Tas Sprint Champs

Saturday, 8 June 2013

When I woke up this morning I was reigning Tasmanian Sprint Orienteering Champion (Open Women's Division)*. In fact I had been reigning since 2010 when I was reasonably fit and managed to hold off some hot competition in a tight race near St Virgils College.  In 2011 and 2012 I held on to my title as the competition wasn't quite as strong - which was fortunate for me as I wasn't really doing much training - nethertheless as Clare's dad would say, you can only beat those who show up.

Anyway - I'd been really looking forward to today's race - not only was I up against a new up-and-coming junior (Anna D) who had been consistently beating me for speed at the Saturday Afternoon Series, I was also up against my old buddy Clare, who I've been racing on-and-off since we were juniors and who is also a fair bit faster than me.  The start draw was unfortunately not in my favour, first me, then one minute behind was Anna, then one minute behind was Clare.  Realistically Clare could easily beat me by 2 minutes in a 2.6 k course so I expected the most likely outcome was that her and Anna would catch me somewhere near the finish.

Consequently my race plan was to go as fast as I could out of the start to try to postpone the inevitable.  I knew if the chasers could catch up enough to see me run into the control sites, it would all be over as I'd never get away.

So keeping to the plan I raced down the beach towards the first control, ducking into the dunes to punch it as fast as I could then I contined along the beach to the rocks at the end for the 2nd control. Leaving the 3rd control I crossed paths with Anna who was heading into the control area but I recon I was still a minute ahead of her at that point. That gave me the motivation to keep pushing hard and navigating as cleanly as possible through some tricky tracks and open areas around the dunes. By the long leg halfway through the course I had caught a couple of other juniors who had started a few minutes in front of me. From there it was a matter of navigating cleanly through the 6 or so controls amongst the granite rocks on the way back to the finish.  I didn't get a chance to look behind me but I was pretty happy to be still by myself (no Clare or Anna breathing down my neck, or leaving me behind), so after punching the last control I pushed on though to the finish - pretty darn happy with my run. When I stopped running I had an overwhelming urge to spew so I sat down which gave me the opportunity to see when Clare and Anna crossed the line. Amazingly, Anna came in 2 minutes after me, and Clare was a minute or two after that.  Woohoo! I know I wouldn't have beaten either of them due to my speed so they had obviously had some navigational errors along the way.  

After I'd recovered I went over to the finish tent to download my race information and get my official time. Whereupon I was shocked and horrified to discover I'd mispunched control number 1 (i.e. so what I assumed was my first control was not my first control at all). Aaggrh! I checked all the other control numbers religiously, but not the first one! I was in too much of a hurry!   Thus I was disqualified, Anna won, and Clare was second.   Bugger!!  I rarely mis-punch as I almost always check the control number matches the one on my control description sheet - I'm so cross with myself for getting it wrong today.  Of course it's not right to say if I had checked I would have won, because if I had checked the number of the control I was about to punch I would have realised it was wrong and I still would've needed to find the correct one - there's no knowing whether that would have taken me 30 seconds or 2 minutes, and even thirty seconds would have had Anna right onto me. Talking to Anna and Clare after the race they both said they had trouble with that control and lost a bit of time (but of course ultimately punched it).  Clare also lost at least 90 seconds on a dodgy route choice on the long leg - the sort where she'd normally gain at least a minute, she instead lost a minute and a half - which explains why I didn't see her near the end.

While we were playing at the beach after the event I went to have a look at the two controls: 

 

They were pretty close - had I read my clue description I would have known instantly that the control I punched next to a sand-cliff obviously wasn't the high-point I was looking for.  Dang. I'm sure there are some common expressions to describe what I have learnt by today's experience though.. For example - 'More Speed Less Haste'.. and perhaps  'Fools Rush In'..  and of course the less common but still useful.. 'Check Your Control Descriptions You Dork.

*Sprint Orienteering is where the distances are relatively short - my race today was 2.6k. They are often held in semi urban areas.

2013summary
K.I. Day 3 Saturday, 28 December 2013
K.I. Day 2 Friday, 27 December 2013
K.I. Friday, 27 December 2013
Belair National Park Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Special Talents Monday, 23 December 2013
The K2K Sunday, 22 December 2013
Takeaway Sunday, 22 December 2013
Morning Paddle Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Before and After #28 Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Milestones Sunday, 15 December 2013
Run-Sheet Sunday, 15 December 2013
Gingerbread Houses Sunday, 15 December 2013
It must be December.. Sunday, 1 December 2013
Not at all the plan..not even a bit Sunday, 24 November 2013
in other news.. Thursday, 21 November 2013
Winners are grinners! Saturday, 16 November 2013
Before & after #28 Friday, 15 November 2013
Triple Tops Mark IV Sunday, 10 November 2013
Lake Rosebery Paddle Sunday, 10 November 2013
Tullah Challenge Saturday, 9 November 2013
Assumptions Friday, 8 November 2013
Halloween Orienteering Sunday, 27 October 2013
Chocolate Saturday, 26 October 2013
Fine and Windy, with a chance of Sulkiness Saturday, 26 October 2013
Archives.. Friday, 25 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge - Part 3 Friday, 25 October 2013
In safe hands Friday, 25 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge - Part 2 Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge Part I Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Dogs and Babies Saturday, 19 October 2013
Mt Amos Sculpture Trail Friday, 11 October 2013
Contrasts Thursday, 10 October 2013
Walking Machines Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Fishing Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Mt Graham Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Restraint Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Overnight Hike Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #4 Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #3 Monday, 7 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #2 Monday, 7 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys - Part I Sunday, 6 October 2013
McComb Swimming Carnival Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Fishy Update #3 Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Lift Lounging Wednesday, 2 October 2013
not so much riding Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Sensational Sydney Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Fishy Update #2 Tuesday, 17 September 2013
It's Back! Saturday, 7 September 2013
one of these things.. Saturday, 7 September 2013
Piñata Update Saturday, 31 August 2013
Fishy Update #1 Saturday, 31 August 2013
Home-Made Friday, 30 August 2013
We should have gotten meerkats Friday, 30 August 2013
Rainbows and Puppydogs Monday, 26 August 2013
Redbanks Sunday, 25 August 2013
Soccer Season Saturday, 24 August 2013
Bookweek.. Friday, 23 August 2013
Jon in the Winter Challenge Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Well this is quaint.. Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Winter Challenge 2013 Sunday, 18 August 2013
Preparation. Saturday, 17 August 2013
Proclamation Day Saturday, 17 August 2013
Inevitabilities Sunday, 11 August 2013
Saturday Afternoons Saturday, 10 August 2013
Sunrises Saturday, 10 August 2013
Re-surfacing.. Saturday, 10 August 2013
look! Saturday, 10 August 2013
Magic Melbourne Thursday, 1 August 2013
Sunday Paddle Sunday, 21 July 2013
Saturday Paddle Saturday, 20 July 2013
The novelty is over Saturday, 20 July 2013
Happy Birthday Me! Sunday, 14 July 2013
and in other news.. Saturday, 13 July 2013
Egg Island Circumnavigation Saturday, 13 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIIIII - wrap up Tuesday, 9 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIIII Tuesday, 9 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIII Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part III Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part II Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part I Sunday, 7 July 2013
Nerves Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Frosty Toes Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Going Up Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Aurora Chasing Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Monster Cake Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Dark Mofo Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Mona Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Working in Miniature Sunday, 16 June 2013
Wheels.. Friday, 14 June 2013
Aurora Chasing Saturday, 8 June 2013
Tas Sprint Champs Saturday, 8 June 2013
Beautiful Bicheno Saturday, 8 June 2013
Saturdays Friday, 7 June 2013
Soccer Buddies Friday, 7 June 2013
Utensil Update III Friday, 7 June 2013
Doing the Hard Yards Friday, 7 June 2013
Small Change Sunday, 26 May 2013
Sunday Morning Paddle Sunday, 26 May 2013
Work Friday, 24 May 2013
Not great value Friday, 24 May 2013
Today was not a good day for Mr Fish.. Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Utensil Update II Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Utensil Update Friday, 17 May 2013
Having fun with the children.. Thursday, 16 May 2013
Mini Cupcakes Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Ye Olde Hobart Sunday, 12 May 2013
Dog People Sunday, 12 May 2013
Early Mornings Sunday, 12 May 2013
North West Bay Sunday, 5 May 2013
Tip Trip Sunday, 5 May 2013
Sculpture Trail Friday, 26 April 2013
New Bike Monday, 22 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 3 Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 2 Monday, 15 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 1 Monday, 15 April 2013
Disco Zali Sunday, 14 April 2013
Spirit of Tasmania Saturday, 6 April 2013
Last Day.. Saturday, 6 April 2013
Mt Buller Summit Friday, 5 April 2013
What we're not doing this winter.. Friday, 5 April 2013
Jon's Ride Friday, 5 April 2013
you win some, you lose some, and then you get sick.. Friday, 5 April 2013
You win some, you lose some Friday, 5 April 2013
Luna Park Friday, 5 April 2013
Metropolitan Meerkats Friday, 5 April 2013
Bendigo and surrounds Monday, 1 April 2013
Cape Huay and the Three Capes Project Monday, 25 March 2013
Tarn Shelf Walk Sunday, 24 March 2013
Canberra Sunday, 24 March 2013
Capital Punishment 50k Monday, 18 March 2013
The Best Bike Bag Ever Friday, 15 March 2013
Lovely Kids Saturday, 9 March 2013
Beach Shadows Saturday, 9 March 2013
The best leg Monday, 4 March 2013
Summer Survival Monday, 4 March 2013
Sunday Night Dinner Monday, 4 March 2013
Bruny Island Paddling Weekend Sunday, 24 February 2013
Cuteness Friday, 22 February 2013
For Dr Evil Thursday, 21 February 2013
Almost Perfect Thursday, 21 February 2013
Lucky lucky lucky Thursday, 21 February 2013
Complaints Thursday, 21 February 2013
My thoughts exactly! Thursday, 14 February 2013
Lunchtime Ride Thursday, 14 February 2013
Our new pet Sunday, 10 February 2013
Modern Family Sunday, 10 February 2013
Blue Dragon Part 2 Sunday, 10 February 2013
The Blue Dragon Part 1 Saturday, 9 February 2013
Wardrobe! Thursday, 31 January 2013
Mad Monday Monday, 28 January 2013
Jetty Beach, Bruny Island Sunday, 27 January 2013
Thursday night paddling group Sunday, 27 January 2013
News Flash Thursday, 24 January 2013
Sunday Paddle Sunday, 20 January 2013
I have perfect eyebrows. Thursday, 17 January 2013
Little Adventures Sunday, 13 January 2013
Maria Island Friday, 11 January 2013
Face painting Friday, 11 January 2013
before & after #27 Friday, 11 January 2013
bang for your buck Monday, 7 January 2013
Surfing at Maria Island Sunday, 6 January 2013
Slide of Doom Sunday, 6 January 2013
Picture Perfect Sunday, 6 January 2013