NAOC Middle distance (WRE)
Started well, best split to number 1, got into the map basically right away and felt confident. Left 1 a little too much to the left (less climb) and almost made a parallel error to 2, like several other people, but caught it pretty quickly and corrected. The next 3 controls went very well and on my way to number 3, I saw Pam James who started 2 minutes ahead of me. Caught her by number 4. It was a weird, but also proud moment for me, basically because Pam was my ideal when I was a junior, I always wanted to be as good as her. Fun to see her again. I took the left down the hill route to number 6, which I think was faster than going straight down the hill. Made a little mistake to 7 (20 seconds). I started to feel tired going to 8 (I was basically running as fast as I could the whole first round) and climbing up to 8 was tough. Messed up the spectator control in front of everyone, even though I was very concentrated on the leg, but I mixed up the bunches of trees and was too high. Made for a cool picture though:
http://bidwbb.smugmug.com/2010-Journal/07-July/201...
The rest of the course was physically tough, but not technically difficult any more. It meant that I just had to push myself and feel the pain for another 20 minutes. I did look behind myself on the long leg up the hill to see if Sam was coming, and when she wasn't within sight I took a few walking steps up that hill... :-)
I knew I had a good race coming into the last control and I was very motivated. The cheering made it a lot of fun to run as hard as I could into the finish. I was very satisfied with my race and happy in the finish. Louise was just faster and stronger today, but I was pleased with being 1st American.