The tastiest beer I've ever had!

No! These are NOT the split times from some Popular Orienteering Championships with a tremendous number of 3 other competitors in the men's elite class to beat. Neither the Daniel Hubmann's ones from the WOC 2009 Long Final. Nor the ones that I dreamt about last night... but actually the ones I have been dreaming about all life long! These are my split times from the last Sunday's Polish Champs in ultralong distance;-)



I have decided this post should be as precise as possible because you do not have the race of your life every day!

I had a really good training period after the previous Polish Champs races (night and relay). During these two weeks I was continually motivated by our resounding and long-awaited success in the relay. I didn't miss any training sessions and what's even more important - I managed to avoid catching a cold (praise be to God!). I made the last speed training on Thursday - 5x3mins (with the break of 3mins) and achieved a really nice pace on each of the intervals - about 3:07-3:15/km. I felt that my legs worked very well and was already looking forward to Sunday! On the right I present the fragment of my talk with Pasza 4 days before the competition. I must admit that a really good trainer is a psychologist as well! And that is really true of Piotr! Thank you:)

2 nights before the competition I slept really well for 10 hours or so. I got up at about 11, packed my things and we all set off between 15 and 16 (except for Ewa and Cilu who were going to enjoy some wedding reception in the evening). We decided to abandon the training prepared by the organizers in order to charge our batteries for the following day. At first I was categorically against this idea but it turned out to be quite appropriate judging from our results. Once we reached our destination, we had a short funny meeting. I spent the rest of this evening with Nati, drank some kind of the energy drink and went to sleep some minutes past 1. I would also like to add that I ate as much as 3(!) bananas that day and... the Tortilla McMenu;)

I had to get up at 7:30 in order to eat some breakfast. However, I was already woken up at about 7 by Nati who came to us to have her meal but actually I didn't mind it at all. I ate only 3 pieces of toast, got my things ready and we left to fight for the medals.

We arrived quite early at the competition area. I must say it was really cold there. I had nothing else to do than just wait patiently for my start time to come. I put my O-clothes on, visited Toi-Toi, slurped the 2nd half of my X-treme Energy Gel (the 1st one I already had the day before in the evening) and started a short warm-up. I decided to make use of the small warm-up map and took controls 3rd-6th. I had no problems finding them and it boosted my morale a bit. Then, I spent some 8 minutes on stretching exercises, took my 'R' off and was ready to run!

I grasped the right map confidently and began my race with the incredible amount of energy and motivation to win!
1. - I ran extremely fast from the very beginning. I just took the right direction and found this easy control quickly.
2. - Once I entered this beautiful forest, I was just overjoyed that the whole course was still ahead of me!
3. - Crossing the asphalt road, catching a small but long path and keeping the direction till the very end of this leg.
4. - The shortest leg of the whole course, seems impossible to make a mistake there... I saw Zielu (started 6mins before me) for the first time who had just finished his first much smaller butterfly.
5. - Running north: up, down, up, down, up, down and that's it!
6. - I just ran using the proper contour line and suddenly saw the control smiling towards me;)
7. - I must admit I intended to reach this control from the left side. Although I didn't succeed in realising my plans, I did win this split time, so actually nothing wrong happened:)
8. - Running along the distinct culture boundary, crossing the huge track and reaching my control. Sounds so easy, doesn't it?
9. - I checked the 14th on my way to this control. Then, slowed down a bit in order not to make a mistake cause I knew it was not the easiest control!
10. - I realised my plan perfectly!
11. - After leaving the last path I slowed down because I was not sure if the control was to be situated on a top or in some kind of a hole...
12. - Just the way I wanted it!
13. (mistake of ~0'05) - I hadn't read the contours precisely and ran too much to the right...
14. - A very well-known control for me;-) (thanks to the right route choice to the 9th one)
15. (~0'05) - I almost had to stop in the forest because I started looking for the control too early.
16. - The longest leg of the whole course. I managed to run very close to the red line and won this split time:) Once I reached the huge field, I saw Cilu very close to the control and I already knew it was going pretty well!
17. - At this control we were together. I really regret drinking a bit of hot Mineral Active at the refreshment point because it led to little stomach problems later...
18. - I was not certain if I was allowed to cross the tapes and ran using the special passage prepared for all the classes with a map change... I wouldn't call it a mistake, just some kind of prudence:)
19. (~0'10) - All the time I was not sure about my route choice. That's why I ran very cautiously and uncertainly. If I had remembered that Polish marshes are usually located in the open areas, I would have been much more self-confident.
20. - Luckily, I ran directly to the right small path and had no problems finding the control.
21. - I knew it could be the decisive control and slowed down. I used the first small path because I didn't want to pass the second one and I think it was the right decision!
22. (~0'10) - I hadn't planned this route choice in advance, that's why I ran a bit chaotically and didn't keep the direction properly. What is funniest is the fact that I crossed the large track, looked at my compass and came back to it immediately:-) Moreover, I saw Witek on the horizon who started shouting towards me: 'Come on, Podzio! COME ON!'. I must admit it was a really nice feeling:)
23. - Just following the red line!
24. - I had already seen this control once;)
25. - Running almost the same way as at the end of the 18th leg.
26. - I thought the control was to stand on the mountain but it was situated on the northern slope. However, no time losses actually.
27. (~0'05) - The 2nd of the so-called decisive controls. I decided to use the fences and it was just brilliant! Nevertheless, I should have run between the last two ones...
28. - The last tricky control of the course. Fortunately, I spotted the small, narrow path and reached the control flawlessly;-)
29. - When I saw it was going to be the second last control, I got a bit sad and gloomy. I wished this race had lasted forever!
30. - I took the perfect right route choice to this control and won this leg confidently:)
F - At first I punched the station (at 101) which gave no signal of punching it. I got furious and hurried to the second one because I knew each second might have been incredibly important...

However, I got terribly surprised at the finish when I heard that Olej's time was about 91 minutes. I could not believe that my advantage over the silver medalist (a dark horse - Gucio) came to 7:55! I just waited six minutes for Papuś to come and was able to celebrate my 3rd Polish Champion title. Making only 35 seconds of mistake, I achieved an amazing time of 83:09. It gives a brilliant pace of 4:54/km!

During our journey back home we stopped to have some lunch. Our great, easy-going and friendly driver told us to take our cups from the bags and ordered beer for us. He poured it into these cups and we savoured it! Yummy:)

And to finish it off...:










THANK YOU KASZI! :):):)