Blue Hills Traverse. Very much enjoyed the course, it was set to be a fast course, lots of trail running possible, not one of those courses where they are trying to keep you off the trails.
I'm sure a purist would say it wasn't interesting enough, wasn't challenging enough, too many legs where there were a couple of choices and they were both easy, no legs where all the choices were bad, too many easy controls.
So what, it was fun. And that trumps all that other stuff.
Legs felt OK, helps being cool, mid-40s. Tried to pace myself, run without stress, think I managed pretty well, felt not too bad right to the end. Though one other goal, run gently/smoothly in the woods, I was trying but still had 6 or 8 hard falls, every one miserable for my shoulders. And I really was trying.
I had a nice mix of solo running and company. Part of the solo running is because in these mass-start events I'm always willing to take a different route if I think it's better. So on 2-3 I went off the map, think it was the best route even though I screwed it up when I got back on the map, lost a minute or two.
Picked up Izzy and a guy I didn't know at 6, picked up JJ on the way to 7, picked up Katia and Mika and Clint on the way to 8. So quite a crowd through the spectator loop 10-13.
Did my own thing to 14, far right route, coming in on the route to 15 the last 700 meters to see who was ahead. Not the best route, maybe a minute slower but I enjoyed it. Also seemed to have lost a couple of companions in the process.
To 15, Izzy was ahead (and she seemed to be doing here own orienteering all the time, not just following, good for her), pulling away, also still with Katia, nice company! Did 16-17-18 very smoothly, then 19, the only bad control of the course, not that it was wrong, just not a good place to put a control, too much crap. Caught up to Ernst there, he'd been looking for 10 minutes, also Ben G, also a couple others I didn't know. Guessed right, found 19 without much delay, everyone else too at that point.
So off to the races, couldn't keep up with the others, just stubborn enough up and down the last hill to get in ahead of Katia.
And quite delighted with the day.
I'm sure someone will post the map (I'm at my mom's, no scanner). Which reminds me, it was 1:15, first 1/15 I've been on for a while and my gut feeling about distance was off several times.
Here is a copy of the map with Magnus's route.