Owls Count

My research group usually holds seminars and meetings on Wednesdays meaning that I cannot get out to the midweek BAOC events that often. However, we are still on a summer semi-break, so I was able to get out and run this week. Might have to see if I can get out more often - these events are generally good and are excellent value (this one was £1).

Congo Stream is a fairly small area (A4 map at 1:5,000), with few paths and surprisingly little bracken and other undergrowth for an area in the south at this time of year. The course was 5.2km, with back-to-back maps and loops round the area.

I made early mistakes, at controls 2 and 4 - where I had not navigated accurately enough and was looking for the controls a distance from where I should have been. Barny caught me up, which annoyed me quite a bit. I managed to lose him, when he spent a few minutes too far up a hill looking for number 6. However, another mistake a bit later meant he caught me again. By that time I was in a pack and the group fairly much stayed together for the whole of the second map.

My time was at least ten minutes more than I would have liked. Also my lack of recent running showed towards the end, where the last few controls were done at little more than walking pace - I had no energy left.