Post JK: Slievenagore
The course provided us with lots of opportunity to test our hill running. I made a mess of an early control – spending far too long finding the third control, as can be seen by the mess that is my GPS route in this area. I was well down the results with too much time lost on the navigation and by running slowly.

The photo shows the Silent Valley Reservoir. The big hill on the north edge of the orienteering map is the one to the left in the photo.

Post JK: Meelmore
This proved to be a much better day. My route shows that I did not have any big mistakes. I was off track in the boulder area near number five and I strayed too far up the hill at seventeen. My running and navigation was both much better than on the previous day and I finished a lot higher in the results.

Irish Championships: Middle – Glendoo Ridge East
I woke up on the morning of this event feeling unwell. I went to the event and then up to the start. However, I decided that it would not be a good idea to run and just went out to look at the peat cuttings, as I wanted to see the map to ground relationship before going out on them on the relay day. This meant I did the last half of the course.

The same illness problem also stopped me from doing the Long event on the Sunday – I sat up at the finish watching everyone else.

Irish Championships: Relays – Glendoo Ridge West
I was running last leg on a relay team with my parents. Mum had gone out first and had had to retire. This caused dad to go out a good fifteen minutes in front of the other teams in the relay. He then got announced through the radio control very quickly. I used this as my sign to join the changeover area and start my warm up.

I started badly – losing time on the first control by dropping the electronic timing chip and having to find it in the heather. I then charged off towards the second control, but with no plan on how to find it and wasted a few minutes before sorting out the problem. I calmed myself down and ran well until I the seventh control, when I again lost time again.

The second half of the course went much better. My route shows the detour after fifteen, when I stopped at the car to drop off the extra top I had taken off due to it being warmer than expected.

I did start the sprint final, but realised at halfway that I should stop and jogged back to the finish from there. I choose not to even attempt the British Middle Championships the next day. Overall a disappointing weekend.

I spent some time out with a camera and took photos of the finish at the sprint qualifiers; the finish at the sprint finals; and the elite start at the middle.

(And this catches me up on race reports just before I leave for some more races.)

This year I have not put in as much training and knew that I would be running more slowly than last year. I started more slowly and slowed down a little. There was a noticeable, but not large, breeze on the return. I ran 22:33 – 31 seconds a kilometre slower than last year. I guess I have some training to do if I want to be running faster!

On Sunday I went to the South London Orienteers’ event at Longmoor. I decided not to run and instead went around taking photos. As the photos show, we have had some snow in the south of England!

PWT Qualifier – Scone Palace
I was only just recovered from being ill and I had not done any running since being being in the Lake District. This meant that I really struggled to get moving well, even after a prolonged warm up.

My navigation of the course was mainly good. At number two I drifted a bit off to one side and relocated off number three. Then going to four I made the stupid mistake of running straight past the control – I was too busy concentrating on the next part of the course and had gone a couple of hundred metres beyond before I realised what I had done.

The Maze
After finishing the course we were treated to another small competition. As can be seen on the above linked course map there is a maze. Around the Murray Maze there was a four control course. This was very good fun!

PWT Final – Perth
The course around Perth shows how effectively a small area can be used for a sprint event. With a road closure and a couple of marshalled road crossings we were treated to a high intensity competition, where it never seemed possible to be able to plan too far ahead.

I had a reasonable run, but there were lots of places where I should have been more decisive or could have picked a better route choice.

Overall
I had a good weekend and England won the JHI!

Photos from the weekend: JHI – PWT Scone – PWT Perth.

The first runner back helpfully warned all the waiting second leg runners that we would need to take care through some of the sections. Soon after my first leg runner appeared and I was off. The first few hundred metres was along the main path and so I started fairly quickly while getting the map open and orientated.

For the first five controls I ran fast and accurately. I was reading the map well and moving quickly. Then I set off on the long leg into the thicker section of forest in the north. I felt I had picked a good direction and attack point but failed to find the control. After wasting ten minutes trying to relocate I finally found the control.

For the last part of the course I was not running too well. I lost two minutes at control eight, when I misread the vegetation, and a further two minutes at control ten, when I overshot the control by a distance. My slow running for the last few controls probably cost another few minutes. Overall I am disappointed with my run. It took about 53 minutes instead of the 38 I reckon it should have taken.

In better news from the day is the photo in this post. My father, and team, won the M/W60 class.

Start photos: 1 – 2
Prizegiving photos: 1 – 2 – 3

I did not start too well. I allowed myself to be distracted by others and drifted way off. On noticing the forest road I realised my mistake and went into the first control – losing just over a minute. For control three I lost another minute by losing height off the ridge and hitting the wrong set of knolls – though this was kept to a small time loss as I quickly realised where I had gone.

I should have run a little more direct and strongly to six. Control seven was took double the amount of time that it should have to found – a two minute mistake. I got close to the control then went off to join a group of people looking about 50m away, before taking notice of the vegetation.

The next few controls were fine, but then I messed around on the long leg to thirteen. I should have run more directly and strongly, but instead took a longer route round. I lost a couple of minutes here between the longer route and running slowly. Going to sixteen I lost a minute running slowly. I then took the longer path route round to seventeen – this seems to have been a reasonable choice, since it gave a better attack point.

Overall I am satisfied with the run. I ran strongly for much of the course, aided by being around others of a similar pace, and only made small mistakes.

Photos: 1 – 2

My route

Photos: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6

My Route

I had a slightly slow first control, while I struggled to locate exactly where I was and where I was going. After that I kept a good pace through the first half of the course, with only a small wobble on one control in forest.

On the longer legs on either side of the spectator control I was a little slow. Then I had a couple of poor controls. At 14 I was distracted by a nearby control and I lost 12 seconds working out where the correct control was, though I did save some time by punching the control over the passable wall. I then lost another 12 seconds by picking a poor route to 15 – by the time I had noticed the better route I had already committed myself to a longer route.

From there on to the finish I kept in control of my direction and kept a good pace. I finished in 17:48 and, at best, could have been 35 seconds faster if I had had a perfect run.

Final

Photos: 1 – 2 – 3

My Route

For the afternoon the snow had cleared and we had moved into an area with more running on hard ground. This meant the flat shoes and shorts came out for the final. This ended up being a good choice – in only a couple of places would any extra grip have been helpful.

I started well, managing to avoid the mistakes that many made at 2 or 4. Going into 8 I lost a couple of seconds due to one of the parked cars, which was weird as it was clear where the tree was.

My time for the long leg, to 9, was good. I made a quick choice and stuck to it. It seems that I picked the same route as most others, but I am not sure it was the best choice.

At 16 I lost a few seconds by not running as directly as I could have done. I veered off the straight line route. Going into the spectator control I was slow and did not pick the best route. After this I maintained a good pace. I had a small problem at 23 – I misread the control descriptions and confused myself standing at the correct control but not thinking it was mine.

My time was 16:59 and I had less time loss than in the qualifier. I could have been three places higher with a perfect run, but am happy with my place and time.

Overall

Before this event I set myself the goal of reaching the C Final and wanted to run well in both races. I achieved the goal and did have two good runs. While I was only three places off qualifying for the B Final the gap was over a minute and I simply cannot, at the moment, run fast enough.

I managed two good runs by staying in control. I was close to losing track of where I was at times, but managed to keep it together and cut out the big mistakes that caused others problems and I had at the JK.

My Route

From waking up on Saturday morning I was never feeling too great and this was reflected in my run. While my navigation and route choice was ok, I never managed to get a decent pace going.

For the first couple of controls my navigation was off. I was not taking enough notice of the map and compass – meaning I was running a way off. Through the next section I kept up a reasonable pace and navigated well. I had a small wobble on the way to 6, but sorted this out when I found 10 on route.

After getting to the spectator control I should have retired – I was not running well. I finished in just over 71 minutes, but should have taken 50-55.

Photos

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6

My Run

I was running Mens Short this year. Due to child care arrangements I was going off in the mass start on first leg. I often struggle to get my pacing right in such situations and also struggle to get in contact with the map early on. My route.

This year I got into contact with the map quickly and worked out which direction I had to turn off after going through the gate. Through to control six I was with some others and running well. However, on the long leg across to seven I lost the pack and my way. Over the final half of the course I lost about five minutes – just having no real pace over the terrain.

Overall we were firmly mid-field. As a team we are fairly happy. It was a little disappointing to finish behind SARUM though!

Photos

1 – 2

My run

My run here can be summed up quite easily. I was not in the right frame of mind and did not push myself. I should have run a lot faster, but never really got going. My route shows that my navigation was reasonably fine.

I had two poor controls. At six I overshot the control and had to circle the area to find the control. I lost four minutes on a short leg. I then lost another couple of minutes on the next control taking a really indirect route.

Beyond this I was particularly slow to 1, 2, and 5. Overall I should have been at least fifteen minutes quicker.