Training Log Archive: caspian

All seemed to be going fairly well until leaving control 7 - so far I had passed most of the few people who had been given earlier starts than me, including Terry O'Brien, passed just after punching number 6. But then my brain fell out on the way to control 8, and my legs blundered through to the road while my brain rolled down the track heading south east. When I next looked at the map (and up at the castle) and realised what I had done wrong, I was past the cemetery, probably very close to control 9. While the sensible thing to do would have been to cut through the gap in the wall and across the open to 8 (which could well have been the best route choice anyway), brain and legs seemed to opt for meeting each other half-way, i.e. in the graveyard, so I charged back to the main entrance and along the paths within the graveyard - when I finally emerged at the control, Terry was almost at number 9.

I caught him again going down the steps out of the Castle Esplanade, and we reached number 10 together, only to find that it didn't beep. Much cursing and confusion later, we punched our maps and ran on, only to find that number 11 wasn't working either. Then on to 12, with me now clearly in front - it beeped for me, but I could hear Terry cursing again behind me. Then I made a few attempts to find 13 - down the steps, to the gate to peep round the corner into the street, then worked it out; cleanish from then on, although for some reason I was so surprised to see 17 quite where it was that I headed off briefly the wrong way down the path.

Found on reaching download that not only 10 and 11 but also the following half-dozen or so controls hadn't registered, despite hearing definite beeps, so that I had no splits to compare. A bit gutted to see that the 30 secs or so lost (OK, I'm guessing, but it seemed like ages) playing with sullen controls, punching maps etc. would have gained me about 5 places...

But an excellent course, and great fun - the leg between 7 and 8 was the main thing that let me down.

'Dreghorn Surprise': sections included blanked-out areas of map, corridors etc. And loads of thorns. Managed some impressive mistakes all of my own invention, e.g. persuading myself there was a control marked on a feature in the corridor section of the map in between two controls that were actually there - spent ages running up and down looking for it and only realised my mistake when I ran on to the next (real) control in order to relocate off it...

Good thing I didn't do Dumyat - I'd have gone off up the wrong hill.

From house to Dreghorn and back.

From Inverkeithing to Kinghorn and back.

From Stockbridge to Cramond Island and back.