Orienteering race 1:09:42 [3] 9.0 km (7:45 / km) +300m 6:38 / km
JK Day 2 Dunalastair.
I expected this to be tough physically, and for it to show up my lack of terrain fitness. It was also tough technically. I wasn't expecting to be anywhere near the top 3, and my focus for the weekend is the Sprint and the Relay. Anyway...
Lost 30 seconds or so on 1 just not spotting the small clearing in the green after I climbed too high. Next couple were fine but then the climb in the open to 4 was confusing (this is where the trees had been missed off the printed maps in error). I was on line and the contours fitted, so not an error, just hesitant. Slight miss at 5 climbing too high, then bigger miss at 6 not descending low enough. 7 was fine, but a slog through the marsh, and maybe there was a better line.
My lack of focus showed at 8, where I inexplicably ran up the wrong hill at the end of the leg, costing another minute. Went straight on 10 when round on the tracks was probably better. Missed again at 12 dropping too low down the back of the hill. By now I was pretty tired and it was just a slog through the terrain.
The control pick from 14 to 21 at the end was fun, though I wasn't necesarily getting the best lines between controls. Si Patton caught me at 15, and although I thought he was on a different course, I tried to stay with him anyway. Turnes out he was on M45. We also got together with Simon B for the last 3 controls, so the three of us were racing hard at the end and I ended up with two fastest splits. :-)