Orienteering (Foot) 1:22:24 [4] 6.54 mi (12:36 / mi) +225m 11:23 / mi
QOC: Greenbelt Park, MD. After my long workout yesterday, I thought I would be hurting and pretty slow doing Blue today. I warmed-up during the race fairly quickly. It reached a high of 58 F (it didn't feel like it because of the wind), and I had my heavier long sleeve shirt on to protect me from thorns. I subsequently didn't feel so bad. I was just never very fast.
I enjoyed the run across the grass toward #1 and hit it right on. I went a bit left toward #1, then used the trail to attack from high. Going from low would have done me better. I pulled-up short and high, then fumbled my way through the unmapped deadfall to the control. As I closed in, Videlin Aleksiev came in from behind. He'd beaten me the last two QOC events (with some help from my errors) so I wanted to get going. I pushed to the next few controls. I hit # pretty well, attacking fromt he right but getting just past the control before seeing it. I used the trail going to #4 and spiked it. I went back to the trail to attack #5 from the north and spiked that too. From my GPS track, I can see that something, either the mapping, or the control locations of #5 and #6 was wrong. I subsequently missed #6 coming off a knoll and finding myself near the road. I corrected but lost time. I went straight at #7. I crossed a gully, then the stream and figured I'd still be able to aim off into the control. However, finding myself at a sewer, I adjusted cutting back a bit as I went up the hill. I didn't see it when I figured I'd gone far enough so I cut right more where there was another ditch. That wasn't it either. I cut back again but higher and as I got near, Videlin (Vido) popped-up and pointed at it downslope about 15 m away. I punched and ran at #8. It was just up the larger reentrant but old deadfall obscured sight lines. I projected a path of least resistance and saw it a bit further up than anticipated. Going for #9 which was somewhat back down the same reentrant but on the other side, I went left a bit for better running. I closed in on John Baker while doing this. He punched right before me with Vido coming in close behind. John went straight at #10, diagonlly downslope through some not so clear woods. I cut over horizontally to hit the trail and attack closer in from a bend in clearer woods. I got there first. Next, the three of us headed directly uphill with me leading. Hitting the trail, I went to the bend before attacking. When my estimate of distance ran out and I didn't see anything, I cut left, and John hunted behind me. I saw Videlin going up an empty ditch. He indicated it wasn't the right area. I had my look, then went back to where I'd been, behind Vido. I came in higher than I'd been, and further west before I saw how the new deadfall had obscured my view earlier. I got there first. From my GPS track, I should have been on top of the control on my first attack so something is probably wrong with the map here too. Vido was right behind me but I'm not sure if John found it near when I had. I headed off somewhat lower than straight since the running was better. In hind sight, going down to the trail is what I should have done. Instead, I went across, almost straight to attack the control from the campground loop. Vido was behind but within sight when I went into the greenbriar on the right side of the reentrant. I got to the control pretty well, still a little surprised it was as far down the hill as it was. After this (#12), I didn't see Vido or John again until after the race.
I took off from #12, hitting the lower trail--not sure that the new mapping of it made sense or whether it was accurate--my GPS track showed a bigger curve to it. Once past the intersection, I ran up the spur to #13. I got just a bit too high but easily close enough to see it. I ran right a bit on the way to #14; to get around some green. I adjusted at the bottom of the reentrant and climbed. Feeling I'd gone far enough, I stopped and checked the map before going on. It was visible within my next 5 steps, straight ahead. I went straight at #15 until the woods got trashy with new unmapped deadfall. I passed an adventure racer who'd pulled up short. I kept going expecting to see the buildings ahead but never really did. The deadfall obscured me and I seemed to find a lot of unmapped ditches. I cut left a bit and found it soon after, lower on the hill. The adventure racer apparantly got there just ahead of me. I took off fast, passing Keg Good who was going the other way, but also on Blue. I had to zig-zag some going down and as I crossed some ditches I became unsure of my location. At the bottom, I crossed a ditch, near where it crossed the Perimeter Trail so I instantly knew where I was again. I splashed across the creek, headed up the hill and cut over to the reentrant. The control was visible 40m away. Going to #17, I used the trail and climbed higher on it. The area was mapped green so I didn't go more directly until being much higher on the trail. I finally cut across when I thought that I was near a switchback but this was slow. I also wondered if I missed the trail doing this but soon I saw what looked like Mark Mace ahead and walking on the trail. Getting there myself, I found Gary Smith. I passed Gary and left the trail again. After crossing the road, I saw another adventure racer with a backpack coming up. I hit the control and decided that he took a favorable route toward #18, so I u-turned after #17 too. On my climb out after #17, I saw Gary again, attacking #18. I went up the road to the Perimeter Trail. In retrospect, I should have continued up a little, then cut in. It would have been shorter and once on the Perimeter Trail, I could see the road very nearby through some white woods. The adventure racer was still ahead but I closed-in--he'd paused a little, being unsure where he was on the trail. Since I'd come on the trail the whole way, I was sure exactly where I was. The new GPS mapping of the trail probably helped too. I attacked from a bend which happened to be where the old trail was, and I left the adventure racer behind. I followed the old trail to the control. Leaving #18, I ran swiftly down the nice white woods to the trail/road intersection. I crossed the creek on the road, then followed the creek. I angled over to #19 when the valley widened and spiked the control. Going from memory, I cut back from #19 in a dogleg--this was a slight error since going straight up would have been shorter. I corrected and ran across the unmapped rough open spur area with old deadfall on it. I passed 3 guys who were trying to figure out how to get through a wall of thorns--they follwed me as I ran on around it. I took trails to attack #20 from a bend. Getting near, I saw Mike Newman. I paused, attacked and spiked it with Mike behind me. I thought to get to the road for the next control but the trails to the left seemed better, given the state of the forest. I stuck to my plan but I could have improved it cutting across some forest along the way. Once over the road, a teen was contemplating where to cross the creek. We both settled on the same spot at about the same time. I almost hung my foot on a root as I jumped down--that would have caused a face plant into the shallow water but I recovered in time. The kid had been talking but I didn't realize he was talking to me. Once across, he saw me pickup the pace and then asked if we should race it in--I agreed. He started moving faster than me but I think he got hung up on some green or bad footing. I left him behind as we climbed. I read the code for #21 from my description holder--the paper had been folded so when I looked at the second to last control, the numbers didn't match--It took me a few seconds to realize that I WAS on the last control. I ran in after than--AP shows an error for me here and I'm not sure why.
This was a decent race for me. I didn't do so well in the unmapped green areas but came out ahead of the others I was near in these. I was more happy about not feeling too sore after the long Saturday run.