Owls Count

I have ended up with a backlog of orienteering events to post about. Since the Tamar Triple I have orienteered six times and I am only now finding time to mention the events. Of course, I will definitely be saying that this backlog has been caused by being busy working and training, and that it is not caused by watching too much sport on TV!

A couple of weeks ago I raced in an urban event around the centre of Winchester. I kept up a decent pace for the race and generally my route choice was good, though that is difficult to tell due to the inaccuracies of GPS in built up areas.

The worst mistake was at number nine, where I failed to register running over a bridge. Going to eighteen I knew I had to make a right turn near but turned too early and did a lap of the restaurant car park before continuing on my way – much to the amusement of the staff. At 23 I again repeated the trick of turning too early and at 24 I had to wait for the traffic to clear. Before and after nineteen I ran through the Great Hall and this confused several other competitors as it looked just like you were about to enter a church!

Overall I should have been about five minutes quicker. The main annoyance of the day was destroying my shorts on the railings near the fourteenth control.