orienteering 2:23:53 [3] 8.83 mi (16:18 / mi) +1325ft 14:16 / mi
weight:134.5lbs shoes: pegasus #3
Billygoat at Baldwin Hill, presented very nicely by JJ. Other than the fact that it was on the warm side -- not hot, but definitely warm -- but I won't fault him for that. Very interesting and varied course, controls properly hung, lots of choices, couldn't ask for more.
Not a bad run. Navigation was good for the most part, despite really struggling to read the contours on the map. They were a little lighter brown than usual, but mainly my eyes are just getting a lot worse. Just a couple of small errors, recovered from both nicely, but always the sense that it would have been a lot easier were I able to access all the info on the map. (And I have a magnifier on my compass, use it some, but it disappeared somewhere in the first half of the course.)
Energy level ranged from OK at the start to tired before very long, to really tired after a while, to at the end barely able to keep moving forward unless it was gently downhill. Would have been very happy to have been done an hour earlier.
Company from Ernst on and off throughout the course, surprised to see him again at 12 as I thought he was gone for good. Also from Kseniya from 3 to 10, but then she ran away from me. Also from Balter for a little bit around 6-9, I assumed he had not skipped, but in fact he had. Also from Tim Parson and David Onkst from 12 on.
So struggling to keep up with Ernst and David and Tim from 12 in, managing for a long time, helped by a couple of better executions (at 17, and the route to 19) to catch back up, and failing finally only on the hill up to 21 where just keeping up a modest walk was all I could manage and they steadily pulled away. But I still took some satisfaction from making the effort.
But totally totally wasted by the finish.
Though it seemed the effort was good enough for 15th overall, 13th guy. Best in a long time. Makes a difference not having a dozen cadets in front of me.
Seemed like the course was harder than average, mainly because the terrain at Baldwin Hill demands precise navigation and offers few trails to speed one's passage. And the warm weather took its toll. But nice to see a bunch of runners making it in under 3:30. That is an accomplishment no matter what the year. And this year, even more so.