Orienteering race 7:07:27 [3] 41.9 km (10:12 / km) +2580m 7:48 / km
shoes: Inov-8 MudClaw 265 red
OMM day 1 with Jim in the Cheviot.
We had a somewhat tentative build up.
-- My right hamstring had been twinging and feeling generally tight without signs of getting better since a hill reps session 3 weeks ago. I was really worried it was going to go properly on the race (like the other one did just before OMM last year). As it turned out it was almost no bother once I got in some proper OMM terrain, but sadly something else went instead...
-- Jim had phoned up last weekend to say he'd done something to his back and he could barely walk. I contacted a couple of people in case a standby was needed. But after a successful trip to the physio, where in his words he "hobbled in and strode out" things looked much better, and again in the race he said with a few painkillers it hardly troubled him.
Then my heart sank on Friday evening to be given map bags at registration because the map lamination was apparently a bit dodgy / not waterproof, and then see the sample map with OS Explorer 1:25 map data shrunk to 1:40 making it very hard to read. WTF?
Anyway on to day 1. Odd wave system of starts where you had a 15 minute start block, but no specific time. Anyway, Jim and I seemed to creep under the seeding radar, so were off in the first block, and thankfully missed the train that say three top teams 2-3 mins apart in the last block (it isn't just how it affects the outcome of the race, but it is the enjoyment of being out there on your own too, making your own decisions etc.).
All in all we had a good day. The nav was good. We were happy with the routes we took. Tactically things were good (eating, drinking, getting waterproofs on when the weather turned foul). And physically we both put in a good effort (each had ups and downs). All things considered I was pleased with 3rd/4th place (depending on Steve B lost SI card thing), and 14 mins down on the leaders. That is just a reflection of fitness and training I think (although I sometimes wonder how I won OMM 2011, when I felt less fit than now, but I think we took advantage when others got other stuff wrong...).