Orienteering race (Foot) 1:36:49 [4] **** 8.9 km (10:53 / km)
ahr:149 max:172 slept:7.0 (injured)
CNYO North American Championships-Long. I think taking some Advil in the morning helped keep my knee from aching too much. I was able to jog most of the way to the start. I enjoyed the running today though early on, I found that the small ups and downs and many wet sticks were wearing me out. In fact, I was tired and feeling sluggish through the first 11 controls. I made my first notable error at #3 by passing under it a bit and coming back. Going to #4, I lost my way but relocated at a trail crossing. Going to #6, I got passed by Andy Hall and a few other runners who were on RedY. I remember feeling heavy when I stepped on 3 different +3" diameter deadfall branches that broke under my weight--I thought it odd that with many others passing by, I was the one to step on and break these 3. When approaching #6, I was planning to cut across the marsh but when Andy and everyone else went around, I second guessed myself and went the way they did. Mark Cornish joined our crew on this leg too. Andy pulled up short on #7, then ran too low. The group split up with others finding the control and leaving. I think I found it before Andy since I'd seen him heading away a little before I found it. I took a poor route to #8, and on the next long leg to #11, I again decided against crossing the marsh. This cost me +2 minutes to others as I ran around on trails. I had ruled out crossing the marsh since the other marshy places I'd encountered on the course to that point were too slow to be useful. I caught up to Mark Cornish again before #12 and we exchanged some leads. Whenever I ran on roads, even the dirt ones, my knee bothered me. Vadim joined the hunt at around #15 and Mark dropped back with a different route choice than me as we were going to #16. I was moving slower and Vadim M. got ahead going to #17. He ran up the trail higher to pass #3 on the way there. I took a more direct line cutting in before him. It turned out that he missed and I spiked it. I finished ahead of him but well behind him in total time. At #17, I got to the control just before Tim Good who had missed and had found it coming from another direction. Bernie Breton joined in behind too. I pulled up short going to #18 and #19 but each time was able to correct and stay ahead of Bernie and Tim. My result today wasn't so great but I was glad to finish the weekend with a higher level of confidence in my knee and get some running training behind me. This was the first time that I had run consecutive days since the Letchworth A-meet last spring. I'm now better positioned for the Highlander "Light" (or Lowlander) next week though I did get a blood blister on my right big toe.