orienteering 1:18:14 [5] 7.3 km (10:43 / km)
The British champs. Physically well prepared - unlike the JK where I had many and various concerns -true the training has been quite intermittent but I guess that's an age thing which is just how it is.
I also had a pretty good idea of what the race would be like and how to tackle it. Complex on vague slope - but rely on the big contour features, use the compass and tick off but do nor rely on vegetation and marshes, the rest should be relatively straight forward - push on.
Three surprises, (i) how rough the open was, (ii) how much of the course was in the open and (iii) no long legs.
Over the years I can make the top ten but no better this means I have to make almost no mistakes and race hard, I have done this quite a few times across the disciplines, but its not easy and lots of misses.
the splits really tell in all -Good aggressive start 11th at control 1 - running hard when I could, looking up, good concentration. No real mistakes on the hill was briefly 3rd at 8 and left no 14 in 9th place. I did misread the purple line 8-9 which caused a big banana to crossing point. Winsplits shows an error at 12 and 14 but these were actually in retrospect unnecessary hesitations. Just need to run back to finish. All a bit slow (tussocks took toll?) but would have made top 10 except for a complete aberration at 19. 7.20 others 2.50. Stopped planning ahead? (why) did not take forest road (why), knew was going wrong should have bailed out and taken time hit, suddenly in block of forest that did not fit, went out to green except it was not green came back to place where the
control was not. Then light switched back on went to area of pits found control now 17th completed course 15th.
I cannot see past this being an opportunity missed and am really disappointed - cannot see any positives