US Nationals Sprint, Round 1, at Centennial Park, Plymouth Indiana. Start at 9:32. First overall on Brown A, though just 4 secs ahead of Chuck.
Did extremely well in the urban parts, but lost time when I had to duck into the woods for #7, though it was because I couldn’t identify things in the urban part. Brown B had this control with a slightly different starting point; Soupbone made an error about the same size as mine, and GlenT about half as much.
#7-#8 was the same as on Brown B. My time was 2 secs behind the fastest on Brown B (Walter) despite making a (silly) 5 second error.
Against the Brown A field (i.e., me against the fastest time besides me on that leg), I was 17 secs ahead not counting #7. (This includes Janet Findlay having a 5 secs-too-fast split to the GO control; given the big error she had on the previous leg, I'm guessing she was at the GO control at some point prior to getting to the next to last control.)
Had best split on 6 of the 11 legs, and second best on three others (missing first by one or two secs). Besides the error on #7, the only other leg was #10, to the GO control, where I was 4th (though two of the people ahead of me probably went to the GO control before #9).
Started at the same time as Marie-Josee (and no one else). Took a quick look at our clue sheets (probably shouldn't have) and saw that her #1 was my #2 and then the next few controls after that were the same.
SHOES: Tough deciding on this. Turned out there was no stream fording on Brown (got a hint of that from Mike), so metal-tipped cleats weren't needed, and they would have been somewhat of a detriment given that more than 80% of the running was on pavement. The Salomons were worth it because of the few brief forays into the woods. So, I made the right choice.
#1. Seemed very straight-forward, left of the ball field, right of the pool. 2nd, 2 secs behind Janet F.
#2. Looked in that direction and immediately saw the bag and Marie-Josee about to punch it. 1st, 1 sec ahead of Francis H.
#3. MJ went around the left side of the ball field, I noticed the right side would be about the same, so just went around the left side, too. Right side would've been slightly better as I could've had a look at #4. 2nd, 1 sec behind Janet F.
#4. A little perplexed because I couldn't see a wall on the map (it was gray, and I often can't pick up that color) and then I saw Marie-Josee running to where I was heading from the Gazebo further N, and for a split sec though maybe I should be heading to the gazebo. But then I saw the low wall dead ahead, and Marie reached down behind it to punch, so I never deviated from my path. 1st, 1 sec ahead of Chuck.
#5. Had worked out this leg on the way to #3. Almost exactly on the straight line, using the sidewalks almost all the way to the fence (didn't want to cut through the little patch of woods) and then following the fence around. 1st, 8 secs ahead of Chuck.
#6. Straight line at first until near #1. Didn't want to go through the sandy area and also saw that the control was inside the fence, so went around the left side of the pool and got inside the fence from the N. 1st by 3 secs ahead of Janet F (and 12 ahead of Chuck).
#7. N, then around the ball field, and then something was wrong; what I was seeing didn't match the map. It may have been that the X in the white patch was now a building, and no trees around it, but can't be sure. In any case, I had a real sinking feeling. OK, forget the other stuff, just use the big building. Got myself to the edge of the woods. There were a couple of dumpsters there; where they on the map? At that moment, JJ dived into the woods to my right, so I went in and looked to the right and saw a bag. Couldn't be mine because it was in a depression with no rootstock in sight, but I stupidly went all the way there to check the code. Then, given that it was a depression, looked at the map, realized where I was looked to the NW and saw the bag (meaning I most certainly could have seen it when I first stepped into the woods if I hadn't fixated on looking where JJ had gone). An ugly 15th (of 25), 45 secs behind Janet F.
#8. So close to the sidewalk, went back up, then right of the fence to the covered bridge. Approaching #8 on the road, judged that I should cut into the woods just before the sidewalk on the left joined the road. That was an error in judgement (and the circle obscured the change in width of the road, which would have been a more definite attack point). Stepped into the thick woods, didn't see a bag ahead, then saw it 20m to my left. Back to the road and then to the bag. Lost at least 5 secs, but still 1st by 4 secs over Chuck (and 2nd vs Brown B, 2 secs behind Walter).
#9. Over the bridge, didn't want to cut in right away. Scared of missing this entirely in the thick woods (happened to others). Cautiously around to the left of what seemed to be the mapped darker green, and then saw the control dead ahead. 1st by 5 secs over Chuck (and 14 ahead of Sharon in 3rd).
#10. Legs staggered a bit going up the hill with deadfall, and came out 10m to the left of the control. 4th, 5 seconds behind Chuck in 2nd (Janet F and Jim H were also ahead, but they most likely had been to the GO control prior to reaching #9).
F. Legs were shot, but still managed 2nd, 2 secs behind Francis.
RouteGadget
[Orienteering Sprint race]