orienteering race (Nerrina Ultralong) 2:44:32 [4] 14.4 km (11:26 / km)
shoes: Inov8 Oroc spikes
Mass start, 2 loops of 7kmish each, 2 pivot controls so for each of 3 different sections on each loop there were 2 different possibilities. Very stiff through the midsection when I woke up - adductors and hip flexors don't seem to be loosening up as I'd like - but since the first leg was about 1.5km on the map and more like 2km on the ground by taking tracks, I figured it didn't matter that I'd started slower than everyone else, I just needed to finish slower than nearly everyone else, because I'd be warmed up by the time I got to control 1. Startled a few people when I got there, too, because the alternate split to that control had 3 more before reaching it so that section took even the fastest people a while.
Nerrina is well known for its Gullies of Green, and the course was set with plenty of route choice. Wide track routes, that is; the controls themselves were pretty simply placed. I took many wide routes, which may seem silly of me when I'm so slow, but it meant less thinking and less running over rough ground with ankle tape (bought in Scotland) that comes loose rapidly as soon as it gets damp, as I discovered yesterday. Wouldn't be surprised if I covered nearly 20km on course! The one time I did try to find a gap through the green I ballsed it up and had to bail out to the track anyway. That was my only real mistake which probably lost me about 3 min and meant Clare went past me. We saw A LOT of each other going in to and coming out of controls over the rest of the course, because it turned out we had exactly the same configuration of splits.
I snuck past while Clare was staring at a spur which didn't have a control, not long before the map change, and at that stage Bun was still behind us, although I didn't realise then that she'd initially had the more complicated first section and so was actually ahead on controls; it confused me later on when I saw her leaving a control I was going to. Clare repassed me slogging up a hill but then she was too high on the next control. I took the very long very wide easterly road route from the northeasternmost control and absolutely hammered my adductors - with the ankle tape having come loose, I was desperately trying not to roll ankles outwards and putting a lot of inward pressure on the biomechanics of my legs. Also was rather wishing I had some magnesium tablets because hamstrings were trying to cramp as well. Did have salt tablets and jellybeans, and made good use of them and even had enough jelly beans to offer some to a lonely little girl with sore knees.
My legs were starting to die at this point and then I saw Bridget & Rachel coming back out to the east-west track from a control to the south of it, as I was leaving the track for a control to the north, and I thought "they're not as far ahead of me as I'd expected". I was quite a bit too low crossing the spur to the drinks control on the rocks and so Clare got past me again and then so did Thor, out of nowhere (damn). My protesting cramping legs were made to chase them up a hill which even Simon walked, and I finished about 2 min after they did. Much to my surprise, 2 minutes after that Bridget & Rachel appeared. Turned out that when I'd seen them they had yet to do the longer southern section which I'd run first time around.
Could hardly walk after I finished, with hips & groin(s?) spasming unpleasantly - although some food and Panadol did help. Surprised by how much I'd enjoyed the race although I'm effectively 3 min/km slower than the fastest people. Mind you, I was sometimes nearly 40 min behind the winners on a W40 course not even half that length in Europe!