Brown/Green sprint on IU campus. Nominally 2.7 KTook a while to find the start triangle on the map. So many controls! I was worried about my knee, and worried about the length of the course, but it all was ok. The knee support does its job, and I felt no worse after than before. Kept a steady pace and didn't get too tired. From 4 I was looking at #6 at first, lucky to see 5 partly hidden by a bit of dark green, or rather olive green as I figured out and had to go around. Another runner got nabbed by Mike Minium after going through the olive green. Went around instead of through from 8 to 9, which turned out fine. A bit longer, but the control was fit in front of me. Other people apparently had to hunt for it. Small errors on 13, 14, and 15, and again on 18, where I had a lapse for a moment and thought I had to cross the creek. Maybe 40 seconds in total. I seem to have won M65, but only because Dennis unfortunately mispunched. He was 1:30 better, otherwise.
Map with Route.
1. Took a while to find the start triangle on the map - so many controls. Finally found #5 and worked backward, then it was easy to 1, just along the side of the building.
2. Big fence in front. Around the right, closer than left.
3. Right side of pond, could see control all the way. Better than left, where Dennis lost sight of it and got sucked in by a different control.
4. Corner of the building, easy.
5. Almost missed it as I was gazing at #6, along the same line, but snapped back to it quickly. What's that green stuff? As I got close and saw the daffodils, I realized it was olive and went around on the stairs. Good thing, too, as Mike M was control sitting and dissing people for going through the olive green.
6. Around building to the left, although R would have been ok, too. Cut off the road before the stream and momentarily regretted it until the stream was small enough to cross, so no problem. Dropped down from parking lot to path before the green, so good.
7. Saw the stairs to get out of the parking lot, so through the parking lot and down the stairs. Some folks were scared off by the dark line and went L around the building. Through the ramp between the buildings and around. Caught and passed Rich Gaylord and Rob Wilkison at the control.
8. Left around the building to 8, getting there before Rob and Rich who went through the overpass.
9. Left around the buildings to 9. Thought about going through, but this seemed easier at least for navigation, and worked out well when I rounded the corner looking right at the bag. Some people who went through lost time looking for it.
10. Left around and down the stairs into the courtyard.
11. Easy, courtyard to courtyard and straight across on paths.
12. Around left and through the first set of buildings, seeing someone leaving 15, but not paying enough attention to realize that it was mine, just focused on my building, a little put off that the map was rectangular and the gazebo roundish, but ok. Looking outside as I was coming to it and then realizing at last that it was inside.
13. First error, drifting too far R, but eventually seeing the tree. Lost about 10 seconds.
14. Next error, drifting right again and getting on a path I wasn't expecting. Saw Lou Pataki, who was on the right line. Also about 10 seconds.
15. Worst error, but only about 10 seconds, I think. Saw I was looking for a pair of boulders, didn't see anything obvious and ran by to a pair of trash barrels, obviously not mapped, and too close to the buildings. OK, calm down, look again at the map and figure it out.
16. Run fast, down the center of the grassy area.
17. Easy.
18. Another 10 second error. Momentary lapse had me headed to the bridge to cross the stream, until I looked again and saw that would put me on the wrong side!
19. Up to the building and around.
20. Could see the depression from a distance.
21. Path to the building, around and in.
22. Moving faster, checked twice that I needed to go to the near control first.
23. Easy
24. Under wraps a bit, trying not to strain anything.