Training Log Archive: jed

Sussing things out on the warm up map after arriving in Devon.

British Long Champs, Braunton Burrows - 4th again (7secs off the podium). Major time loss on 1 (3mins) and this is game over when everyone starts so close together. Couldn’t make sense of anything (more green/paths than mapped) on what seemed like a very easy control which I'd basically planned in the start box but very different character to warm up map so failed to stick with steady/compass/pacing tactics. Especially annoying after relocating to lead multiple others straight into it. Reset though, a couple of wobbles close to the control at 5 and 8 but had clawed my way back up to 2nd until I blew it on 15 losing at least 6mins. I did my own thing, taking a different route from Chloe who'd caught me earlier as I thought it was better, it was a good route but I sped up as it was my chance to get away and came into control area one path too low. Alarm bells should have rang when I decided a huge wall wasn't mapped. Annoyingly tried to relocate off the huge flag poles on my map close by but couldn't see them on the ground so had to go back out to near the wall to be sure. Very hesitant through the next few taking very safe routes to gain confidence again, struggled making sense of/caught in vegetation a few times. Scrappy as tired and annoyed to be so rubbish on the run in but had nothing left. Obviously gutted to be so close to a medal again at a British Champs but my performance didn't really deserve one. Start times a big influence in results again, from splits 2nd/3rd were together for a lot of the course. I know the rules say 3mins but in this tricky terrain and a small start field trains were inevitable, if I'd just blindly followed I'd probably have had a silver at worst...