Tunevannet Rundt (21/09/2014)
Category: Competition
Map/area: Sarpsborgmarka
Organiser: Sarpsborg
Distance: 10.96 km
Time: 85:22
Average HR: 157
Maximum HR: 172
Test race in order to check if I can start in Blodslitet this year:

I knew that I had to be careful in the rain and slippery conditions with my bad foot, so I used an old heavy pair of studded shoes with lots of instep support, and as usual I had to be very careful going downhill and when running in heather and other undergrowth.

1) Pure running, the young guys left me behind immediately.

2) Decided to take the paths around to the left, as I started running alongside the field halfway a guy who had followed me took a shortcut over the field: All the grass had been cut and packed up in big plastic eggs so he told me it was OK. This probably saved us 20-30 seconds compared to following the edge of the field or the indistinct path.

3) Pretty horrible leg, I just had to fight my way through all the dense green stuff (planted spruce), then as I entered the white forest I could see that I was in the correct spot.

4) Heavy going, including a newly logged area up the hillside after crossing the road.

5) Slow going but perfect orienteering.

6) I didn't like the look of the green-striped logged area so I took the paths around.

7) Another very tough leg, without any real alternatives.

8) Approximate course plus contour orienteering.

9) Back in the area around #3, very easy from the distinct vegetation boundary.

10) OK except for a 10-sec wobble into the flag, there was an almost as large reentrant wast of the one on the map.

11) Reverse of 1-2, took more or less tha same route except this time I was told that the field was indeed out of bounds so I ran around the edge of it. It is possible that I could have retraced my old route choice all the way to the path junction 70 m S of the control and avoided all the small cliffs abd marches.

12) Decided to follow the trail I had used out of #1, but as I passed above that control I refolded my map and started to orienteer from 12 to 13. Everything fit more or less OK, but when I had passed the green valley without seeing any road and then hit the path instead I realized what I had done! Fortunately this didn't cost me any time at all. :-)

13) Pure running until leaving the road, then an obvious funnel leading directly to the control.

14) Even more running, this time including 7-8 contours of climb. I was quite happy that I managed to run all the way, even if I was too slow to overtake a couple of guys before me when they had to walk parts of the final hill.

In conclusion a pretty good experience even if I was beaten by 15 minutes: I orienteered well, didn't "hit the wall" and now, a couple of hours later, my left foot is just a bit sore but not too painful.
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Tunevannet Rundt (21/09/2014) Tunevannet Rundt (21/09/2014)