Orienteering 45:00 [4] ** 6.5 km (6:55 / km) +310m 5:35 / km
spiked:19/20c shoes: 2013 VJ Supra
JK Middle - Hambleden. Hilly...
With this race not being a World Ranking event, I'd decided a while back that I'd take it steady to save something for the Long, and concentrate on getting the navigation right. Did a similar thing at Cookworthy for JK2010, and it worked out better than I expected. Today I may have ended up on the 'wrong' side of a pack of Slowies, which meant an earlier start on the Long, but stuck to the plan well.
Although it wasn't the greatest of starts - biggest mistake of the day was to #1, with a 15-20 second miss by not wanting to drop down the slope as much as was necessary. Terrain didn't appear quite as I'd visualised at at 2, but no issues. Happy to hit 3 well, then walked all the way up the hill to 4. Walking wasn't originally in the plan, but I'd forgotten how sapping those steep Chiltern slopes can be, and the walking soon got added to the plan.
No issues through to 9 - let Simon G run on up the hill as I trudged onwards. Regretted taking the straight route to 10, with the extra climb, but the experience of the top guys suggests that was correct. Aided a little by JD from 11-15 - he missed a couple of times, so was in sight for longer than he should have been.
The route choice leg to 17 surprised me (good planning!), apart from a little extra climb to a path, I think I executed this well. The down-up-down zig-zag at the end presented no problems - look up and see the veg changes - and then a cruise down the run-in. Job done.
No issues with new shoes - still very shiny after this run!
The good bits:
- Technically pretty sound, only real wobble was at #1.
- Stuck to the physical plan well.
- Surprised at the time, considering the above.
The bits to improve
- Reading ahead! There were opportunities on the longer legs/hills, just didn't take them. Would have seen the final route-choice leg a lot earlier.