Orienteering (Foot) 1:18:16 [4] *** 5.89 mi (13:17 / mi) +158m 12:16 / mi
spiked:16/19c slept:8.0 weight:188lbs
QOC: Gunston Hall. It was a nice sunny spring-like day with the temperature near 60 starting out. I ran Blue. Unlike last weekend, I wasn't very energetic. I was probably tired from stepping up my workouts last week, and a good day of field checking yesterday. I hadn't run here before. Starting out the course was easy with runs through, then quick attacks off of the fields. It seemed like control #3 (near the walled-in George Mason family burial plots) was closer to the fields than expected. I thought to go around on trails to #4 but plunged-in straight. I read my way across okay but wasn't always entirely sure where I was with accuracy. Once again, I hadn't read the course notes so I didn't know the contours were only 2.5m. I hit #4 pretty well.
For #5, I went around the left side of the hill--it looked too steep and green. It probably cost me some time. I attacked off the spur of the second hill. At the first view of the water, I cut right but then a look as the shore told me I was in between the man made object (SW of the control) and the control. I corrected and sucked-up having to walk through the water where the tide had risen unexpectedly. Gary Smith told me and showed me a picture after the meet that the area was land again during control pickup. He hadn't known there would be a tide problem.
For #6, I started out up the trail but cut into the reentrant shortly after the trail climbed. I ran the left side of the reentrant until it seemed to be ending and went in.
For #7, I went straight. I stared closing in on Charles Carrick (I think). Every time I thought I'd catch him I realized the terrain was making us weave.
For #8, I found myself still chasing Charles. We weaved a lot. Eventually Charles started getting more to my left. I could see the knoll on my left coming up so I kept my bearing. When we popped out of the green, I looked left and saw a control or color. It looked too close to the knoll so I didn't turn immediately. Charles kept going. As I read more carefully I realized it was a ditch, and that the knoll was further past it. I ran to it as Alexis Merka was punching.
For #9, I paused right before the knoll. I was brain dead and wasn't sure why I was seeing it. After catching my breath, I ran over it to the control.
For #10, I started okay, but was just off bearing enough to come across the wrong reentrant. I guess I was still tired and didn't check my compass. I mistook it for the one leading to the control, and mistakenly turned south. Approaching the road I couldn't see the intersection so I knew I messed-up. As I corrected, I saw Carrick coming-in just behind me.
For #11. I ran straight and spiked it.
For #12. I ran straight and spiked it, with a slight correction to the right.
For #13, I started to climb and use trails, but I changed my mind, then went straight. I kept on my bearing looking for the second reentrant past the trail. I didn't realize that I'd hit it right at the bridge! I thought I was a little further north. I took the trail from there.
For #14 I went on trails/fields between the out of bounds areas and to the road. I gave thought to going around but didn't want to risk the dark green from that approach. Going further around seemed even more out of the way. As I dropped down into the big reentrant, I was feeling like I might have made the wrong choice. The actual dot knoll seemed closer to the edge of the hill than I'd expected it would.
Going to #15 on trails, I knew I'd made the wrong choice going to #14, and I told Carrick that as I passed him going the opposite direction. I took trails and the field to the end of the trail SW of #13. I read the reetnrants but wasn't sure what I was dropping down into until I hit the dot knoll. I also saw someone crossing my path ahead. As I got nearer, I saw that he was headed to the same control, and I spiked it.
I was glad that there wasn't a lot of up and down on this. I ran the hillside to the large reentrant, crossed the marsh and ran up it. As I got nearer to the guy I'd seen near #15, I realized it was Victor Lin. I slowly closed in. He (and I) knew where to go, but Victor stayed just ahead coming up the spur to control #16.
For #17, I got past Victor and worked my way around the large reentrant. I never got to the field and even ran parallel to it briefly. It was open and I could see the large reentrants better that way. I spiked it.
For #18, I got to the trail I'd taken going to #15. I went into the field and right past #19. Crossing the reentrant, I came in to #18 from above--It was only when I'd gotten past the last reentrant that I realized the control would be as low as it was.
For #19, I tried to reverse my route, only I lost the intermittent trail near the trail junction.
I tried to move my legs a bit more on the run in. The depressions made it awkward and I haven't been running much for a hard sprint.
I had fun today. I'd heard the terrain was worse than it turned out to be. The course was fine and it's not an easy place to set a course.