Devon Orienteering Club - Night Orienteering 10th November 2012
This was the first event of the 2012/13 Devon and Cornwall Night League, held on Whitchurch Common one of the more technically demanding areas to be used this year. So no real time to get your eye in, we were straight into it. It didn't start really well with a miss at #1, missed the path junction then scrambled around for a bit, before finding it just as I was about to relocate. Messed around at #2 trying to find attack point, many other path visible at night! Down to #3 found wall track crossing to NW but then couldn't locate depression in amongst bracken! Clean to #4, probably through luck more than judgement as ran on rough compass and counted paths. Knowing tree are marked on map as white circles would have helped at #5, but unable to see that under night O conditions. Now caught by Will Hancock, through #7 and #8 OK, then over the tor to #9 and into an area that had much more going on than on the map. #10, #11, #12, #13 and #14 all felt like more suitable night O control sites, still challenging but in less vague terrain. Slight miss on #14 by dropping between the tor and the quarry. All in all a pretty average performance. 3.9km 180m - 45min 11secs
Dartmoor Runners - 11th November 2012
Now for something completely different! A 15km fell race over Dartmoor from Scorhill, Gidleigh. Due to some hasty reading of the final details I managed to get to the start later than planned, this did mean that I was almost at the back of the pack with only Adam Forrest behind me. My game plan for the day was to run more direct lines as I can sometimes over navigate, and as I am running strongly, taking the direct route does seem to be paying off for me. I started strongly and was soon setting a good tempo, I got lucky to the first control hitting it straight on, but wasn't expecting it to be in the reentrant but on a gate on the fence line behind. (Note to self: Must make better note of the control descriptions!). Felt in good nick and was enjoying my running on a beautiful autumn day on the moors, blue skies and stunning views. Made up some good time to #3 by running the direct line from the river west of Watern Tor to Wild Tor, and enjoyed the fast decent down to the trod heading to #4. Managed to get into some knee high heather and gorse crossing the hillside below Buttern Hill, heavy going some 13km in. Enjoyed the run into the finish and was very happy with my time of 1:44:05.
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