My way to the first change over in Tiomila 2005
It was my 25th 10mila and finally I got the chance to run the first leg, which I think is fun. It’s a coincidence that I did my first 10mila in the same area in 1981. I remember 10mila 1981 as a sea of mud, both the course and the competition center, but in 2005 it was hot and dry outside.
I felt quite calm when I came to the competition center before start, even though I already saw people warming up. I had looked at some old maps over the area, and I realized that the first control would be far away. The terrain was easy to run in, and I guessed there would be a high tempo from the beginning. My plan was to start carefully to find my flow, and then accelerate my speed and be in the leading group. I wasn’t aware of who the other runners were, but my shape was OK and I hoped to be able to direct the group.
Here are my memories of the course, I’m not sure I remember it all right.
After the start I wasn’t among the leading runners, but when we came closer to the first control, I had advanced to the lead. I made my only mistake here, I was unsure in the dense forest (green on the map), so I stopped and hesitated for 20 seconds. The first control was forked longitudinal, which resulted in many teams doing mistakes here. The tempo was high the short controls that followed. Around control 5-6 I started leading the group. I had a great flow and it felt like the runners behind me were comfortable following me, and trusting my techniques. After half the course it was dark, I felt powerful turning around seeing that snake of lights. When we came closer to the last controls, the tempo was even higher. After my effort I deserved to be the first one changing over, and when I passed the finish line with a small margin, I had made it.
Afterwards I was happy that I completed my plan and managed to keep cool all course. Whether it’s good or bad for the next runner to be the first one out is of course individual, but it’s important to discuss that before the competition.
Thomas Asp
Thomas map. Click to view a larger version.
Name: Thomas Asp
Club: IFK Göteborg
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