British Night Champs. Feeling better than in the week but managed to get some water stuck in ear which was causing a lot of discomfort.
Overall, ok run - all the open dunes went well. Just all the wooded bits went terribly!
1 - 2 mins lost looking for this, so better than the last time here. Features stopped matching and couldn't work out where I was - had gone quite some way uphill so assumed I'd be above control but didn't appreciate the height loss out of the start.
2 - having spent all the time looking for 1 hadn't looked much at next leg and hadn't considered a northern option. Although sandy, would have knocked off another 2 mins-ish by avoiding some pretty rough and given easy attackpoint. To my credit, did go to exactly the right place first time - just couldn't see control.
Longer legs from here meant was able to start planning - with small time losses in the circle as had lost descriptions by then,
7 - northern route this time to see what I missed earlier, pretty easy.
8 - ticked off features well, but lucky to hit control some time before I was expecting.
9 - started with northern route, then decided southern was better. 30s.
10 - followed ridge, 11 - rough bearing and hit it cleanly.
12 - path, fence, path, path, path.
13 - took Adam's route and let him do the faffing in the circle.
14 - paths, took Adam's route until he stopped going the right way then took my own route. Saw Tommi come out but thought slightly early so carried on cautiously. 30s
16 - could have stayed higher later.
16-17 - paths didn't seem quite as I expected from the map. Stopped paying attention to paths or map and just kept heading east instead.
18/19 - hesitant at running the reverse of route to start.
20 - 2 mins. Came off what I thought was distinct tree and bearing but well too far right of bearing.
21 - 1 min. Stayed W of north but ended up too far right. Exactly the same as last year.
22 - 1 min. Stayed S of west but ended up too far right and hit the road. Bounced off and used contours.
23 - went SW but ended up too far right.
About 10 mins of losses, and 10 mins behind the person in front so wouldn't have improved my placing. Really not sure how I end up having so much trouble in these woods both times when had no trouble anywhere else on the course!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1424333933