Orienteering race (Slap up creek) 1:19:11 [3] *** 5.9 km (13:25 / km) +180m 11:39 / km
16c
Australian Long Distance Champs - Slap Up Creek - W21A
So, the W21A course wasn't actually very 'long', but it was long enough for me as it turned out! :) This was quite a fun race, but I never really got into the map fully and I struggled running in the bush with lots of logs, branches and debris on the ground. I had trouble finding 4 on a shallow gully after my plan of attack didn't work and the control wasn't where I expected it to be. I found myself just standing there with no plan of what to do, which was a bit silly and I haven't done this much lately. Andrew K came to the rescue, making much the same mistake as me but recovering quickly and he led me into the control. We kept seeing eachother for the rest of the race (M21AS had the same course). Leaving 10 I made a 90degree error, crossed a fence ("yes, I'm meant to be crossing a fence, I'll just orientate my map, hang on - the fence is going in the wrong direction!") and ended up in the wrong paddock. Probably lost a few minutes there. 12 to 13 I had to take my shoe off to remove a thistle thorn that was killing me. The rest was fine, if a little slow.
I've noticed this carnival and recently that my navigation seems to have improved a lot. I notice things in the terrain quickly and match them to my map easily. Things just make sense more and I plan routes more automatically. If only I could put some more effort into getting fit without getting injured and learn how to run in the bush I might make a decent W35 and masters candidate yet! :)