Nationals Sprint on the McMaster University campus
The emerg doc said I could run as long as it didn't make me feel light headed or otherwise rotten. I was already planning to take it easy because of my foot so I went into the race quite calm for someone who hadn't used an orienteering map since June 1. I have also never mastered sprint-specific map symbols so there is always a lot of luck involved in urban or campus sprints. And of course, I came to the event site straight from the emerg department and raced with my hospital bracelet on. I was calm because I had zero expectations!
So given all that, I'm actually pretty happy with my running (although not my orienteering!) I made several huge errors mostly because I haven't been on an O map lately and just wasn't sharp. I started running from #2 back toward #1 instead of toward #3 in the opposite direction. I didn't check the code on a control I ran past because I had the description wrong, but that was my control. Attackpoint says I had 2:33 of errors but it missed a big error on #1 (as per the GPS track) and a few minor ones.
(Both photos by Adrian Zissos.)
I was 5 minutes out of first, which is much better than I deserved, and I finished around midpack. I had a couple of the best splits in our category and also the absolute worst split for any age group on our course at the go control. That is inexcusable since it was inside the spectator area, and I'd seen people punch it and run to the finish even before my race started. I guess once you've made a commitment to race stupid, you have to stay consistent. :) I should learn the damned sprint map symbols and go back to McMaster with the map some day to drill them into my head. (Hmm, perhaps that's a bad choice of words today...)
Regardless, it was quite fun, the course was interesting, my foot didn't hurt much, the weather was perfect, and I chatted with lots of friends.
(For anyone looking at the GPS track, it is incorrect between #9 and #10. I was clean and direct there - one of my best-ranked splits - and didn't go way off into that parking lot. The track does something funny on the way to #1 as well. The other parts of the GPS track that look like mistakes... are mistakes.)