Race Evaluation
2006 North American Championships (Golden Leaf Ori: Middle Course 6
Nadim
| 1. | +00:50 | Unlike other recent events, Peggy and I got Max into daycare early. This let me prepare and get to the start with plenty of time. I went right around the marsh on the trail. I was on a good line but starting second guessing that I should be more left. I went left a bit, saw some controls and went to the farthest one. It turned out to be #42 and I needed #43. I was unsure where I was but I went right a bit and saw it. I wasn't sure it'd be it but I'm glad it was. | |||||
| 2. | +00:15 | I went fairly straight, crossing the limestone pavement after the trail. I noted a knoll on my left and kept going to the marshes. I wasn't sure which one I hit or even if I had hit the marsh but a little further I saw the ridge. I think I went up it, then cut right and down over to the control at the base of the cliff. | |||||
| 3. | I ran straight, noting a cliff on the left with a control, and a knoll on the right before crossing the limestone pavement. I spiked it. The last few steps, another orienteer, in his 20's and with an accent, had asked me if I was going to 322 and I was. | ||||||
| 4. | +00:10 | The other orienteer at #3 was lost. He asked me where he was. At first I told him I shouldn't show him. He persisted so I pointed to my map. Next he grabbed my map and asked "where?" I said #3 and pulled away telling him I need to go. I don't think he saw enough to know where he was. It seemed like only a few steps later that I saw another control and wondered if it was his. I read the small curved ridge, keeping it on my right, then went over some rough rocky ground at the end to spike it. Time lost for the other orienteer. | |||||
| 5. | +00:50 | I was tentative going to #5. I went straight and wasn't sure if I was crossing the tip of the marsh or on something else. Once across the marsh, I noted a group of people running in a line including Jeff Watson who had started before me. I wondered if they were all headed toward #3 and if I had gotten too far to the right. Fearful of an error and still unsure about having crossed the marsh. I cut left for 40m. I cut right again and saw a low area. People appeared to be punching so I cut right again to it to find the depression. | |||||
| 6. | +00:15 | I ran fairly straight. I don't think I saw the fence nor the indistinct trail. I had to cut right at the end. | |||||
| 7. | +00:20 | Straight again. I drifted left, down the hill. Fortunately my sense of distance was okay. I stopped to see it off to my right about 40m slightly uphill. | |||||
| 8. | +03:00 | My plan was to run to the fence and go around to the right, following it to the end, go along the marsh and to the control. On the run I hadn't seen the trail to the right of the fence. I got to a streamered fence and went around on the right but there was no continuation or fence corner. I figured I must have been at the corner and would see it if I cut left a bit but never saw any more fence. I straightened my bearing, crossed some slightly marshy area to a clearing and knew where I was. I hopped to the next clearing, passing an older orienteer and kept on a bearing. I should have followed the marsh from there but I noted a cliff on my left and was feeling reasonably confident that I was on track. Perhaps I was but I got drawn off when I saw a control to my right. It wasn't mine. Not sure where I was, I cut right more and saw another control. It turned out to be a White/Yellow control at a trail intersection. I attacked from there, seemingly back where I came from and hit it. | |||||
| 9. | Someone came from behind fast. I took a bit to set a bearing and noticed that I was going in the same direction. I chased to the marsh and got on the trail. I should have slowed a bit. I cut off the trail before the other runner and ran along the rocky ridge. I should have cut off sooner to make it shorter and less rocky. I got to the control but after the other runner who had gone around the ridge on the right. | ||||||
| 10. | As I was leaving, I heard Alar Ruutopold from behind encouraging me to go. He hadn't punched yet. I knew Alar had started running 4 min after I had started. I started leaving #9 but Alar passed me by cutting left at the first trail. I cut left at the second and had some hesitation. I fell in behind Alar, running less than confidently. We cut right again. When we reached the T intersection and cut right again, it took me a second to be sure. Alar cut in attacking in another second or two. I cut in but thought it'd be more on the right of where Alar was going. Alar was right. | ||||||
| 11. | We left #10 and got on the trail going to the right. I passed and cut left at the first intersection. At the next big intersection, I hesitated. Alar caught up just as I was deciding to go right on the correct trail but Alar seemed to know this before me. I opened up some distance going on the trail through the clearing and cut right. I cut left onto the smaller trail but was unsure what I was seeing. On the run, I had been reading the trail on the left as a wall. Another runner was in the area so I felt good about goind down and saw the control seconds later. A few step downward, I heard Alar fall behind me at the trail intersection. I yelled to see if he was alright but don't know if he heard it. I heard movement like he was coming so I went on and punched. | ||||||
| 12. | I took off on the trail a little worried about the next one. I cut left appropriately at the intersection and think I saw the streamers ahead. I hadn't read the control description nor the number. I got to the control and punched. | ||||||
| F. | As I was passing Valerie Meyer, I was a bit unsure if I punched the correct control. I tried to glance at my control description sheet and thought I was reading 3 7's. I knew I'd punched a control with some 7's but wasn't fully sure and relieved until downloading. In fact on the last few steps, I thought I should go back and check before punching in at the finish. Upon finishing, I thought I had a decent but not an exceptional run. It surprised me that I ended up 3rd in the M45 division. It was tought to relocate so I guess many other people missed something and had big errors; many others usually better than I ran other courses or were not there. |
Total Time Lost - 00:05:40