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Race Evaluation

QOC: Patuxent River Park: Blue

Nadim

1.	Bad compass work Confused parallel features +00:45	0-1 I've been getting over some injuries. At Little Bennett X weeks ago I pulled my calf. Since then I've done little running but did some cycling and orienteering. The last week, while in Williamsburg for my work, I ran any way and seemed to have gotten past the calf injury but am still having some overcompensation related woes--an inflamed something on my right hip is the latest. I have some slight congestion too from a weak cold. I decided to just run steady and couldn't manage to go very fast any way. John Torrance was to start after me. From the start at 12:57, I ran up the grassy hill and took the trail past the intersection to the small clearing. I attacked to the left too much coming down the wrong reentrant. Going right, I soon found it.
2.	Bad compass work +00:30	1-2 Climbing the hill, I drifted right and soon hit the intermittant trail. After rounding the reentrant on the right, I turned left and soon found it.
3.	Bad map reading +00:20	2-3 I somewhat walked up the hill reading then decided to go straight through the dark green. While driving-in Peggy had coincidentally pointed the area out as having been mapped somewhat incorrectly - it was more like light green. I passed a pair of men who were mostly walking. Crossing the road, I went left of the reentrant, hugging it for a while before cutting across. I saw Keg Good ahead and searching to my left. I went past, realized my error and punched just after her. John Torrance caught me as I handed the punch to him.
4.		3-4 John decided how to proceed before I did. I caught him as he paused at the trail crossing but then he took-off as I decided direction. I gave chase, dropping into the stream valley and crossing to the other side. After moving north along the hillside, John climbed out and I stayed-in. John paused on the hilltop and seemed to look at the control but perhaps thought it wasn't it because it wasn't in a marshy area. I went on and punched, then handed the punch to John.
5.	Bad route choice Ran too fast Followed by others +01:15	4-5 Leaving first, I went due north and maybe even a little east. I lost track of John here because later I found out that he went more directly. For some reason, I was concerned about not missing the trail. Once on the trail, I ran through the intersections and to the gate. It was too thick there to attack straight, so I went further down the trail 50 meters then turned left. I took a measure to do a pace count. Hitting the stream crossing at what I thought was 200 meters, I knew I hadn't gone far enough yet. I saw Dave Onkst here running from my right to left, perhaps back across the stream. My thought was that he might be running away from the control or was running Red like Tim Good. I checked the stream for clues as to where I was but couldn't tell for sure. I saw others ahead so I decided to continue on and spiked it.
6.		5-6 Leaving #5, I felt I was drifting left a bit. At the first stream crossing, I saw it was easier to cross on the right so I corrected and saw other footprints. Going mostly straight, I spiked it.
7.	Bad map reading +01:30	6-7 Going straight to the road, I paused when I got there to figure-out where I was. Seeing the bottles, I didn't think the trail was there and hadn't drawn-in the water stop on my map. I went there anyway and drank. Leaving, I was a bit confused then went right for 50 meters before turning around. I followed the trail to the reentrant, then reentrants to the control. Yuliya Popova and another man had just punched as I got there.
8.		7-8 I cut some corners but went the way I had gotten to #7--reentrants and the trail to the road. Along the way, I passed Yulia and the other man. I then took the road but wasn't very fast. Turning left on the trail, I left the trail at a bend and saw the control about 4 steps later.
9.		8-9 Leaving I was pulled left by thickening trees. I turned right on the trail and ran on it until past the reentrant on the left. I attacked straight from there and spiked-it, just ahead of another pair.
10.	Read map too late Bad map reading +02:00	9-10 This was a short turning leg and one in which no one can gain a lot of time on another except unless the other person makes a mistake. At least that's what Peter Gagarin told me once after making a mistake on a similar leg in NY last fall. I took my time so that I wouldn't make a mistake but felt pressure from those behind me. I crossed the stream at the confluence and climbed up on the spur. Had I read more carefully, I would have known it was to my left. I came back down and crossed the stream again since I didn't see it. Again I read the map wrong, thinking the control would be in the stream valley. As voices drew near, I figured-it out, crossed the stream, climbed bank and saw it.
11.		10-11 Staying high, I went straight and crossed the trail at the intersection. Continuing straight, I skirted the deep reentrant on my right and dropped into Swann Creek's valley left of the control on purpose. As I neared the creek, I saw the control on the earth bank and ran up to it from the stream side. My first hop up didn't stick but on my next, I grabbed-hold of a rotting tree root which was just strong enough to hold my weight while I struggled to punch.
12.	Bad route choice Did not follow plan Did not check features en route +06:00	11-12 Worried about the pond which I did mark on my map, I decided to go high. I used the reentrant due south into the "field". I figured I should have turned left in the field but there was so much vegetation that I wasn't sure I was in it. Continuing south, the vegetation was thick and slow. I finally turned left just before hitting the stream. I wasn't sure where I was but went downstream checking reentrants. I crossed and went-up one 3 reentrants too early. I cut left more and eventually saw the beaver pond. Once to the correct reentrant, I saw Tim Good at the bottom. I knew he had already run a lot in the morning and had left after me, so I was dissapointed that he'd caught me. Then I remembered he probably was running Red. Just the same, I pushed a little bit up the reentrant to get out of sight. He later told me that he'd seen me. I was surprised to see the handmade control since the course notes said it'd be on Red and White courses only.
13.	Bad route choice +01:00	12-13 I climbed up the ridge then dropped down to the stream, thinking it would be easier running. It was too wet and green so I climbed backout again before crossing the road. Making the same mistake, I again tried to run the stream valley but found it too wet. I cut the corner to the large reentrant but paused when I had gotten into it, not having seen the control. As usual, I saw it a few steps later. Bad Route.
14.		13-14 Walking up the steep hill, I went through the saddle, then hit the trail at the sharp bend. I went right and drank at the water stop. From there on bearing I dropped into the stream system. It wasn't in the first side reentrant I checked but it was in the next.
15.		I cut through the gully for a ways, popped-out to the trail and down the stairs. I continued on the trail over the small wooden bridge, the ran across the marsh, having to hop the creek again just before I got there.
16.		I crossed the creek again almost immediately. It wasn't until the second marshy area before the ridge wall that I first really got my feet wet. I climbed on bearing up the hill and saw a woman on another course. Passing her, I passed another control and emerged on the road at the trail head. It seemed a long way down the road but the lone tree in the field let me know that I didn't pass the turn on the trail. I stayed on the trail until just before reaching the control.
17.	Hesitated +00:15	After punching at #16, I saw John Torrance emerge from somewhere near the water. I later learned that he had already been to the control once before, forgotten to punch, then went all the way to #17 before discovering his error. Pride had brought him back. He also avoided the open field because he thought there might be crops planted and once had gotten criticized about it. Not knowing any of this at the time, I ran off surprised and not wanting to clue him into the #16 control. Sticking to the same trail I came down on, I ran to the road and across the field. It was nice for a change to run unhintered despite the wind. Never looking back, I thought John would catch me because I wasn't going all that fast. He must have went around again. In the woods, I turned up the reentrant then hesitated before going to the hidden control.
18.	Bad map reading +00:30	Going through the ditch and then the depression, I aimed to parallel the stream. Not seeing it upon getting there, I re-read the map and realized I had passed it to my right.
19.		After punching #18, I ran right of a direct line. Soon I saw John Torrance looking where I had. This resolved me to run harder. I straightened out and hit the road on the right side of the curves. I went left further to use the open area which lead me right to spiking the control.
20.		Once again, I saw John after climbing back out of the hillside. My bearing was a little off so I hit the parallel trail very near the intersection. I meant to go straight toward the barn. Emerging at the field Peggy and Valerie cheered me on but were not helping. They (or just Peggy) told me I was going the wrong way to look for the control at the pavillion. I ignored them...
F.		After punching, I rounded the curve and almost ran into John Torrance. He let me have the inside. He had made-up some ground.

Total Time Lost - 00:14:05

Split Analysis

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