Day 2 at the Older Dash, Brown X, 3.1 km.
I felt a little stiff this morning, but actually rather good considering that I had been orienteering yesterday, and so there was certainly no sufficient reason not to go out orienteering again, even though it was all but guaranteed that it would again be a rather rough forest. And so I did.
My orienteering skills must be a little rusty, or just permanently impaired, because I again left a little time out there by taking inferior routes. But my effort was good.
The forest did beat me up a bit. One header going down a steepish hill, the foot going forward snagged on something, the rest of me kept going. Fortunately I landed on a soft spot. Took a quick inventory as I got up and the back seemed none the worse. And I rolled my right ankle a few minutes before the end, not trivial but not real serious.
At that point most of what was left of the course was down a ski slope and into the finish. I managed to run much of that, helped along perhaps by finding myself in a rather good balance of pain -- that in my left butt calling for attention but getting drowned out by the right ankle calling for attention, and vice versa.
It is nice when your body is in good harmony.... :-)
Otherwise, another wonderful day socially. So glad I came. And Gail hiked up to the top of Gunstock yesterday, and much of the way up today, and seems no worse off fo the experience, so that is pretty cool.
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I was sitting at one of the tables chatting with Steve Tarry, and John Rogers showed up, having just finished his course. John orienteered a bunch in the late 70s and early 80s, and for much of the time he was known to run a lot faster than he could think. But sometimes he got it together.
And as I was sitting there I thought -- Steve's here, and John, and Gail, and also Sharon, and, well, we just have to get a photo. Because a long time ago, in 1982 in the sand hills of Manitoba at the second edition of the Björn Kjellström Cup, those four won the Cup for the USA.
Canada had won the first edition, and then after 1982 Canada won the next gazillion editions in a row, so for a long time Steve and John and Gail and Sharon were our only moment of glory. We've won a few times recently, but it will take quite a few more years to make up the deficit.