Ida Bobach’s preparations for WOC
Posted on | August 17, 2016 | Category: WOC news
Medals. The goal is clear for Ida Bobach just before WOC in Strömstad-Tanum starts in a few days. But due to injuries she will not defend her world championship title on Long from Scotland. Instead, all her focus is on Middle and Relay.
The starters in the women’s Long Distance have one less opponent to fear. One you really should fear. Last year’s world champion on the Long Distance Ida Bobach is not defending her title due to a spring troubled with injuries and almost no competitions:
– My Achilles tendons have caused me troubles most of the spring and I will not risk to aggravate my injury by running the Long. Of course it annoys me that I cannot defend my title, but that makes me just look forward even more to Middle and Relay, Ida Bobach says.
Spoiled spring at the sideline
After being titled double world champion in Scotland with months of hard training and total focus leading up to the
Ida BobachBirthday: 30. July 1991 Club: OK Pan Aarhus WOC distances: Middle and Relay Merits: Twitter: @IdaBobach |
championships, Ida Bobach had a calmer autumn:
– I felt a bit sated after winning two gold medals last year. Therefore, when I got some small injuries shortly after WOC it was not the end of the world. It gave me an excuse to relax at bit more for a time, she says.
However, it did not take long before the motivation for WOC in Strömstad-Tanum was lit. Ida Bobach has in mind that each world championship is different and that makes it a new challenge each year. Therefore, the two gold medals from last year do not make her dreams for victory any smaller.
The motivation was back but her body did not agree with starting the preparations for WOC 2016. Most of the winter and spring her Achilles tendons caused her troubles and forced her to do very few competitions. She describes the period as very frustrating. She followed the World Cup in Poland from the sidelines and at EOC she only ran Middle and Relay. Still ending up in eighth position at Middle with very limited training though.
Full focus
Like last year in Scotland, the Danish national team went on a three weeks training camp in relevant terrain. This year in July, the team had two weeks in Gothenburg followed by a week in Strömstad.
To protect her Achilles tendons Ida Bobach joined the camp a week later than rest of the team. She finds the idea of focusing strictly on WOC very useful:
– All practical things like food and accommodation is taken care of by somebody else so as an athlete, the only thing you care about is training hard and to relax. I really feel that I improve during the camp, training so focused in relevant terrain, she says.
Training and recovery is the only focus when the Danish national team is on their pre-WOC camp. Ida Bobach with her team mate Maja Alm. Photo: Jeppe Ruud
So the question is whether Ida Bobach feels ready for WOC less than a week before her first race:
– I feel ready! I will just say that my shape is not at the same level as last year. But it is hard to tell. When I stand at the starting line, I will maybe run better than I think I can, she says.
Two races – two medals
She took silver on the Middle Distance in 2011 and 2014 and last year she ended up fourth, 28 seconds from the podium. Even though the preparation has not been perfect, Ida Bobach aims for medals:
– The terrain requires a lot from you; both physically and technically. If everything works out for me, I am sure a medal is within reach, she says.
Last year in the women’s relay, the Danish team won a crushing victory with a three-minute win ahead of Norway and Sweden. Maja Alm, Ida Bobach and Emma Klingenberg were the team at that time but for the Relay in
Ida Bobach gives a presentation of the Middle Distance terrain for rest of the Danish national team. The WOC-organizers have published an auto-generated map of the area but compared to the athletes focusing on Sprint, Ida does not study the map as much beforehand. Photo: Jeppe Ruud
Strömstad-Tanum the team is changed. Emma Klingenberg has quit the national team and instead, Signe Klinting is replacing her:
– We aim for medals but it will be the small things which will decide the relay. At least I’m pretty sure we will not have the same superior win as last year where we literally just ran from all the other teams, Ida Bobach says.
The last preparations for WOC will consist of running intervals every second day and relaxing in front of the TV watching the Olympics.
For Ida Bobach WOC starts on Tuesday 23/8 when the Middle Distance takes place at the Tanum arena. But already on Saturday 20/8, WOC 2016 begins with Sprint Qualification and Finals in the city center of Strömstad.
You can follow Ida Bobach and rest of the runners live at all the competitions in IOF LiveCenter for only 20€.
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