Since the last time we wrote you, too many things happened..
Here we will talk you briefly about all the events:
Long and Relay national championships
11º Ori jovem
Were 6 days of trainings in Pataias..


the map with Joana's route
Portugal "O" Meeting - 2nd day
Was the WRE day in Serra de Briços. Was a long distance in a very physical map where we had 8,6km with 285 metres of climbing. We felt very tired but Joana did a very good race, completing the course in 1:13:01. Mariana did 1:35:54 and Isabel did 1:40:58.
the map with Joana's route
the map with Mariana's route
the map with Isabel's route
On the Total of the 4 days, Joana was 2nd, Mariana was 4th and Isabel was 10th. Between us were the girls from the Denmark Team. You can check all the results here.
the map with Isabel's routeWRE in Pataias - 2nd day
Was in the same map of the previous day, but this time we had a long distance with 6,5km. Mariana was the first portuguese with 45:19, Joana was the second portuguese with 46:36 and Isabel did 51:27, being the thrid portuguese.
the map with Mariana's route
At the end of the weekend Joana was 2nd, Mariana was 4th and Isabel was 6th, again with the Danish girls between us. Check the results here.
Here you can see photos from us with Daniel Hubmann and Simone Niggli, that were presents in these two events.
For now we will have the National Championships of Long Distance and Relay, after we will participate on the "11º Orijovem", a trainning camp to young people and after Mariana will also participate in a trainnig camp to the Portuguese Selection.
Day 14 we will travel to Madrid, for to run the World School Orienteering Championship.
See you soon,
O-laranjitas

Mariana also went to a competition but in the South. Was the 5th stage of the third trophy Ori-Alentejo where Mariana did the medium course with 5,1km, that she won doing 33'45''.
On Sunday, GD4Caminhos was organizing an orienteering trainning, but for people that was starting orienteering. It was in Arvore, a village that belongs to Vila do Conde (the town where Isabel lives), in a map that is very easy for us, because we have already run there thousands of times. Joana and Isabel took the oportunity and went there for trainning. It was such a rainny day, and also with a lot of wind. We started the trainning running 30' slow, for warming up, with the map in the pocket. Than we made the course (3,5km). After that we ran slowly some minutes more. Overall we made 75'. It was very nice because we were trainning toghether which is really rare, specially for Isabel that runs alone everyday.


Was a good orienteering event where we can highlight the victories of Michal Smola and Eva Juřeníková in man and woman elite. You can see the results and some photos here.
Like we said, after win in her school, Mariana went to the Cross where were running athletes from all the schools of Sintra (where she lives). She was 3rd and did 10' 59 '' in a course of 2,5km. See some photos frostarting »
already in 3rd place =D
Next weekend there's a National Ranking Competition. It's going to be in Alter do Chão (South of Portugal) and it's going to be organized by Joana's and Isabel's club, Grupo Desportivo 4Caminhos. Michael Smola (2nd last WOC) and Eva Jurenikova (8th last WOC) are the more important athletes running. Joana and Isabel are going to be organizing so they are not going to run, but Mariana is. Good Luck ;) After the competition, as usual, we're going to write about that and download maps and splits. Check all information about this great competition in www.gd4caminhos.com/naom2009

I just needed to run in the sand the fast as I could. I made 1h 13. After two days running in the sand and with a lot of wood on the ground I was first in Woman Elite :)
Tomorrow school stars for the three of us wich means that our orienteering trainning days ended :( Now we have to go back to the books and study to have the best marks, keeping trainning orienteering at weekends. For Mariana next goal is Norte Alentejano O'Meeting, for Isabel and Joana that are going to be in the organization that weekend, Portugal O'Meeting is theirs next stop.Bye Bye,
O-laranjitas

Hi!
The holidays are finishing but we continue training. After Christmas Mariana went to a training camp organized by the Portuguese federation in Pataias and Isabel and Joana went to Alter do Chão where they were preparing the next National competition organized by their club.
Here we will describe you the Christmas training camp where Mariana participated.
Realized 26th to 30th December, was oriented by Radek Novotný, the Czech coach.
The athletes were dividing in two groups, the elite and juniors boys and the women and younger boys (where Mariana was including).The trainings just were different in the distance of the courses (the first group had bigger courses).
The trainings (the distances indicated will correspond to the Mariana’s groups, the shortest one) :
Day 26 (Afternoon):
Combined session
1)Line O – in this type of train we had to run precisely according the line in a map and when we having found the control flag we had to draw it on the right position in the map.
2)Treasury Hunt – we went through a marked area in the map and we had to find 7 control flags placed there. We also had to draw its in the map.
3)Sprint (1,5km) – a short butterfly course.


Day 27 (Morning):
Middle qualification and final
1)Qualification(2,5km) - Mariana’s group was divided in two series and 3 athletes passed to the final (Mariana passed) =D.
2)Final (3,6km) – Starting with intervals of 90 sec.
Day 27 (A):
Combined session 
1)Memory (1,6km) – we had a normal short course where we should look to the map the less time possible and try memorize the controls.
2)Circulation (2,7km) – the start control was the last of the memory course. In this special map is impossible to see the north of the map and we had to read the map properly and run only on the curves.
3)Sprint (2,4km) – map with a scale of 1:4000 and with a lot of green areas.

Day 28 (M): 
1)Start loops – We were in a crossing and there were 4 different starts. We had to do 8 short loops (0,4-0,7 km each) that were distributing for the starts. We began in groups and when we finished one loop we start to another one.
Day 28(A):
1)Butterfly Run (6.1 km) – Based on results from the morning session there was a chasing start. The first one in the finish was the
winner.
Day 28 (Night):
1)Night-O (3,4 km) – A simple course done at night.
Day 29 (M):
1)Relocation (6,9km) – we ran in pairs and each athlete had a different map. On the maps there were two sizes of circles: the normal size means control flag, the large circle represent the area where we had to pass the lead to our partner training. The circles were numbered and who had the first large circle had to take the co-runner to there and this athlete had to go to the first normal circle where the first control was. After he had to go to the next large circle and pass the lead to the other runner. Always of this way.
Day 29 (A): 
1)Relay along path – teams of 2 runners had just one map and 2 SI-cards. While one athlete was running towards a control the other was jogging on the path to the next sign where he waits for exchange. There he caught the map and went towards the next control while the other runner ran to the next sign to change again. When they came to the last sign on the path they came back continuing doing the same, so each runner visits all the controls.
There were 3 series. First 2 series that began with 1 minute of interval and
the final serie was with a chasing start.

All the nights there was a reunion where we talked about aspects of our trains and about another interesting affairs that just could be talked by a technique like Radek Novotný.
For now, we are at home and we will write you just in the next year!
See you in 2009,
O-laranjitas
Sunday morning
It's a pair trainning, where you have different controls in your map that your collegue. There is map A and map B. You have to take your partner to a control (and he cant see the map) and when you get there he has to realize where he is and take you to a control that both have in the map.



as a begginer, but today she helps her teacher organizing the trainnigs, and she teachs kids, maybe future champions :p
last chance to go to WSOC, and it is very close from home, Spain :) It's going to be in Madrid, from 13 to 19 April. We hope , (if we are selected, of course) an amazing week full of orienteering, friends and School's Sport atmosphere :) 
Championship.