Orienteering 1:00:00 [1]
Orienteering womens training weekend at Belanglo State Forest.
First was a theory session which went right back to basics. Of the attendees, there was a range of different abilities and experiences. A lot of it was old news like folding your map, thumbing the map. But I did pick up some new tips:
- Just before the start, check compass direction of where runners on your course are heading. You can flip map in the right direction (remembering north is top of map) rather than freaking out when you can't find start triangle
- Use north lines on map for distance estimation (never thought to do that before!). They should be either 2.5 or 5 cm apart.
- We also talked about the role of mental attitude in orienteering. We always talk about all the mistakes we make during a course, but what about the good legs? Also the role of focus, decision making, ability not to be distracted. I know they're important but good to be reminded and aware.
Next we did a map walk on a pine forest map. Again very basic but walking forces you to take in more detail. Also talked about how contours tend to push you down and off bearing.