Training Log Archive: simmo

H4 course at Wundabiniring. The area between the track and 1 is now head high ti-tree, so wandered about for 30 secs before finding it. Something seemed wrong approaching 5, I was the right distance and angle from the hilltop, but no control - Sten arrived also looking puzzled. Figured it must be further East and we found it fairly quickly. We both ran away downhill, but I drifted towards Sten's line not realising his next control would be in a totally different direction. Stopped, but then took a minute to identify something, which turned out to be 300m SW of the control, at least another two minutes to get back to the right area and then still had trouble finding it. Wandered a bit right at 7, maybe another 30 secs.

H4 - Splits

Easter Day 3 at Cherry Farm, featuring a very long route choice leg to no. 1. Got the route choice right, but disaster at the end. I had decided to run way right down a broad gully and then along a track next to a major creek, avoiding a series of 4 gullies and spurs with substantial sandstone cliffs. About half-way down the gully I tripped on a low fence (which was on the map but I hadn't noticed it) and did a very hard face-plant. Took about a minute to get up and recover physically. Didn't recover concentration however because I went only another 100m before deciding (irrationally) to go over the first spur, which was 6 contours high (walking!) followed by some rough and slow downhill before hitting the track and creek. This decision probably cost 2 minutes, but wait - there's more. Running fast along the track to make up time I wasn't looking at minor detail, only counting the spurs to the 4th one where the control was on a boulder high up. Up the 4th spur, found features that looked roughly correct, but no flag. Floundered around for several minutes before finally realising that - no it can't be - I've gone one spur too far, having forgotten that I went over the first one so only needed to count off 3 of them. Had I looked at smaller details such as bends and pools in the creek, and a termite mound right on one bend, it would have saved my bacon.

Finally arrived at the control just as T Radford turned up - he'd started 16 minutes behind. Between us we blitzed the rest of the course, taking different routes but always coming back together. I got maybe 150m ahead on 3-4, but then lost the advantage in the circle at 5. On a long leg from 7-8 I went right while he went straighter, but we came together at a saddle above the control.

TR did 44 minutes to hang on for 1st overall. Kjell did 42 but took a slower route to the 1st and he climbed back into 2nd overall. The next best time was 48. I ended up 10th overall, but at least 4th and possibly 3rd was up for grabs without the trip over the fence. Enjoyable 4 days though!

Day 3 12 A Hard - Splits