Catch Up

23rd January 2011

Classic Devon OC event.  Brown 7.6km 360m, well that's what it said, but a mix up with scales produced a 50% error which meant it was 11.4km 360m. It felt a long time, but I was glad I didn't take my watch as I think I would have packed it in thinking I was the worse orienteer ever rather than just a slow orienteer which I can accept!!  Anyway a time of 1:56:14 wasn't to bad for what should have been a M35L course and after a busy couple of days.

 22nd January 2011
Another excellent night event from QO.  This was the second time on this format and it is a really good way of getting an hours event on to a relatively small area.  All you have to do is choose a colour to start on then figure out when to switch, once you change you can't go back.  Oh and make sure you get back in time!!  I managed 5.8km in 59:58 so a close shave.


21st January 2011
Out for a run on the moors see my Dartmoor tors blog

Endomondo Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: "was out running 7.20 km in 56m:02s using Endomondo."

First run back after some Southern Hemisphere warm weather training!! Well drinking and eating. Good to be back out on the moors, felt OK but lack a little endurance. Really looking forward to this year and getting back into the training and knock off the remaining Dartmoor Tors and Hilltops on my list.

Devon Orienteering Club - Smallhanger Waste 5th December 2010

A beautiful, bright winters day,and ideal running conditions for an Orienteering event.  I have run here at least once a year for the last 10 years so you know what your going to get, sets of controls in the complex area in the centre of the map and fast (not for me) runners controls to set those legs up.  Having said that I always enjoy running here.  It was nice to have controls on the features and not hidden which seems to becoming the norm, even if that does mean you can see some of them from a distance.  Now to my run, a clean if slow run apart from a slight wobble at 4 when I used the wrong attack point and dropped short and then a massive cock up to 16 when who knows what happened.  But I finished in 10 min K's so pretty happy. Still some what if's, but aren't there always!!  That was my last orienteering event of the year as I am off to NZ for some warm weather training, well OK a holiday!

Have a great christmas, hope to see you in the forest in 2011.

Devon and Cornwall Night League - Alder Lake 20th November 2010

First event of 2010/11 Devon and Cornwall Night League.  This was the first event at Alder Lake and it is ideally suited to night orienteering. Unfortuantly my head torch battery took the opportunity to pack up!!  So I had to go out with a small head torch and handheld bike light!!  Took a little while to get into the 1:5000 map, and apart from some time spent off the map and some stuck on a barbwire fence it was a pretty average run on my part,  still a really enjoyable event and a nice evening in the pub.

GPS Track

Virtuous Lady 14th November 2010

Devon Orienteering Club event, main task was to try and stay on your feet long enough to make some forward progress.  This event would not make my top hundred  of orienteering events.  There were limited places to get into the flow of the race, the map was average and not all the controls were in the correct place.  On the way over I nearly stopped to go for a run on the moors, wish I had!  

Quantock Orienteers After Dark - 13 November 2010

Great event tonight near Bridgewater. 60 min score event on a small area.  Two colour of controls Red and Blue, you can start on either colour, once you change colour you can't go back.  A little slow to start with as start triangle printed in the wrong place but once I got going it was really enjoyable.  Decided to make the change between the two 50 pointers which seemed to workout OK.  Missed a path with 10 mins to go so headed cross country pop out on the path who knows where 8 mins to go, decide to climb the hill hope to either hit the crag straight on or hit the earth wall and decide left or right!!  Someone was looking down on me and hit the crag dead on.  Headed back down the track for a nice easy run in with 3 minutes to spare.  Great event with a great concept I'll be back for more. 

quantock orienteers

Original Mountain Marathon 30th/31st October - Dartmoor

Day One

It was a pleasant change lying in bed at home thinking of those making there way to the start line.  But it was soon time to get up and make our way to Okehampton Camp for the start.  The weather was as forecast mild, cloud cover and breezy making for good conditions on Day One.  1009 start and off we went.  Having competed for many years on the Medium Score class we are usually pretty good at quickly sussing out the route for us, but for once this took a little longer.  We quickly ruled out going east as this would have committed us to a long slog west later in the day for little or no reward.  So south we headed on the army ring road picking up a 20 pointer before setting off west to Yes Tor, then a nice run down to Lints Tor.  From Lints we followed the valley south picking up two controls before turning west to Hare Tor.  Reaching Hare Tor with just over half of the six hours gone.  We turned north over Chat Tor, and headed off to Branscombe's Loaf.  We pushed on down the track past Gren Tor, pushing then to give us a bigger buffer at the end for any problems.  Quickly out to Branscombe Loaf, before turning south towards the finish over Great Nodden, Doe Tor and then the run into the finish at Willsworthy Camp.  5hrs 48min 55secs 31km 270 points and 80th/287.  Day One 

It's pretty exposed at Willsworthy and the Tussock capital of the moor, so it was a pitch and hope by the time we got in, we found a spot near Will Hancock (Lying 11th on Day 1).  It turned out that one of the tussocks was in fact a rock, at about 11pm we where going to move the tent but the wind had got up and the rain was really heavy so we chose to suck it and see........ mistake, an uncomfortable night was had not great preparation for a second day on the hill.

Day Two

After a pretty average night in a small tent, the rain stopped long enough for us to pack up and get to the start only 1 minute late.   Off we went back to Doe Tor,  then re-entrant near Great Links, through Kitty Tor to Steng-A-Tor, 1hr 30min gone feeling the burn now.  Rain coming in now, and wind shifted to the east so right in the face.  Along the top of the valley through Branscombe's Loaf, and then the run down to Sourton Tor.  Route choice here, stay south of Shelstone Tor and keep more height to stream junction to east of Homerton Hill or drop into valley early and cross by bridge.  Went for bridge option, glad after seeing this picture http://twitpic.com/32qjpl .  Swept up 3 10 pointers above finish, before heading out to East Mill.  Return via ring road to east to give ourselves option of one more control think we need 50mins, have 42, decide against it and make for the finish.  4hr39min07 21km 210points  129th/287. Day Two 

Overall 104th/287

Great results from some great friends:

Elite Class
Shane Ohly and partner                      5th 

Short Score

Will and Rich Kromhout                      1st

Arthur Boyt and Mark Sedge                11th

Medium Score

Will Hannock and Rob Hicks                3rd

Chris Moncaster and James Turner        30th

Nigel Worsey and Partner                    78th

Rob Sneyd and Sarah Middleton            249th

Long Score

Ian Bowles and Richard Sansbury          32nd

Oliver and Carmel Marner                    77th (Carmel First MM)

Hamish Wilson and Su Porter               122nd

Steven Monk and Hannah Wilson-Rudd 137th

C Class

Matt Mitcheson and Brian Cota             127th