Running warm up/down 15:00 [3] 2.5 km (6:00 / km) +50m 5:27 / km
shoes: Inov8 X-talon 2014
To the start. Wet, mist not too bad but a bit of thunder and lightning going on.....
Orienteering race 1:00:42 [5] 10.14 km (5:59 / km) +200m 5:27 / km
shoes: Inov8 X-talon 2014
JK Individual 2, Llangynidr.
M45L, 9.4km, 170m climb.
1st of 106.
That was unexpected!
As a bonus, 2nd place overall.
Today I thought that if I could have the same discipline as yesterday, a couple of others might slip up and I could maybe sneak into the top three overall with a good run.
I knew Ben was starting five minutes ahead and so there was a small chance I might see him - his lead over me from yesterday was four minutes.
Managed not to get caught out by the unexpected initial direction out of the start, but found it very tough climbing up out of #2 as we set off on the 2.5km leg into the wind to #3. Persevered with the running. Compass. Pacing. Tick off features. Compass. Over the rocky hill, past the big big deep deep hole. Down to the not-very-big-at-all boulder.
Heading towards #4 I saw Ben coming back towards #3 - game on!
Went straight to feature at #4 - big hole with pit alongside it - no flag. Decided I was at similar feature to the east, started to go west, stopped. Looked at map. Looked at description again. Control is in the pit not the big hole! Back I went - 40s lost but could have been a lot worse.
Off through the heather to #5, don't dare look back. Seems to take ages to get there but eventually I cross a path which reassures me that I have not yet gone far enough. Into the control, on exit I sneak a look back and Ben is only 15-20s behind.
To #6 I know I am low and right, come round the slope and look for the vague re-entrant the pit is in. Can't see it and here are some unmapped pits. There is re-entrant below, turn uphill, got it. Maybe only 20s lost but Ben sees me get it and suddenly he is right behind.
I lead us to #7 and we take slightly different lines to #8 (I am of course yet again a bit high and left). Meet up in the yellow on edge of circle, I slow down to check and Ben gets it just in front.
Different routes to #9 and I get there first and am back in front through 9-10-11.
Going to #12 we cross the yellow on the edge of the circle for 8 again, and Ben overtakes me in pretty much the same place as before. The line of stones before the control is obvious though and I get it right behind him.
One more difficult control, down the hill to #13, and then 13-21 is pretty much all straightforward run-in, not much to go wrong. Down towards #13, hestitate at the big hole hidden under the red line, check bearing and carry on, Ben is punching.
From there it is a flat out run to the finish - try as I might, I just can't get back past. Apparently there are two others close behind the two of us - Ben saw them behind me at #5 and they are there to the finish - I never noticed either of them!
Max Cole second again today in 61:31 and won overall - running much faster but with some errors too, took 2.5mins (!) out of me on the long leg.
Very satisfied with my run today - ran pretty much flat out all the way with maybe 1minute lost, most of that being failure of description-reading. Couldn't really have hoped for much more.