Orienteering 1:40:44 [3] ***** 9.3 mi (10:50 / mi) +474m 9:21 / mi
25c
The sum of my woods orienteering this year has been … Franklin Park. So, as usual, I get dropped in to Billygoat Land!
Clown car of orienteers from the US O epicenter (Cambridgeport). Boris was running the race—the Billygoat—with his daughter in a backpack carrier. This was most impressive. Alex was running.
Off we went! I took a trail to 1, which was slightly longer it turned out, running behind some fast guys, and was in a big pack. I slowly but surely got dropped off the pack—these high schoolers are fast and know how to orienteer—through the first lap and the skip (no great skips today). Through the feed, then got very lost to 14, saw Vilppu, who hadn't skipped and spent some time in the john. Punched, followed him for a minute, lost sight of him but found a stone wall, followed it to the junction with another—no, it ended. It's not supposed to end. Where am I. It's going north-south. Lost contact. Found contact. Okay, down to a road, now back over to find 15, slowing down now having lost all confidence.
There was some spiking going on. But not a lot.
In for the third loop, running a trail and passing Balter, then not following Balter when I should have, forgetting there was a fork, taking a trail to 23 (pretty nice) and realizing too late (earlier, but after my skip) that 24 would have been a nice skip.
But finished 15th. Well behind the juniors. But definitely on the map for next year. And before the rains.
Speaking of: for the first time ever I got to punch my own (damn) control. 2013 Mureau: didn't make the map. 2014: Made the map for 2015. 2015: marathon weekend Billygoat. 2016: Not on map, made the map for 2017. 2017: SKIPPED MY OWN DAMN CONTROL. 2018: finally punched AO.
I had a moment.