I was probably a little too excited for this week’s orienteering meet. I was merely going to run around in the woods for a hour or two by myself. At the end, I would compare my time to a few other people. Not exactly a big deal. I really should not have been so nervous before the start.
But then again, this was my one shot for the year. I missed all the traditional (i.e. ‘real’) orienteering meets in May and June. This was the last one on the calendar. My only chance to compete at full speed. I really wanted to do well.
Unlike a sport like skiing or running, adrenaline is not an advantage in orienteering. You have to be calm and clear-headed. I can’t even count the number of times I have blasted out of the start, only to be lost within minutes. So this time I did my best to temper my excitement. I started slow and deliberate. I ran well for the first ten of the fifteen total controls on the Red course. But then, with one mistake, my race fell apart on control #11. My bearing was off by a mere 10 degrees or so as I navigated a funky mess of hills, depressions, and reentrants. I had to attack the control from four different locations before I finally found it. I lost about 12 minutes, and my hopes for a good result were dashed.
I finished 4th out of 5 finishers and 10 starters. It’s disappointing when one mistake ruins an otherwise decent performance. But that is the way orienteering works. In the larger scheme of things, I can’t really complain. After all, I was crashing around throught the woods again. That was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
ROUTE GADGET (race re-enactment)
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