Orienteering race (Brown long) 1:01:37 [4] *** 4.3 km (14:20 / km) +100m 12:50 / km
spiked:8/10c shoes: Jala Jukola Spider 6 #2
Anyone who didn't take the trail route from 2-3 paid dearly, anywhere from 5-35 minutes (through the laurel/rhododendron). Everyone I spoke to who raced relatively fast on the brown course took the trail.
A bit low on 6, so after I had gone far enough I had the sense to try to relocate off the trail above (or the reentrant I'd been to at 2), but saw the flag as I headed uphill, A bit to the west on 8 (took off the trail too early) but recovered better than the two older fellows I saw who left the trail even earlier and searched in the flat.
Fell after crossing the parking area west of 9; rolled over my right side, so a few bruises and aches there. Feel much better as I post this on Tuesday, than I did Sunday evening.
1 -- Trail run, ~500m, cut off at clearing -- control just beyond day 1 #1
2 -- S through rhody to trail and around to trail bend. Probably a bit faster around N side of marsh.
3 -- Angled downhill to main (Shades of Death) trail, ran trail (~600m) then up from corner off 3rd stream
4 -- compass
5 -- back to trail and up at white woods. Dogleg back to trail
6 -- trail for about 250m then angled uphill in white woods. When I hit the first large trail I verified I was at the bend and then compassed, but I was just a bit low and misread a form line wiggle for a reentrant (I think it was a form line ending in a 'u' depression...). Started to relocate heading uphill and saw a flag and checked it
7 -- compass
8 -- to trail, on trail to where it started to go uphill; looked in a depression along the way that looked to be about the right distance but it wasn't there so I kept going. Subtle depression, barely a dip below the surrounding area.
9 -- back to trail, ~550m run this time
So, almost 2km dead trail running
FR: 5.279 km, 148m climb (because I dropped down to the trail to 3 and then again back to 6)
I should have run Green X so I could experience the blandness of the other side of Hickory Run. Or maybe avoid this area next time.