SOG Local Event – Park Wood, Hailsham
It is a long drive to Hailsham from home, and after two very late nights from being involved in a school show, I wondered about staying in bed. I felt very tired by the time I got there, but decided I would practice my new and reasonably successful strategy, which has several “ingredients”:
- Try to maintain steady pace (as opposed to “run and stop”)
- thumb the map very closely, so as always to be in close contact
- keep the map orientated at all times
- try to choose routes that simplify navigation
- Do not give up if there is a problem – try harder!
Very obvious really, but it is surprising how often I come back realising that I have ignored one of those.
Park Wood was in outstanding condition. It is often very wet and muddy there, but weeks of drought meant that the surface was just right, with a cushioning carpet of leaves. The lack of brambles and general open nature made for perfect orienteering.
I went off well. I was 4th at the first control and 6th overall at the second. My big mistake was on the way to control 3: I allowed earth walls to lead me astray. Subconsciously I stayed with them, rather than following my bearing. I soon realised but was not entirely sure where I was. I decided to keep going and soon spotted control 12 from where I could run round easily to 3. This was a fairly slick recovery but I lost 4 minutes overall – enough to move me to 17th overall.
I clawed my way back to 13th, thanks mainly to nailing control 5 (I was 3rd on that leg) but then was slow finding 7, kept on pace thereafter until messing up 13 where I started quite well then drifted northwards until I allowed a vegetation boundary to lead me round the paths I could have followed anyway.
I finished 19th in an hour. Given how I was feeling, a fairly good result, but could have been so much better. I was faster than the eventual winner on several legs – so I have the skills and even some of the fitness – but it is about becoming consistent, with every leg being a good leg.
The new strategy works and I will keep to it. Apart from anything else it keeps me in a better state of mind, thinking about the whole course, not getting led astray or carried away by one or two legs.