Night Orienteering with Quantock Orienteers

Waiting for the sun to go down at the start.

Usual format for the Quantock night events, 1 hour score with two colours of controls.  Start on the colour of your choice, change when you want, but you cant go back.  So off I went picking up 5 blue controls without to many problems.  Came off the track junction, but couldn't get the wooded area to fit so eventually gave up and headed off to 112.  Out of 112 stayed to high and had to drop down the wall to 115, 29.15 gone so decided to head for home.  Thought about switching at 114 but left it and picked up 118 before switching.  Picked up all the reds on the way home but realised after 113 that I was going to be early back without anywhere to go.  So 5.9km in 50.23 on a stunning evening in the Quantocks.

Orienteering at Hound Tor - 10th February

Currently I am planning the Kerno Gallopen at Cookworthy for the 24th February and so last Friday after I finished off the last of my to do list and tagged the last control, I set off to run my Brown course.  Obviously I can't say too much, but what I can say is that it's hard going out there.  So come Sundays orienteering race at Hound Tor, Dartmoor I was wondering how my legs where going to hold up over the 7.9km 380m in soft conditions.  Off I went, quickly messing up the first control, confused about the earthbank that didn't appear on the map (later found lying under the control circle), and the control description of reentrant/boulder cluster, neither of which appeared on the map.  Finally relocated the crag off the ruined building.  Took a deep breath and off to #2, no issues.  #3 and #4 no real issues apart from a nasty climb down to the latter.  Path run to #5 with the benefit of having Rob Parkinson behind to close the gates.  A little high to #6, felt like more there than on the map.  Up and over to #7, legs feeling the pain on the climbs!  Dropped down to the road to avoid bashing back through the gorse, clean to #8 + 9.  Bashed through the gorse from #9 drifting west and was happy to see the gorse didn't cover the ground as mapped, waist high gorse at the control site not pleasant!  Then the disaster, misread the map to start with and thought the control was closer to the top of the tor, then realised and lost height, failed to make map fit at any point, again much more rock on the ground than mapped, eventually gave up looking for #11 and started on #12.  Just about to call it a day when stumbled on #12, so back up to #11, kept checking behind to ensure I had no problems on the way back.  Clean from there apart from slight miss to #21, ended up at the finish instead!  Not the greatest performance but a nice run on the moors never the less. 

Night and Day- 2nd + 3rd February

First up a Saturday evening at Duchy College for the last race of this seasons Devon and Cornwall Night League.  Not difficult nav around the college but it's always a lung buster, soft under foot and everyone going flat out, any small miss would be punished.  Made sure I was in control when we returned to campus for controls #17 and 18. Pretty happy with 30.27 for 4.0km 115m, and glad to finish the season 2nd overall.  Congratulations to Will Hancock who won the Green Course.

Quantock Orienteers - Wind Down

Sunday I managed to slope off for a run with Quantock Orienteers at Wind Down just north of Taunton.  You always know that you are in for a physical treat when you go to a Quantock event as their forests are normally steep sided and slightly rough.  So I was looking forward to a challenge.  Hesitant to #1 firstly due to getting confused at the track junction, then the change of scale from the night before.  Long climb to #2 and legs feeling heavy from previous night.  Clean until #8, which I ran right past then up to wall corner SW of my control site, stupid mistake.  Clean after that but climb to #13 killed last bit of energy in my legs.  All in all happy with my run, 5.0km 285m - 71.44.  Thank you Quantock Orienteers.

Lanhydrock 20th January 2013

Crisp and cold morning for Cornwall Orienteering Clubs level C event at Lanhydrock.  The Brown course was 7.8km 235m, and the plan was to try and get around legs in tact after few weeks of calf issues and a sprained right ankle last week.  So gently into it and a slight miss at #1 where I caught my brother who was having a nightmare start to the Blue course.  Safe routes to #6 and #7 probably lost me a little time.  Up the hill to #12 ankle not feeling to good but seemed to be just on the up hill sections which was to be expected considering how I landed on it last week.  Happy with route choice to #16 but more bends in fence than mapped and control felt further from wall/fence junction than mapped.  Oh well!  Must have been 1m from #20 but no sign looped around lower and found it.  Clean to the finish and overall happy with 96.29 with legs intact.  

26th January 2013 - Cornwall Orienteering Club - Trelissick, Night Event

26th January 2013 - Quantock Orienteers - Culm Davy, Taunton Night Event

27th January 2013 - Devon Orienteering Club - Mutters Moor, Sidmouth

2nd February 2013 - Cornwall Orienteering Club - Duchy College, Stoke Climsland - Night Event

and dont forget the Southern Orienteering Champs at Penhale, Cornwall on the 14th April, the best orienteers on the best terrain in the south west.

Just testing.............

The idea was to get out and test my leg to see if I had recovered from a slight calf strain, so off I plodded to Broad Barrow from Dunstone Down Car Park, about a 7km round trip.  I took my walking poles, as I often do after an injury and got into a good comfortable tempo.

Broad Barrow

Broad Barrow

 At Broad Barrow I was feeling good and decided to carry on and make it a longer run.

Hookney Tor

Birch Tor

 After Hookney and Shapley Tors I trotted on over to Birch Tor, before heading back to Hamel Down and the car, 14.85km in 2hrs 4min double what I set out to do.  And the legs? Well they seem as good as they ever do!!

Upcoming Navigation Running Events

12th January 2013 - Devon Orienteering Club Night Event - Cann Woods, Plympton

13th January 2013 - Dartmoor Runners Half Marathon, Widecombe. (Although I am assured a shorter option will be available!)

20th January 2013 - Cornwall Orienteering Club - Lanhydrock, Bodmin

27th January 2013 - Devon Orienteering Club - Mutters Moor, Sidmouth

and dont forget the Southern Orienteering Champs at Penhale, Cornwall on the 14th April, the best orienteers on the best terrain in the south west.

Cornwall OC Night Event - 22nd December 2012

The forth round of the Devon and Cornwall Night League 2012/13, found us at Davidstow Aerodrome, nr Camelford on a foul and unpleasant night.  Planner for the night was Will Hancock and his duties with the Environment Agency meant a later start.  I opted for the full running waterproof approach, not stay dry, that was going to be impossible but to stay warm.   Motivation for the night was that to stand a chance of lifting the trophy I would need to be first Devon or Cornwall runner, and the added competition of running against former British Squad member Helen Winskill and current squad member Nick Barrable, how close could I get to the professionals?.  We started at the old control tower, I found #1 spot on, rough barring out but difficult to hold any sort of line in the wind pushed east.  At one point running through the puddles the splashes were being whipped up by the wind and smacking me in the face!!  Took overly safe line to #5, before aiming off to #6.    Running well so kept with the option of being safe with the nav, got confused with #9 didn't see the first set of bunkers on the map, but soon realised mistake.  Used #17 as my attack point to #13 which worked well clean through to the finish and pretty happy with my run, 5.3km 37min, Helen had finished before me in 34min so very happy with my run.  Just awaiting the full results now.  

Took to the car to warm up before getting back out there to collect controls.  Another great event on an interesting new area, in some challenging conditions.  Now looking forward to the challenges 2013 bring, Happy Christmas.

Mark 

 GPS Track - Endomondo

Upcoming Events

27th Dec 2012 - Devon Orienteering Club Christmas Event - Killerton, Exeter

12th January 2013 - Devon Orienteering Club Night Event - Cann Woods, Plympton

20th January 2013 - Cornwall Orienteering Club - Lanhydrock, Bodmin

and dont forget the Southern Orienteering Champs at Penhale on the 14th April, the best orienteers on the best terrain in the south west.

Dartmoor Runners - 16th December 90min Score

Yesterday was the final event of the 18th Dartmoor Runners Winter Series.  The format was a 90min score event starting from High Down, Lydford.  It was a prefect day for a run and although I was feeling below par I was really looking forward to running on one of my favourite areas of the moors.  We were given the map with controls on 2 minutes before the off, so only a little time to plan.  My thoughts were to get out to the 20 pointer to the north and then head south and see what controls I could sweep up.  As it happened I think on another day I could have cleared the course but on this occasion I was probably 10mins off the pace, and missed out on one control.  However I was happy with 6th/32.  Congratulations to all those that cleared the course especially Jamie Parkinson who cleared the course in 70min! After the run we headed over to Lydford Village Hall for Christmas lunch and prize giving.  Dartmoor Runners will return in the New Year with the Summer Series!   

Upcoming Events

22nd Dec 2012 - Cornwall Orienteering Club Night Event - Davidstow, Bodmin

27th Dec 2012 - Devon Orienteering Club Christmas Event - Killerton, Exeter

12th January 2013 - Devon Orienteering Club Night Event - Cann Woods, Plympton

20th January 2013 - Cornwall Orienteering Club - Lanhydrock, Bodmin

and dont forget the Southern Orienteering Champs at Penhale on the 14th April, the best orienteers on the best terrain in the south west.