Map (Red)Route GadgetA respectable race. I felt good for the most part and ran (relatively) fast, but I really need to work on the hills. I took a lot of bearings and luckily they panned out because this map was really vague and undetailed and there wasn't a lot of catching features. It felt really risky as I was doing it, but hey, it worked. Also, the trails were really vague. Three times I ran over one without noticing.
However, it wasn't perfect by any means. On #2, I drifted off my bearing and ended up hitting the trail above the control and had to drop back down. On #5, I apparently ran through the trail I was targeting without seeing it and therefore didn't know where I was on the trail when I finally hit it. I knew I was at a charcoal terrace, but I didn't know which one. Thinking I was at the wrong terrace, I took a bearing for a cluster of rocks, which by luck I somehow found. From there though, I overshot the control and again hit a trail and had to drop back down.
#8 wasn't bad, but I think I should've dropped to the road and ran, or at least run more confidently through the woods. I ended up being really indecisive about whether to take the road or not and finally realized I'd already gone far enough along the line that I should just continue straight. Again, I thought I would see the ride or indistinct trail and when I never saw/passed them I slowed down considerably, wondering why I hadn't hit anything yet. I should've just charged ahead knowing I would hit the big trail eventually. Also, in the future, I should look ahead more because I wasn't exiting the controls very well.