The new year 2023 started in a perfect way on a training camp on Tenerife. The trip started on 31st of December, Fäbus 22nd birthday. The sun welcomed us warmly on our arrival, almost felt a bit like holidays. And after some car problems (more details below) we even got to run on some nice trails before midnight and eat burgers at 11pm for dinner.
3 weeks on Tenerife for a trainingcamp, 402.2km, 15’790m of climb and many nice views (and even 14 great orienteering trainings!!). After the first evening the car had already almost caught fire (we had to drive backwards up some crazy steep street because we drove to the wrong house and the engine was not really strong enough to manage the steep hills backwards – unfortunately no video as we were all too shocked of the smoke that came from the car. Probably we’re all poisoned by that terrible smoke now) and we knew that traffic rules were just an information. Didn’t think that that car would survive 3 weeks in those steep streets but we actually just gave it back to the car rental without any damages. So a small summary of 3 weeks training camp on a canary island below:
- I learned how to start a manual car in crazy steep streets (too bad I have never officially learned to drive manual cars…) and not panic anymore when I had to stop there – actually think I have full control over the car now (better don’t ask Fäbu about the several car-stories… ;))
- Survived an unplanned double long run up to Teide (cable car didn’t go down that day – had to run down again…)
- Trained way too much the first week, had to take two really easy days to get back on track again (and to be able to walk stairs anymore without having to stop in the middle to get some air)
- Survived a crash with a cactus (not car!) without any longtime damages and just three days of knee-pain (don’t know about the cactus) – just one cactus needle left in my thigh as a souvenir
- Got only sunburned once
- Ate three papayas in three weeks – found out that you get the best ones from local shops and not supermarkets
- Experienced new years eve in Tenerife (people almost shoot each other with firework – or at least sounded like the firework exploded somewhere it shouldn’t have)
- Ran 14 orienteering trainings in special terrain –> many thanks to the Finnish national team for letting us join!!
- Destroyed my Hoka Speedgoats on the first run in the volcano stones (were so sharp, that they just cut through the upper) and after three weeks they actually look like they had been in a shredding machine (or in a dogs mouth). The VJ Irocks just have two smooth cuts through one layer of the upper and look just fine otherwise – great quality!!
- Experienced my limits when almost fainting on the longrun up to Teide (couldn’t feel arms and legs anymore)
- Know that I’ll go back for an even longer camp in 2024
It was totally worth it to take the trip to Tenerife as I could train 3 weeks with high quality, many uphill sessions but also got to run some sprint orienteering in very cool cities again (not forgetting about the crazy cool orienteering sessions in the volcano-terrains). I can definitely recommend the island for a good winter training camp with lots of trail running combined with orienteering and warm sun. Not that sure about the choice of the side of the island for accommodation as the weather is a bit worse on the north side but it’s definitely much nicer there. I guess the combination with first some days on the north side, then 12 days in one of the most touristic places I’ve ever been to (Playa de las Americas) and finally a week on the north side again is the best option. Thanks for having us Tenerife, I’m gonna miss the nice trails until we come back.
For now it’s going back to Switzerland to re-write an exam that I didn’t pass at the first try, some media and sponsor appointments, some award events in my home region, finally handing in the paper of my apprenticeship and preparing for another training camp in Madrid and Portugal in two weeks.
26.01.2023
