orienteering 2:16:19 [4] 20.3 km (6:43 / km) +700m 5:44 / km
24c shoes: VJ Bold 9
WOC long.
This was the race I most wanted to do decently in, so had some high expectations of myself.
Plan was to just try start conservatively and reduce the mistakes, hopefully then finishing strong.
Hit #1 okay, then going well to 2, but didn't keep map contact at the end and fiddled around near the circle in some very vague stuff, not able to quickly work out where I was. 2min+ gone..
Then solid enough from 3-7, not going fast, but hitting things fairly well.
Then the long leg to #9. Had caught Ruari and ran behind him a little while I tried to decide on a route choice. Got to the open area and couldn't see any reasonable options but straight, so straight I went. Managed to execute it fairly well, though definitely not running as fast as I would've liked, with having to stay in contact with the map the whole time.
Small mistake to #10 stopping too early (20secs), then too far left to #11, first going through some crap veg and then hitting the path too low down (1min lost).
But of a poor direction out of #11 and then going too far left again just before the open area in front of #12 (45secs)
Decided to take the route around to #13 to get a break, and would've been good besides for getting stuck in a neck high field of nettles on the way out of #12.. (30secs lost in here)
#14 fine.
Then fecked #15 properly...
Not focusing properly and stopped too short (at the earlier river junction). Nothing seemed to make sense and after a while, ran back to the path and tried again..
(3:30 gone..)
Fine to #16, then took an absolutely shite route to #17, getting stuck in a lot of green and going for a full body swim in the canal.. (at least 1:30 lost here).
Fine to #18 and #19
Some hesitations executing my route to #20 and then was far too low at the end (1min lost)
Again a bit left on #21 (20secs)
Too low at the end of #22 (45secs)
Bad direction out of #22 and ended up going all the way to the open (30secs)
Then a bit out of it and stopped too early to #24, not wanting to run into the arena looking like an idiot.. (20secs lost).
So fairly happy with my run up until spectator. The one irritating big mistake at #2, but otherwise pretty clean and feeling pretty good physically. Then stuffed up #15 and I think that mentally destroyed me. Started suffering physically here as well and the route choice to #17 broke me a bit. Really just slogging around the last few controls and also making lots of smallish mistakes on all these, just not able to focus at all.
10min slower than I should've been after spectator and then a few min before, so would've been happy with under 2:05.
Realised I'm definitely not physically ready for this distance in this terrain. I'm fine running for 2+ hour on trails, but rough terrain is a completely different story.
Anyways. Not a disaster, and a lot of positives to take out. Also ran 99% of the race on my own, so that definitely makes things a bit more difficult.