Orienteering race 41:07 [4] 5.91 km (6:57 / km) +285m 5:36 / km
shoes: Inov8 X-Talon 190 (Orange)
British Middle Champs - Cannock.
Had already worked out where 1 and 2 where from the start in the pits. Good solid start, should have gone abit straighter on 6 (+20). 8-9 easy path control to a pit along a veg boundary so just ran along it yet never came across it. The pit was doug special for the event and only 20cm or so deep, so there was no shape in the land to see it as we as all the brashings on the floor, found it in the end after losing 2 minutes, but I think the pit was further west in the ground than the map said - annoying. surly if you have to dig holes for control features the area is not British champs worthy?
stopped o early on 11 (+20s). good through the spurs section apart from 15, where I went over the rentrent over the spur and along, where the control should be just over the over side? no, kept searching through as the bracken was high, then saw a control which was 50m away and I thought was another control but went to check and it was 183, my control. a few people lost time here including matt and there is also a wider range of splits here (+80s).
soild section from here to 21. then I rushed my exit, took a bearing and charged off on the longish leg, got stuck in the undergrowth and had to relocate (+50s).
fine to the end apart from going to 26 before 25, 30m apart (+30s), but was pissed of with the 2 stupid mistakes and then the mistake on 22 which was my fault for going to fast and rushing. only 3 mins of the podium suprising, with aleast 5 minutes of mistakes. 3 of them not my fault, although they are, but you expect better of championship races...
lots of good splits from the race, just the 2 dodgy controls then rushing later on because of this on 22. im glad the orienteering season is now over, time to get this growth pains gone which are making sluggish and smash some mileage this winter and hit the orienteering again from November onwards!