Orienteering (Foot) 1:52:38 [4] *** 15.13 km (7:27 / km) +395m 6:35 / km
spiked:16/21c
QOC: Prince William Forest, VA. I set out to finish at a decent pace. I didn't anticipate having as much trouble as I ended up having. Perhaps that was partly due to physical condition, and partly due to a few map issues.
For leg #1, I didn't get going so fast. I was searching for the start triangle for a while. After finally leaving, I set out to go around and use a road to avoid some climb. In retrospect, I should have gone straight. I abandoned a route going to the right after discovering that I'd have to climb up and down anyway. When I did get to the road, I left a little early running up through a reentrant that wasn't all that fast. Though I hit the control right on, I don't count this as a spike with the inefficient change in route.
I ran left to the road and attacked from the road intersection for #2. I had a little hesitation on the attack but I hit it just fine.
I ran a little to the left going to #3, to get around some light green forest.
For #4, I started out trying to run high, left of the line. I figured it'd be faster there. However, before the reentrant, I dropped low to follow the stream. After crossing side stream, I went up and straight in.
For #5, I dropped and angled up. This saved me some climb but I did have to back track a little to the control. It was hung pretty low as were many today.
For #6, I started doubling back toward #4. I stayed left of the line. I spiked the control coming up from the south with no exact attack point. I was reading the contours.
I went to the right leaving #6, to get around a reentrant. I cut left and handrailed a ditch toward the stream without being close to it. At the stream I crossed one way, while Kim Jepsen went the other. After the steep climb, I got moving again to spike control #7. I could see it from far away on a direct route.
I went straight toward #8, with a little left right hook at the end.
I went straight toward #9, with a little drift left. As I got to where I thought I should see the control, or the ditch and gully, I only could see the ditch. I paused thinking I'd made an error. Moving on, I could later see the gully. I spiked it but didn't like the hesitation in my performance.
I wasn't sure what to do on leg #10. I initally sought to be faster using the maintenance road 200m south. I don't know if this cost me time getting to the bridge or not. Once over the bridge, I hugged the creek and used trails. I was wishy-washy in not sticking with a plan. I didn't take the first trail climbing toward the control, since I'd only have to drop again. I started to go around on the trails near the creek and then realized I had to climb on that trail anyway. I ended-up hopping trails back to the one I avoided. I left that one from a bend, and ran straight across the stream. I recognized the notch of a contour near the stream, SW of #10, and kept going. I must have drifted left a bit. I was seeing deadfall on my right and took this to be the deadfall south of the control. As I followed the edge of it, it kept going much farther than expected. I got up well north of the control with still no end in the deadfall. Seeing some reentrants to the west I figured I'd gone too far and turned back. I probably mistook the reentrants I was seeing ahead to be ones closer to the control, so I plunged into the deadfall for a while. I decided to relocate going back toward the notch near the creek, when I saw enough of a break in the deadfall, to spot the field. I came into the control from almost due north. Someone else was coming in from the south. I think if the vegetation mapping had been more accurate here, I would have had a much smaller error.
I wasn't that happy about the lost time at #10. I left fast with the other guy planning his route, probably headed where I was. I ran straight. The light green along the way wasn't bad--it was appropriately mapped. I ran right between the water pits after crossing the road, signifying I was right on the line. A little while later there was another water feature--an unmapped pond. To get around some green, I adjusted left a bit, the a little right just at the creek. I crossed near a fallen tree and had to go around it. I could see the reentrant after climbing and rounding the fallen tree, but didn't see control #11 until I was right up on it. An apparent couple was just leaving.
I ran straight, almost catching the man and woman who came less straight, and spiked control #12.
Going straight again, my route crossed the man and woman's route. I came right up the spur to #13.
I felt good going straight to #14 and knew right where I was crossing a small reentrant 1/3 of the way there. I went a little left to get around the light green ahead and started to angle toward the old roadbed I had it in my mind that the control was in that roadbed. I couldn't see the feature on the map (afterward I needed to be sitting in good light with a magnifier to see the ditch). In my haste to get started leaving Pine Grove to get started with enough time to finish, I'd left my control description holder and I didn't take the time to unfold the map to find out what kind of feature the control was on. After running along the old roadbed, I must have passed the control. I could see that the center of the circle wasn't really on the roadbed so I started hunting. Eventually I came back enough to find control #14. I found it just after the man and woman whom I'd passed on the way to #12 :(.
I ran passing the man and woman again as they neared the creek. At that point I could see that they were navigating independently. I crossed before them and ran up to spike the control, #15--an odd feature the metal grate in the middle of nowhere was. I probably capped a well.
For #16, I dropped down the spur and ran the flat well. Picking up the trail, I left it a bit early, and followed the old trailbed to the mapped ditch.
For #17, I went straight initially, ignoring the mapping of the fight green. It really wasn't bad--more like light green if that. I followed a ditch until it ran out, and then I cut right. Not seeing what I expected, I realized there were 2 parallel wet ditches; one was almost under the leg line. I convinced myself that I stopped too early, and went on a far way to the next big reentrant. Seeing 2 streams there, I doubled back and hit it fine. If I'd just not gotten cocky earlier, and went along the hillside, I would have seen the stream and reentrant before the control and not had such a big error.
For #18, I ran straight again. The mapped fight green wasn't there any more. There was just a small bit before the trail and the creek, I cut right to avoid that and got over the bridge. I guess I attacked badly and ended up right of the pits. It took me a while to figure it out.
For #19, I used the trail but left it before the side stream bridge. I'd remapped this area in 2007 but that was for a sprint map--the unmapped deadfall didn't make it onto this map. My knowledge of the green didn't help me find the control. I just went around it to the right and kept a watch on my left. I saw the ditches before the control and was surprised that the control came up so soon. As I was leaving but was stopped planning my next leg, a younger guy who'd left #18 near when I did passed the control.
For the course today, I was happiest about this leg and #6 in spiking them. I ran straight toward #20, and without a lot to guage progress, I recognized the spur I needed to go around, to get into the right reentrant. I got there just after Amy Loudoun, who was coming at it from my left.
I had to walk up a lot of the steep climb to the tower, and control #21.
I had some energy left on the downhill finish--virtually the same run in as David Onkst had been used in the 2007 or 2005 championships held here.
I was stiff after finishing. Though was warm for most of the run, I cooled off quickly enough. I was happy to get something to drink, and to eat some chips. I hadn't taken a Gu on this run. My overall result wasn't that good but I got some good exercise that should help me later.