orienteering race (Ngaralta Country OY) 1:09:51 [3] 8.9 km (7:51 / km)
shoes: Asics Gel 2130
Started from the south end of the map, two loops (4.8 and 4.1km) with a map change back at the start. Mostly open farmland but the green is green, and has rocks hidden in it. So does the grass. Some of the hidden rocks are carnivorous. Also, I forgot my gaiters - can you see where this is leading?
Started about 5 min after Lauren and was careful to read the vegetation through the first few controls, then surprised to see her coming up the hill behind me. We ran pretty much in parallel through the rest of the first loop and the map change (approx 35 min) to the first control on the second loop, which I exited badly, and after which I never saw Lauren again. I thought she might have got ahead of me because I had some very small wobbles on the next 3 controls but I couldn't see her in the distance on the next open leg, so I was puzzled.
Chased Phil Hazell across the hillside and then took a risky shortcut through the green, was just starting to think I may have been one clearing too far south, when there was a sudden impact on my shin as I ran full force into an invisible rock. This was really really painful and completely broke my concentration, so for the next 3 minutes I wandered in circles trying to collect my thoughts before I remembered that I was meant to be looking for the other clearing. There wasn't much more than 1km left on the course so I made it back okay and discovered a scarily huge lump on my shin (has gone down after ice, but the bruise will be good), also that I had somehow taken 10 min out of Bridget and 15 out of Lauren (sorry girls) but I guess I did have a cleanish run, maybe because I was running slowly.
I thought it was a good event but surely TT will be disappointed with less than 80 people turning up - there were just over 80 at Belair. Oh, and the woman on registration when I went to pay asked me if I was a junior!