orienteering race (ACT Long) 1:43:15 [4] 11.3 km (9:08 / km)
shoes: new Olways
It was a war of attrition among the Arrows today, but I was actually looking forward to the long race. The forest was pleasant spur-gully - if it had mallee trees then I would have been running at Burra. Bloody tired though, both in my head and legs. I got a rest halfway to the first control when some old guy who had slashed his wrist on the derelict fence needed help wrapping it up (there wasn't nearly as much blood as I leaked from my knee at Easter, but he was a bit spooked).
Ran fairly cleanly and solidly, lost my head running into 6 (the vague termite mound) where Anna caught and passed me. In hindsight, I veered right away from a patch of smoking ground and crossed the gully which was so shallow I didn't notice it, then saw the track to the east in the distance but thought it was the track to the north. Probably lost 4-5 min there.
The neuroma in my foot was a bastard from the spectator leg to the map change. Usually plays up at about the hour mark then I know it will settle, but jeez it hurts at the time. I had already worked out what was going to happen in the second part which was a bit boring, but as I went into the spectator leg Tracy and Clare passed me so I chased them which provided a bit of impetus.
Happy with my run but would like to know what I can do to get under about 90. Have 3 kids, if Tracy's example is anything to go by...only joking! I can tell I've lost core stability because of not running in the terrain for a month, so I might go bush a bit more before Pichi Richi.