Stigtomta training (10/04/2009)

Very nice forest, but not the best course. I would have liked to have more controls in the technical sections!

#1 - Considered a slightly straighter route, but decided to go around on the trail so that I could (a) have a proper warm-up, (b) read ahead on the map. Only problem was I was running and looking at #2 and #3, without following along where I was on the trail, so that caused a bit of worry, but I started looking around after that and it was fine.

#2 - I had previously decided to go around the green on the left, but from the hilltop I could see all the way across the green and it didn't look too bad, so I went straight. I could see the control from 100 meters away, but still made sure to check features around it before heading over to it.

#3 - Control itself was fine, but I hurt my foot slightly, so slowed down afterward.

#4 - Fine. Was surprised the cliff facing northwest before the control was not bigger, but otherwise it was good.

#5 - Thought of going around on the trail, but decided it was too far out of the way and straight didn't look so bad. But I was so intent on first climbing down the hill and not hurting my foot, and then climbing up the hill through the cut-down branches that I wound up too far right of the line. Then I used really bad judgment when I got to the reentrant between two hilltops, stopped to try and figure out where it was on the map, didn't find it, and decided to go forward anyway. Realized it after this hilltop and corrected, but it was a bad mistake to make in this area because it was steep, rocky, and junky forest.

#6 - Still not sure if I chose the best route, but I executed most of it well. Up until the last part of actually finding the control. I knew I was in the right area, but was having some trouble matching up the features to reality. Stood there until I figured it out.

#7 - Not great with the bearing, which I realized when I saw the earthbanks, but then I corrected and the control was easy.

#8-9 - Easy

#10 - This was the first hill that I did not have the energy to run up, but I kept a good bearing and spiked the control.

#11 - Had a good idea of what this control would look like. Spike.

#12 - Easy.