Trail run 15:21 [5] 3.2 km (4:48 / km) +65m 4:21 / km
Was pretty excited for this race, reports from the woods gave the impression of really fast running, very visible controls/features, with the frisbee golf poles acting as particularly nice beacons. I had pretty high expectations for myself, as sprint discipline races are ones at which I typically excel. I got pretty psyched up cheering our women into the finish and everything seemed good to go as I approached the start line. Flipped over the map and immediately got cruising... the first climb was a reminder that we had already had a few races under our belt, but I reminded myself that everyone was going to feeling just as tired on the climb. slowed a step or two as I came across to #2, as I could see another control farther on and I didn't want to make a mistake. no problem to 3, and I had already decided to go right around the building on 4 ( seemed a little shorter) felt like things were going just a tad slow as I cleared the little loop of 4-5-6 but happy with how in control I was being ( took a little fall coming back up to 6, costing a second or so). stayed high on 7 going high of the thicket and staying up on the earth bank, which I thought was good (but turns out to have been a little slower than some of the other approaches). Nailed 8 by contouring well, and up to 9. I was feeling tired here too, but nothing out of the ordinary for a sprint race. stayed in the woods quite a long while on the way to 10 the spectator control, and then came up well to 11-12 (trampled vegetation made 12 especially easy by the time I came through....benefit of being in the Red Group??) so far a technically clean race. I pushed out on the line and then decided the woods were too green so I headed out to the trail. As I came off the trail bend I got a little too far to the right, and saw a control from another course. I ran past it but didn't lose too much time apart from being way off on my line. 14 was no problem, and I stayed a little too high on 15. 16 was a huge mistake, I ran past a big distinct boulder, and needed to cross a trail and then come off a bend on the second trail. I had a lapse in concentration and when I got to the trail I thought it looked really big like the second trail I was supposed to get to. I changed my line to adjust for the fact that I thought I had gotten to the farther trail, and I attacked into the wood trying to find the clearing... I realized my mistake quickly, but then had to come back and find the flag. Michal Besta caught up there, and I tried to fight past him on the forest trail into the arena. I pushed as hard as I could, very glad to have a lot of people cheering as I rounded the track.
Even with a clean race I was not running fast enough to be a threat today. I wonder what was missing? maybe three previous days of racing (also the long was quite brutal). Some more speed work before Trondheim though, and I need to work on my concentration.