Blog: Sciurus vulgaris at Riga Rogaining

Original publication date: 30.03.2016

I like to run, I can do it for hours, enjoying the views of nature or simply the joy of movement, however, long runs, as you know, are far outside the comfort zone and tend to cause not only difficulties, but also a large dose of loneliness. Sometimes it works, but sometimes you want company. Rogaining is perfect in this regard. Of course, it may happen that the jacins are not only with your own, but also with the soft flesh of your partner, but there is no shortage of fun and shared adventures for many hours. I tried it for the first time a year and a half ago and since then I can't help but feel at peace. Like it. Inga has been my teammate most often. We have learned a lot of painful lessons together with him, so we agreed that this time we will do everything right, or at least not as wrong as before. We also changed the name from the amusing but somewhat clumsy "Where is the North?" to "Sciurus vulgaris" as a reference to VSK Noskrien Vāverēm.
 

We arrive at the starting point at Azura on time, so we don't wait in line for a moment at the registration, we even manage to eat breakfast and run to the pharmacy. Inga worries me a little because she is not healthy, although she is strong and I think she will last the 6 hours. Planning takes us exactly a chaotic 20 minutes. Without considering options, we draw a very optimistic route with 39 km as the crow flies. We'll figure out where to shorten later. We rush to stand in line at the entrance to the start corridor. When it's our turn to beep, Inga suddenly realizes that she can't find the compass. I say we'll make do with mine, but she's not happy, so she rushes to the car to look for it. It makes me a little stressed, but I wouldn't want to run without a compass either. I watch how the masses of people flow into the starting corridor. There are so many of us. This could cause congestion on the scheduled rail crossing. Inga returns without a compass, what to do, let's run with one. Start. The mass of people is pushing through the gates. I cling to Inga's bag, I don't want to get lost in the stream. We flow with it towards the bridge, jump over the barrier and jam on the stairs. The first point is right on the side of the road - a modest two. Unfortunately, we have started too fast and my wicked left leg is taking revenge for it, going into the well-known cramps. You will have to drop the pace, but after about 5 km you will let it go. In the meantime, we collect a couple of boring points on the edge of the Daugava. The weather is simply wonderful - so warm and springy. Running without a jacket turned out to be the right choice. The next 7 points are located in Ħengarag. This is my district, I'm completely safe here, but I'm running through the yards of my childhood. You only need to think about point 67, the rest will fall into your pocket by themselves. We leave Ħengarag with point 28, crossing the Škirotava railway crossing. Just in time, it should be noted, because a train of freight cars rumbled behind us.
 

We continue along Krustpils Street. A little more than an hour was spent on the road. We seem to be doing quite well, but it's a little too early to be happy. Probably, all the hard points are still ahead. After not running a lot, we turn left in the small gardens to look for point 58. We cross the ditch, loudly exchanging opinions on whether or not it should have been done right here, no matter what - we continue forward along it, let's not run back. This activity becomes a challenge when you have to rush through thickets between a ditch and a fence, behind which a huge, shaggy dog ​​is running, rolling and drooling. I have to push really hard, and I'm so close to the beast that I can feel his breath on my face. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of how fondly he would sink his teeth into my cheek right now. Maybe we should take a picture of him? I dropped this thought, seeing that Inga was starting to move away rapidly. We are on a normal road and the point is in hand.
 

Further on, the map shows a ditch to be crossed. When we get to it, we realize that there are oats, the ditch is wide and there is nothing like a bridge. We spend a moment wondering if it's worth looking for a detour, but decide to run along the moat half-way in the right direction, hoping that it will at least remain narrower. This, of course, does not happen. On the other side of the ditch, we notice a team of men who say that nothing good is expected in the direction we have chosen, only single fences, so it is better to cross the damned making. They wade across the ditch where it is overgrown with bushes. Brave, but disgusting. However, after running for a while, we realize that we have to do the same. The water is really repulsive - cloudy, opaque, with iridescent oil spots on top. We see such an overgrown place and wade across. The sneakers are dirty, but we are over. It wasn't that crazy. Just an unusually warm feeling in the legs. We have successfully hit the right path. To find point 65, we don't risk getting lost through the industrial areas and run around to Granita Street. We recognize this place, first of all by the smell - a strong smell of fresh wood, then also by the appearance. Of course, this is where we ran last Saturday, only from the other side. We understand that if we have turned the corner so far, it would be a sin not to also take point 43, which is easier than easy to find. After that, a long and boring run to the already planned six. Once again, Ingas Garmins announces that it's time to eat. I suspect the gadget has nothing else on its mind at all. We hesitated for a moment with the idea of ​​another extra-ordinary foursome, but we decide to stick to the plan. Running to the next point completes the half marathon. What 2h and 15 min. It amuses me - my first half marathon 3 years ago took me the same amount of time. Inga laughs that she has never had such a slow half marathon. We find a point, it's easy, as well as another one, on the shore of a small lake. We run through Valodze, meeting the friendly Eža Puskažociņu on the way. After reaching the point, we realize that half of the way, according to our optimistic plan, has been covered and half of the time will soon have passed, so it is worth sitting on the side of the road and reflecting on life a little. We make a wise decision not to go to two more distant planned points, because it would require at least 5 km, besides, who knows if we won't boil soap in those forests. Instead, if time permits, let's take a point closer to the start. After the nonsense we made in Riga Rogaining in the fall, we will try very hard to fit in the time limit. We rush towards checkpoint 55. Having run to the main road, we turn straight across the greenery in the direction of the required power line. In front, of course, a ditch. While Veros is confused about how big a curve should be thrown around it, Inga has already found a narrower place and flies over it. Great, now just a step forward. Swamp, we need the east corner. Do swamps even have corners? While I'm thinking about it, the dot is already shining through the trees. Excellent. On the way to the next one, we get a little confused in mastery and run away with a strange curve, which we notice only in the evening, studying the route we ran. At that time, it seemed that we were going in the right direction. The next point turns out to be the Ligo Park stage in Ullbrook. Easy, like the next 2 counterpoints in the same Ulbrook. However, it doesn't look so simple after that. You have to run, rain and drag yourself around an industrial area. Grasslands, waste and a farm that seems almost or endless.


 

The point is successfully found and the next one is searched for in the forest. We get a little confused there, because the apparently necessary trail is not one, as we understand from the map, but three parallel ones. The head is also confused by striped ribbons, which, when tied around trees, like to represent prisms. Fortunately, the forest is transparent enough to see the point.
 

On the way to the next ignoble three-pointer, we have underestimated the ditch marked on the map. Of course, you can run around it, but the point is only 50 meters away from this place. Should have thought more timely. There are no options, you have to get over it. Unfortunately, this one is not as overgrown as the previous friend, but the good news is that the water is semi-transparent. The first step is fine, I sink up to my knees, the second - also up to my knees, the next one, closer to the middle of the ditch, sucks me up to my thigh. Well, no, I pull back, Inga helps me get out. You don't really want to swim, and the wolf knows how deep you can sink in the middle of a ditch. I try again, where the water, although not transparent, is overgrown with small, rare bushes. Somehow, holding on to them, we swim through. Here, at least, there is a feeling that even if you had to sink deeper, holding on to them, you would somehow pull yourself out. The point is ours, we rush after those who come, and there, as if laughing at us, is another ditch ahead, bigger, wider, deeper and dirtier than any we have seen today. Inga says that there will be no going around. We are already wet, we have nothing to lose. Well, I don't know, I don't want it up to the waist, not in that size. Let's look at a more overgrown place. It does not inspire confidence, because the bushes are very delicate. I bite the map in my teeth, I'll use both hands for balance, and wade inside in grim doom. Sinking, terribly sinking. And it stinks. It smells indescribably, like some kind of rot. No normal person would probably set foot here. But we are tired, we have no options. The deeper I sink, the tighter I bite the card. I don't want, I don't want, I don't want! I'm getting over it, what luck! As soon as the card is out of the mouth in the field, I can charge exactly as the native of Ķengaraga deserves, to be forgiven by the intelligent part of this district. I looked back, Inga is right in the middle of the ditch and sunk up to the glass. Oh no, if only she would continue forward instead of backward! Of course, she does just that, crawling out of the ditch wet and covered in disgusting sludge. I managed to capture the last moments of this fight. We have cooled down a lot, but the point is ours.



On the way to the next point, we decide that it would be faster to cut a small corner through the graves.As if it doesn't occur to me that any prohibition was mentioned. I generally like cemeteries, many of my relatives are near them. Thought - done. We are tearing through the graves. After a moment we hear loud whistles and angry howls. We are said to be shameless. The bullies, gathered around a set table, give us not the nicest words. It seems to me that we are not the shameless ones, neither are we whistling, nor howling, nor feasting at a set table in the graves - we do not jump over the clusters of graves, we just run along the path. We continue forward, overtaking a women's team. Fortunately, we don't meet any more disgruntled individuals, only a big, black cat, having noticed our approach, fearfully sneaks behind a monument. A beauty. The gate is ahead, we are in the field, we run through the residential area and we are right at the end of the required road. Taking the 64th point from there is pure child's play. After this, we decide to take one unplanned point, which turns out to be in a parcel through which we once ran in one of Teika's training sessions. Easier than easy, if you don't count that you have to run one and a half kilometers to get there. A few more points to run and the Dreiliņu forest where we got lost in the first SSV of this season. We take the bee too far, but we find the point, albeit with a certain detour, here we have to agree with the saying: what is not in the head, is in the feet. There are only about 30 minutes left, which means that one planned four-pointer must be abandoned - no flirting with the time limit today. Run without stopping to get the last 2 points. Fatigue and sore legs. What can we do, we have struggled, but the finish line is already visible, holding hands, jubilantly, we run into it about 7 minutes before the end of the time limit. We did it! Great feeling!



We did everything we could, we just have to wait for the results. My parents welcome us with delicious tea. We stretch our aching legs and go to the results monitor. We are the first in our group, but we are overtaken by the veteran team - Crazy sisters. We have the same number of points, but they arrived faster. Not bad, but the results can still change as teams keep coming. We are optimists, so we are going to destroy the podium, leaving my dad to look after the scoreboard. Let's get right back to the award. Emotions boil over and pain is momentarily forgotten. It is a great surprise to us that the awarding takes place strictly by groups and we still have the opportunity to climb onto the top step of the podium. Oh, how nice! A smile all over his face. We love that step!



Republished with author's permission from Noskrien.lv