Owls Count

Such a contrast from last week. While it was cold, the sun was out and it was a good day to be out running. The pre-race information suggested that a lot of hill running was forthcoming and so it proved - 390m in 7.3km.

I started running well, but was a little hesitant for the first few controls. On the way to 4 I confused myself with the paths and fence, losing a couple of minutes going in the wrong direction. For the next few controls I was accurate, but slow - the mistake had unsettled me and I was not going as fast as I should have been going. The middle part of the race I got moving again and ran well. Through to 24 was good, with a couple of minor mistakes. I kept running well and a good pace. However, at that point I had run out of energy and struggled for the last few controls - no running left.

Overall I had a reasonable run. The course was a bit boring - too many controls meaning that there was little route choice.

For the past two weeks I have been involved in the organisation for the British Schools Orienteering Championships. Last week it was preparing the equipment for use and this week it was drying it all and returning it. Today, finally, the house is looking like a home again, instead of a drying room.

On Saturday I spent part of the day taking photos of the selection race. Sadly, the light levels at the finish were poor and so there are less photos than I intended and some of the posted ones are a bit blurry.

Sunday morning (6am!) I packed a car up in the rain. Apart from a thirty minute spell, at around 2pm while we were collecting controls, it rained all day. For much of that time I was outside, or sheltering just inside an army tent. Apparently Dorset had the worst weather on that day - though those travelling back to , or through, the midlands did get snow later on in the day.

I’ll be glad to get out in the dry this weekend - even if it is cold!

I was able to make another of the fine BAOC events today. This time it was into the New Forest - to Red Shoot, which I do not think I had run at before. I chose to run the A course - 8.1km.

I started fast, too fast - the good open area inviting fast running. From controls two seven I ran at a more sensible pace, but my splits after that tail off. I could not maintain the fast pace and got slower as I neared the end. From half way to the end I lost about four minutes. The forest was quite vague in places, but I seemed to be quite lucky and picked up the controls much more easily than some others.

This weekend is the British Schools Orienteering Championships. With my father being the lead organiser and mother being one of the planners I am currently rather busy finalising the arrangements.

On Sunday it was the Southern Orienteering Championships, at West Wood near Marlborough. I had not originally intended to go, which meant I ended up entering on the day. I was running in a new pair of O-shoes and went out on the 5.8km M21V course.

The first two controls, of ten, contributed about half the length of the course. I ran these quickly and fairly directly - the forest being reasonably good to run through. For the next few controls it seemed to be a case of running up and down the slopes on either side of the central valley. These went fine, except a small miss at three where I was taken off line by a misread of the vegetation. It was going to nine that I made a big mistake. I lost concentration, hit the wrong path, and overshot the control. I had nearly got to the final control before I realised the mistake and then had at least 500m run back to nine. I lost about seven minutes on this control.

A few photos of the prize-giving.

This past weekend was the Second Oxford City Race. Whereas last year we were in the town centre, this year we were in the north of Oxford and starting from the Parks again. I have plotted my route. The overall comment would be that it was a little less tricky than last year, but still a fantastic race.

I started quickly, but managing to keep my speed under control. At number four I overshot the turning by a bit and had to run round to get into the control. For the next pile of controls I was spot on. At 13 I was lucky that someone else punched it right in front of me - else I would have overshot the control. Going into the college before 16 I made a mistake, hit a dead end, came out of the college, before going back in. Running up the road, to 18, I managed to duck in an entrance early. I quickly realised, helped by the person on the gate saying ‘not in here’ and came back out. Coming out of 20 I did not notice the staircase for the quicker exit and ran back out the way I had gone in. From there it was a case of running as fast as possible into the finish.

All in all a good run, with only one to two minutes of mistakes. Roll on more races like this next year!