SOG Local Event – Goodwood Country Park
It was a perfect day for the first club event of the autumn “season”. I drove down to Goodwood through a calm, slightly misty but sunny morning, enjoying the autumn colours beginning to show on the trees and in the land. There were lots of people there, including quite a few newcomers, but I was soon sorted out and going.
The forest was good. There was almost no undergrowth, and there is a great deal of variety from tall beech to mixed saplings. There are lots of paths and some significant slopes on the chalk downs. The good weather made the forest look great, with dappled sunlight cutting through the trees.
I liked the course too. There was a mixture of long and short legs, some with very simple navigation and others that were more tricky. I went off well, struggled a little about a third of the way through, but was determined to keep moving as fast as possible. I seemed to get a second wind and felt very good for the second half of the course. I really enjoyed myself and I do not think there was a moment where I was standing still or moving slowly, though I did walk briskly up some of the hills!
I was delighted with my result, which is definitely a “PB” for a green course. I finished 17th, higher than ever before, taking around 48 minutes, well within my “target” for doing greens consistently in under an hour I averaged about 12 minutes per km – again my fastest ever for green. Even while out on the course, I realised I was “with the pack” as I regularly caught up with and was caught by other runners. It felt fantastic – like I was a real orienteer! I want to feel that again and will continue the training and determination to try to get better still. One definite pay-off from the training over the summer was the absence of pain. My legs are still very “tight” despite lots of stretching, but although I was very tired by the time I finished, I have had no more than minor “niggles” since.
A good location, a good course, wonderful weather and a good result. Who could ask for more?