Training Log Archive: andyd

Scottish sprint champs, race 1. Course 2, 2.7 km. The course launched out into the nicest forest ever, with ground cover of about a cm of lichen. It was dead flat with a few paths. Wasn't really thinking enough and just running straight at controls, but missed several. Probably lost well over a minute all told, which was a bit disappointing. Finished in an urban housey bit, which was a bit of a warm-up for race 2.

Scottish sprint champs, race 2. 3.2 km. Went much better this time. Started in the houses. Fairly straightforward (no traps or complicated route choices), but certainly had to stay focussed. Really enjoyed this bit. Then into a quarry, back in the houses and a long run-in across the fields. Good to have one OK run at least!

Scottish Night Champs at Darnaway. Course 2, M45. 5.6 km. This must have been the event of the year - Darnaway on a lovely February night. There's something so fun about night orienteering. Really enjoyed it. Would like to blame orienteering rustiness for my incompetance, but the quite technical first third of the course went pretty well ... not fast, but smooth enough to actually be briefly in the lead by #7. But then it all unravelled with a string of bad mistakes. Got hung up in the green leaving 7. Ran straight at 9, but must have misread the bumps. Faffed to relocate. Then had a nightmare on 14, having to bail out and re-attack but blundered into the depths of a particularly evil blackberry thicket. Then totally misread the contours at 17 and 19. Darnaway looks easy, with such lovely big features, but it has a way of being deceptive, especially in the dark. Was getting tired.

Dunstaffnage leg stretch.

Dunstaffnage-Ganavan - coast, chasm, and back over the hills into a screaming east wind.