Orienteering race 1:08:00 [5] 5.9 km (11:32 / km)
shoes: Olway Tigers
I have generally been getting better with each race but this was certainly a blip. In a race I needed everything to go right it went very wrong.
So dad had warned me the first control would seem further than it appeared due to different scale. That didn't stop me stopping too early despite the fact I hadn't seen the wall and looking around. Saw a boulder and after a brief period of deciding it wasn't mapped before realising it had a control on it, then relocated and went to the correct hill. Fantastic start 3:30 lost!
Went on, started my race again, good safe route to 2 and 3. Re caught Florence of the way to 4 who must have passed me at 1. Didn't feel good running but tried to focus on the map.
Set of to 5, Florence went in earlier than I wanted to but decided to go too as we'd push eachother on. Big mistake. We hit windblow. I decided to do my own thing, another mistake really as thought after clambering through a small patch I knew exactly where I was and ran up what I thought was a strip of white, which it wasn't and hit more windblow. Admitted defeat and realised the only way back was to retrace my steps. Found a lovely niceish runnable way towards the control which everyone else probably took. Saw the control from far away but didn't think it was mine so didn't go to it as it didn't look like a re-entrant. Should have used compass. And there goes any chance of doing well in this race a further 3mins lost.
Then it took me to be strong, put it behind me and minimise the damage bu making no more mistakes. Very safe to 6, confidence wasn't quite there. Good compass and attackpoint to 7. The came a leg I'd almost pre planned. Think the route was ok but felt horrendous, something no usual as normally I run strongly.
Careful to 9 as appeared difficult. Too low to 10.
Was so slow up the hill to 11, head wasn't really there, found myself in a huge marsh, knew where I was but didn't know what to do about it. My head started spinning. I jogged on found my ill, walked to the re-entrant. Head still spinning.
I do not give up!!!! Feeling got worse, I concentrated so hard, went to all my attackpoints as just wanted to finish as quickly as possible. I lost the feeling in my arms it then came back as tingling, hands went the same. I was pretty scared. I almost had to stop at times to read the map. It is very funny as my times were still good when I felt so bad because I was concentrating so hard. But after 14 my body just gave up, I was barely jogging, embarrassed getting passed by people, no push in my arms as no feeling in them, couldn't get enough air in.
I punched the finish and literally fainted onto someone who happened to be Jane Halliday who was so good to me and took me to first aid.
So upset and annoyed.