Orienteering race 51:45 [4] **** 3.5 km (14:47 / km) +130m 12:28 / km
spiked:11/15c
West Point A Meet - Middle Course
Feeling mentally out of sorts on the walk up. Not sure why, but it was so. Was reasonably warmed up on a nice day.
Start -> 1: Slow down the trail to the "dam", then more quickly in. 2:40
1 -> 2: Across the hillside seeing folks coming the other way; slightly high, but saw it. 2:46
2 -> 3: Slower than I wanted up the hill, but straight to it. 2:32
3 -> 4: My first mistake. Decide to go right of the swamp, but took off almost northwest. Saw road and corrected, but the woods felt "greener" than expected. Down to the dam, over the knoll, past a control in the reentrant after the bare rock and sidehill too it. Slow and sloppy - lost a bit of time. 6:58
4 -> 5: Tried to slog quickly up the hill, but got confused on the top. It seemed like I had to go pretty far down to get to the area and I was very tentative. 5:41
5 -> 6: Decided that this was the place to try to make up time; took a bearing and went right to the hill. Alas I was on top and couldn't see it at the foot. Saw a guy looking at me and smiling and knew that he could see it, so I found it with some annoyance. 2:44
6 -> 7: Drank first, then followed the guy towards the next one; he veered too far right, but saw me, corrected and punched just in front of me. 2:40
7 -> 8: Both of us going straight at a control that could be seen from a distance. 2:02
8 -> 9: I expected the same again, but he veered way left. I saw this one from the 50% mark. 2:28
9 -> 10: Was concerned about many similar features and was careful to both count and check from below. Care cost a bit of time, but others lost more here, so I am happy. 2:24
10 -> 11: Clumsy down the hill and across the valley. Lots of folks crossing my path on the ridge as I went in. 3:00
11 -> 12: Misjudged the distance and had to go in very tentatively as I had not counted my paces. 3:17
12 -> 13: The end of a good race. Tried to hug the stream, but got pulled left by crowds. Searched southward into the edge of the green, realized where I was, but was uncertain about the boundary. Was on the cliff above the control when I saw a flag 70 m away on a cliff. Went to it, but saw the stream and knew it wasn't mine. Turned around and saw the pack right where I had been. Arrgh! 8:02 (a five minute error!)
13 -> 14: Now at the end of a train that is going in the right direction. Mostly concerned about making sure I don't go to the wrong one here, but using the people. 2:45
14 -> 15: Followed the train, but went left in the woods where the running was better. Passed several folks by doing so. 1:21
15 -> Finish: 0:25
All in all, an acceptable run that could have been a great one.