The Big O

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.

RESULTS

ROUTE GADGET (race re-enactment)

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