Training Log Archive: jennycas

This map was last year's Oceania Long and I'd enjoyed it, especially the low-vis stuff among the pampas grass. I nailed that section ok this time around too, but was getting the vague-and-hungries by the time I'd crossed the road into the open-but-confusing lumps & bumps of the fun manuka section, and managed an impressive 45-degree error which resulted in my going to 12 before 11. Tried to take it more carefully after that but gambled and lost on the ascent of the escarpment back into the vortex of pampas central, which eventually spat me out at the correct place after nearly 10 minutes of searching - oops. Clearly I was running faster than I was thinking today because it's so long since I've done a proper forest race. But it was so much fun, and I couldn't stop smiling afterwards, because...orienteering!

This afternoon's race was a reverse order chasing start but because of my prior incompetence I didn't have anyone else in 21s coming after me for about 7 min and so I made it through the pampas on my own (annoyed to lose 2-3 min on 4 by getting suckered into the wrong shallow gully) and then probably foolishly took the through-green-brashings route out to the east (managed not to quite fall and break my neck when I tripped coming down an embankment - these shoes are half a size too big so I keep catching my toes) and Bridget hooned past me in the lovely open forest while I struggled to put one foot ahead of the other because I have no terrain fitness. Found a 1-2 min vortex at no. 13 too - this map is almost as much fun as the Bermuda Triangle!