Race Evaluation
2012 North American Orienteering Championships: RedX - Sprint
Niall
| 1. | +00:40 | Okay, I've been staying at the PEEC and ambled along the paths, this should be easier and as long as I don't screw up the first control I should.. AUGH! Came out from behind a different cabin than I thought, and didn't get my bearings, ran too fast. Had to come back nearly to the start, and next wave had started, before I finally found the shed.. wait, there was a shed here?? I swear, I need new glasses... or a new brain. | |||||
| 2. | And this is where my brain BORKED. Right to the main road, and left and.. I didn't recognise anything. Felt like a completely new section of PEEC, but, there weren't any. I didn't even recognise my cabin, behind which the control stood. Now on shaky mental ground. Does not bode well. | ||||||
| 3. | +00:10 | Not the best route choice, and a bit slow, stopping at the opposite corner outside the fence before just going on. | |||||
| 4. | +00:30 | Went around to find the path and attack from there, but would have been easier from near #18. Also, 1:4k, stop running for so long! | |||||
| 5. | +01:15 | And for the second Big Mistake. Did I hold the map wrong side up? I should know rule 1 of sprints: if you're near and you see a control, CHECK IT. Don't ignore and go running away from it and find nothing, pause, check map for nearly a minute, and realise it has to be it... | |||||
| 6. | +02:30 | Also, when you already know paths aren't too distinct except the bigger ones, STAY ON THE BIGGER ONES. It's a sprint map. You have long legs. Losing 3 seconds is preferable to two minutes because you went completely off any trail entirely. | |||||
| 7. | Now see, followed a trail, then the line of a clearing, and there it is! See how easy it is? And while not competitive, the split is entirely reasonable | ||||||
| 8. | Cross river, up and up to ridge, look right, hey, there it is! | ||||||
| 9. | +01:30 | Okay, followed my own advice from earlier: just follow path to other big main path, turn left, and right. Except the path DISAPPEARED. well, I went off it and didn't notice. Thought I still was on it, though. Don't ask. So.. big path, left, right, and.. log cabin? I'm not supposed to be here. Stop, check map, this has to be the log cabin.. run and find control. Ugh. Now competing to not be last. | |||||
| 10. | Okay, much better: quick look at map, and "entrance of food hall" means I don't have to check the map again. Nicely competitive split. | ||||||
| 11. | +00:10 | Ah-hah, scoped out that area from afar, and run to corner of building! Except check description: Tree! turn around. Didn't need that hesitation. | |||||
| 12. | +00:20 | Used probably the correct shortcut to the higher cabin row - but going all the way around was slower; quick after-the-fact analysis says a quick right then behind the row of cabins across the arena was fastest. But I did know where it was. | |||||
| 13. | Same here, no big problem as I had walked by this spectator control earlier watching the elites arriving. | ||||||
| 14. | And I could see two controls in this direction just standing in the arena as a spectator, one of which was a pole. No hesitation, but did check number before punching. | ||||||
| 15. | +01:00 | And I was doing so well.. 1:4k idiot! Means SHORT distances past the bridge! and to your right, the one you saw and didn't stop for. Nooo, you had to keep going at the end of the path to the other control, and not see the "end of path" was the end of a path _other_ than the one you were on. Siiiigh. Sometimes I despair of my own brain. | |||||
| 16. | +00:30 | Quite misread the map direction I needed to go in here, ended up around the yurts, and right by my next control without realising (yes, read two ahead, always useful!) Finally figured it out when I saw the gazebo. | |||||
| 17. | Well, I did pass by it twice... shouldn't be difficult.. | ||||||
| 18. | Okay, no problem here, through yurts and follow edge, the one I see should be the correct one.. yup! | ||||||
| 19. | And again, as spectator, I saw most had this as next-to-last control. No map needed, just run! | ||||||
| 20. | And I definitely knew where this last control was. Got a record, yay! Shared, but I'll take what I can. | ||||||
| F. | Go control! GO! run like the wind down the chute! but couldn't match the speed of the elite here, many more seconds than the record. Disappointing finish, I really should be lower than 20 minutes... |
Total Time Lost - 00:08:35