4km was fairly muddy, but ok. Finished with 3hrs 2min, good effort. Was it a good idea or I made my life harder? We'll see it in a few days.
6 Dec, Sun: Total restday...it is good to be lazy.
I am not sure about next week, possible a whole week off to recover from my wounds and hopefully if I do not require medical help I move back to Norway.

Strength week

2009-12-03T17:42:00.004+01:00

Having my holiday last week I felt like keep going with my laziness.
23 Nov, Mon: Early morning run - 45min easy ,1,5hr sauna+swimming, my calf muscles are in pain
24 Nov, Tue: No run. 2hr sauna+swimming
25 Nov, Wed: Tooth fairy visited me, 30min easy jogg
26 Nov, Thu: 40min easy run, 2hr sauna+ swimming
27 Nov, Fri: early morning run -80min, 2hr sauna+swimming
28 Nov, Sat: Trail run (Velencei hg) - 85min, feeling tired and slow, calf muscles are very painful
29 Nov, Sun: Trail run (Vertes-Csokako) - 75min, feeling better a bit plus 1,5hr sauna+swimming.(Tooth fairy is claiming for something...I hope it is nothing bad)
A couple of days rest and hopefully back to normal.

"Double week" report

2009-11-22T14:03:00.003+01:00

9 Nov, Mon: Rest day (presentation in Geneva)
10 Nov, Tue: Travel back to Hungary. Easy run 30min.
11 Nov, Wed: Massage, swimming 30min + sauna, no run.
12 Nov, Thu: Massage, swimming 30min +sauna, 45min run.
13 Nov, Fri: Early morning run 50min, swimming 25min+sauna. Travel to Malta.
14 Nov, Sat: Vacation, sightseeing.
15 Nov, Sun: 35min easy run (100m climb) Popeye village, Malta
Easy week, having trouble with my Achilles tendons.

16 Nov, Mon: Morning run, 67min (partially with Dad), 20min swimming at Blue Lagoon -Comino Island.
17 Nov, Tue: Feeling relaxed, morning heart rate: 36, 50min run around Mellieha
18 Nov, Wed: 70min gym- strength session, sauna, swimm.
19 Nov, Thu: Morning heart rate: 36. Easy 55min run (200m climb)
20 Nov, Fri: Gym session, bike 40min+rowing, swimm and sauna. Flight back to Hungary.
21 Nov, Sat: Easy run with Dad 60min.
22 Nov, Sun: Long run tempo. First hard session for a while, but felt surprisingly strong. Steady pace (17,5km trail loop/310m climb, fog and +6 Celsius, little muddy) 77:04 on the loop. Total 80 min.
Great week in Malta, relaxing time, 19-24 Celsius temperature and beuatiful places to see.
Back in Hungary next week and more training coming.

International week

2009-11-12T07:37:00.003+01:00

Another busy week, but still not 100%.
2 Nov, Mon: 55min easy to moderate pace, early morning run (5:20AM)
3 Nov, Tue: 44min easy
4 Nov, Wed: 65min moderate pace, early morning
5 Nov, Thu: Travel to Geneva, Switzerland for work (international school, Duke of Ed training-silver)
6 Nov, Fri: Preperation and travel to Villars area. Afternoon run with map, 85min/+300m climb
7 Nov, Sat: -4 Celsius morning temp. Out on the hills with a group (7,5hours, temp between -1 and +2 Celsius, light snowing), camped out
8 Nov, Sun: -1 Celsius, about 6-7cm of fresh snow on tents, 4hours on the hills. Late afternoon run to Solalex, 34 min uphill (250m steady climb on snowy/icy roads) and tempo back. Total 60min.
Good week, still not feeling great, but easy week coming and holiday from Thursday in Malta.

Training

2009-11-02T11:56:00.004+01:00

Still battling with my throat problem, sore throat and lot of caughing.
Despite all of these symptoms I still had a good week here in Hungary.
26 Oct, Mon: Rest day after the weekend, feeling a bit weak.
27 Oct, Tue: Easy jogging with Dad, 40min
28 Oct, Wed: Early morning run, easy pace 72min
29 Oct, Thu: Swimming 45min (Thermal Lake, Heviz)
30 Oct, Fri: Early morning run, faster than easy pace, 70min
31 Oct, Sat: Eger Grand Prix orienteering race, M21A. 1.day +7 Celsius, feeling good, 15min warm up, 6.5km course, 16 contr, ~250m climb: technically weak-many mistakes, physically strong! (I do not know how?), 3rd place. 70min total
1 Nov, Sun: Eger Grand Prix 2. day, +4 Celsius. 11km course, 29 control, ~500m climb: Feeling tired today, few mistakes again, 84min and surprise win and took the overall as well. Total 100min.

Training log

2009-10-27T09:02:00.002+01:00

Mixed week.
19 Oct, Mon: Rest day
20 Oct, Tue: 10min warm up, on road (bit icy), 2km tempo-8:20, easy 1 km, 500m tempo-2:01, 1,5km easy, 500m tempo-2:04, 1km easy, 2km tempo-7:02, 10 min easy. 60min
21 Oct, Wed: sore throat- not so good, rest day
22 Oct, Thu: Lillehammer, 60 min easy run up to Birkebeiner stadium from town center, mainly trails on the hill. (throat no good)
23 Oct, Fri: Fly to Hungary, Easy jog and activity.
24 Oct, Sat: Orienteering Team National Champs, warm up 15min - feeling not so great, approx 15km course, 31 contr. Steady pace with some mistakes (about 6-8min), 93min. Our team finished 6th place. (throat is not improving)
25 Oct, Sun: Kalocsa Cup, orienteering. 7.2km course, 16contr. Warm up 15min, good course, one big mastake - 5min and a few small ones, total 7-8min mistake (too much!), but good pace. 3rd place, 48min. Look forward to feel healthy again.
Back in Hungary this week.

Training log

2009-10-18T20:29:00.003+02:00

Another week has just passed.
12 Oct, Mon: +0 Celsius, strength session, running in snow (70% no tracks), 68min (10km), felt hard
13 Oct, Tues: -3 Celsius, short intervall session, on icy snowy road, 10min warm up, 20min intervall (4,8km)and 10min easy, 41min, felt hard
14 Oct, Wed: cold morning -13.6 Celsius, 5hrs easy hike as a guide (part of a tour leader study), no run.
15 Oct, Thu: -2 Celsius, uphill session, started too late it was getting dark. Icy to very icy road, first 8km-600m climb and next 6km-60m climb, slowest km: 6:10, fastest 3:50. Last 2 km was just a skating rink. 77min/14km (by the time I feeling good it got icy, so no speed)
16 Oct, Fri: Rest day
17 Oct, Sat: +1 Celsius and sunny, long run in snow (30% no trails and about 15-20cm snow, 350m climb). Svartfjellet and Flaskjollia round. 103min (tight hamstrings, but felt good)
18 Oct, Sun: +2 Celsius and sunny, long run in snow (30% no trails and about 10-15cm snow, 200m climb). Veslefjellet and Spitsbergseter round. 102min
I thought my week was ok, could have been harder, but no rush yet. I look forward to some dry roads, so I can run a bit faster.

Top of Norway (Part 1)

2009-10-18T11:01:00.027+02:00

Since most of my time I spend in Norway I feel obliged to present some tours from this country. We all know that Norway would easily place in top 5 most beautiful countries in the world with its natural wonders like fjords, glaciers, waterfalls, mountains, canyons, lakes and many more. Jotunheimen National Park (" home of the giants") is the highest mountain range in Northern Europe, plus offers more than 190 peaks over 1900m, which attracts a lot of hikers, skiers, climbers and other outdoor "enthusiasts". After all those time at Venabygdfjellet (my workplace) I thought I should check those peaks and use my 2 days off after Easter (please click on pictures to see them).

Top of Norway (Part 2)

2009-10-18T11:00:00.001+02:00

20-21 April, 2009 I drove to Spiterstulen hut (1100m), which is located in Visdalen about an hour of drive from LOM in the heart of Jotunheimen National Park. It was pretty warm those days so I was expecting Spring condition: slushy snow, cold nights, strong sun. The weather forecast seemed good for the second day, but cloudy for the first. I arrived around midday to the hut which was actually hosting the famous Galdhoppigen ski race just a couple of days before. From this hut it is possible to reach many of the high peaks of Jotunheimen including the first and the second highest. Sounds like a challenge! My plan was to take the second highest peak (Glittertind, 2466m) or just get close enough, stay in a tent and climb up and down and back to the valley and back up to climb the highest point. All this in 24hrs. 20 April, 1PM, Spiterstulen (1100m) I packed as much gear as possible : snowshoes, Nordic skis, tent, stove, food for 3 days, clothing, etc., so I looked like a mule or a walking outdoor shop with around 30kg of articles attached to me. As I expected the condition was treacherous, too soft snow for skiing or snowshoeing, but not hard enough for walking. I left at 13:00 and after 1,5 hour of struggle reaching 1500m things got better, I put my skis on and started moving faster. There was not much visibility on the peaks, low clouds lifting up and down, but some chance for clear sky above. I decided to put my tent up (see drawn picture, green triangle) so I left some equipment there before I tried to ascend. Took my skis and some extra gear and moved up in a wide valley (Steindalen). As I reached the top of the valley it was clear that I had no visibility (maybe 30mts), so I turned around....after 200m descending I changed my mind and crawled back up and carefully started my ascent. About an hour later I was above the clouds with an amazing view! Few minutes later I was standing on the top of Glittertind(2466m). Looking around I could only see the peaks over 2200metres as the clouds were swimming around them. Had a close look what expect for the next day and descended carefully. Reached the tent around 18:30 and had food and settled for the cold night.

Top of Norway (Part 3)

2009-10-18T11:00:00.000+02:00

21 April, 6AM, -8 Celsius. After an ok night I started getting ready, packed and left. It was sunny and no sign of clouds. I was looking forward to my next challenge on the other side of the valley. I reached Spiterstulen, dropped a few things and left around 9AM. The first part was a bit difficult since there were a lot of broken patches of snow and ice, but later on I was making good progress. Reached the summit (Galdhoppigen, 2469m) at 11:45 and spent 15 minutes looking around and enjoying the views. On the way down I decided to go for my 24 hour mark, so I needed to speed up... running, jumping, rolling , fast walking (no use of skis or snowshoes) and after 53minutes I reached the hut at 12:53... Huhh, 23hrs 53minutes, done! What a quality day! Two highest peaks of Norway, about 2800mts ascent and descent, a night out ... all in 24hrs.

Tour leader study 13-15 October, Venabu Fjellhotell

2009-10-13T10:46:00.004+02:00

As I mentioned on Venabu blog, we host a seminar here at Venabygdfjellet from this afternoon on. It is part of a 1 year long, part time, tour leader study run by HIL, Lillehammer. The course concentrates on both practical and theoretical elements of nature based tourism. Just to name a few subjects: environment , minimum impact, nature based toursim, marketing, law, practical tours both winter and summer condition, etc. The course contains 4 seminars and ends with an assessment in August 2010.

Training log

2009-10-11T15:06:00.005+02:00

As an athlete, mountain leader physical fitness is very important, so I try to maintain my condition throughout the whole year. Every weekend I summarize my weekly training load. My workouts include lot of running (trail, snow, road, mountain) and some other activities like snowshoeing, skiing, orienteering, hiking, climbing.
This week was a low milage - rest week, since a week before I ended up with more than 10hrs of exercise (2 races, oreinteering, road running, swimming, trail running, etc.)
5 Oct Monday: travelling from USA to UK, rest day 6 Oct Tuesday: London, Hyde Park - Fartlek in the dark 58 min. (Temp: around +20 Celsius)
7 Oct Wednesday: Travel to Norway (Venabu). Rest day.
8 Oct Thursday Outdoor work - evening training, 40min easy run in snow. (T: +2 Celsius, wind)
9 Oct Friday Outdoor work - evening training: 35min run, easy in snow (T: -2 Celsius)
10 Oct Saturday Easy rest day
11 Oct Sunday 60min run, easy in snow (no tracks, T: -2 Celsius)
Snow depth - 11 Oct , between 10-20cm. Te
Next week I plan more training with some quality sessions and a one long run, plus I might end up on my snowshoes or my skis :)

Old school

2009-10-11T09:49:00.007+02:00

Now we are back in the late 80's in Hungary, I was struggling in school and trying to find my identity as a young boy and it seemed like the only thing could save me was: sports. I tried a few things: all the traditional sports like wrestling, fencing and kayaking, but either my brain or my bodytype refused to work hard enough. After a few months (wrestling took more) of hard labour I thought it was not for me. Finally in 1988 I found orienteering I decided to try harder than before. As you all know it is a sport with some very high physical demand and serious brainwork in the same time, which was became a challenge... big time. By the mid 90's the table started to turn my way and I "found my way" and enjoyed some victories. Since then it has been a solid element in my life and pretty much carved my way towards my outdoor lifestyle.

Take this post as a milestone and from now on I will present some events which were unique to me. Just a few pictures now from my archives... (90's Spartacus Cups, Hungary)

Personal introduction

2009-10-10T11:19:00.005+02:00

As you can read it from the side bar my main life is based around outdoor activities. It started in Hungary 1988 when I first looked at an orienteering map and I decided to stick with this sport and enjoy the outdoors. It has been a long time and throughout these years I even managed to collect a few medals and represent my country at several international events. I also moved around a lot studying, educating myself to become more aware of my surroundings and be able to pass my knowledge to others. I added a few other activities to my weekly, monthly, yearly routine such as travelling extensively, running up and down hills and mountains, cross country skiing, leading expeditions, etc. All these became part of my life and if you are just a bit similar, you can understand why it is so motivating. This blog will be following these moments both from the past and present. You are going to see a lot of nice places and even more stories. Enjoy!
(picture: Wineglass Bay training run, Tasmania, Australia - 2005)

Introduction

2009-10-10T11:10:00.002+02:00

I thought I should start this blog, since it has been sitting here alone for almost a year now. I have been fairly busy with guiding and travelling around, but now it is time to get it going. I am going to start filling this blog up with more specific "personal outdoor activity posts", such as training log, hiking-mountaineering log from all around the world and of course some other interesting facts too. I hope some enthusiastics like me will enjoy or even benefit from these thoughts. Please enjoy!