map hiking 1:30:00 [1]
Hanging the last loop of controls for tomorrow's event at Prince William. Took a spill and my leg was forced to bend really far. I screamed. I got no sympathy from Valerie - all she was worried about was that I didn't scream again so that the SAR group out working on terrain reading that we had just passed didn't hear me and come charging to the rescue.
After a minute or two it stopped hurting enough that I could stand on it and then walk on it and by 5 minutes later it felt fine. And in fact it sort of loosened up the joint and my knee felt better than before the fall. So in the end not bad at all.
orienteering race 1:08:04 [3]
After setting all the controls and water, ran the green course. On the way to the first control my eyes were tearing enough from the cold that I washed out my contact. I fumbled around for a minute or two trying to put it back in and then decided to just run without it. I figured the map wasn't really all that detailed and since I had been to all the controls (although almost every one from a very different direction) I would know what I was looking for and wouldn't need the contacts to read the map and since the woods are all so wide open I wouldn't need them for distance either. Was running really well and having a total blast with only one or two places where I hesitated. The footing was terrific and the woods are beautiful and I was feeling really good. And then I must have read my compass wrong, or held my map wrong, or not held my compass flat or something because I knew I needed to be more left and my compass kept telling me to go right and I ended up way right of where I wanted to be. But then when I corrected I misread something and again ended up not where I wanted to be. A few minutes later and I finally made my way to the control. I tried to shake it off and keep pushing but I lost a little steam and drive.
But up until then I was feeling really good moving in the woods and reading the terrain and having fun.
Note
It was cold and rainy all day and when I got up this morning I was sure I was going to wimp out and not run a course after we had put out the water and the controls. But Valerie was determined that we were going to run and I felt okay and so off I went. I'm so glad I did as I felt pretty good and had a lot of fun. Hopefully I'm getting closer to a really clean run. Maybe next weekend!