Run race ((orienteering)) 56:22 [4] **** 5.3 km (10:38 / km) +235m 8:42 / km
spiked:17/21c
Stepped back up to join the big boys for the middle distance. Didn't feel as good today as yesterday (although I suspect I wasn't alone in that respect, most of the field having run twice as far yesterday). A bit wobbly and nervous on the way to 1, a control which claimed a fair number of victims, but got it OK, then smooth if a bit slow for the next few (Manuel going through me 4 minutes at 6 before giving it back at 8). Missed 7 slightly below (distracted by the ACT junior boys' pack) and then took a poor option to 8, climbing to the top of the bare rock when I would have been better off going round its base. This was a very physical section and I wasn't really strong enough to make good headway on it. Settled a bit more as it flattened out again and seemed to be finishing fairly well, but then made a silly mistake on what should have been the giveaway second-last, drifting to the right and dropping 45 seconds. I thought that had cost me my main target of the day (making the NOL points) but I forgot that they go down an extra three places in the final round. Still, I couldn't be happy with this run - even benchmarking against my own age group (most of the main players of which also ran elite today) I was rather further back than yesterday.
Had a couple of good battle wounds to show for the day's work (more visually notable than substantive). I suspect there aren't too many sports where the president gets up to speak at the national championships presentation looking somewhat the worse for wear from their own run...
The week went very well on the whole. I was worried that there would be at least one major technical issue arising from one of the myriad of areas Eric Andrews was responsible for not being picked up by someone else, but we got through fine (the one potentially significant issue, wrong printed control descriptions for today, was picked up before it did any real damage). Most people seemed to enjoy themselves and I think it was a good week.