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SINS is West Mercia’s two-yearly orienteering weekend, and this year it’s been blessed with perfect weather. I’m walking (as opposed to hobbling) again but I decided not to overdo it and “ran” course 12 at Brown Clee today, which was the shortest “expert” course available, at 3.2km. It was a good course, I made mistakes on a couple of the legs even though I was walking, and I got round in 80 minutes. I overshot #3, ending up at the lower pond, and after #8 I was dim enough to follow some tapes that I wasn’t supposed to follow…
The next couple of weeks will be taken up with various committee meetings. Checking the fixture list, unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be ready to run at Kingsford (June 4) but I’ll try and make my comeback (!) at Uffmoor Wood on the 14th.
My calf’s improving daily, so rather than cancel my entry for today’s badge event at Bentley I downgraded from Blue to Orange, and Steve Nightingale kindly lent me some walking poles. Unfortunately the Orange course didn’t go into Bentley Wood itself, but it did take me on a picturesque walk round the grounds of Merevale Hall. My pace was about 20 min/km and I came 11th out of 23. There was one tricky control, #4, getting to which coincided with a soaking hail shower.
At the top of the map you can see the remains of the POW camp.
Yesterday morning Catherine was sent home from school after being sick on the classroom floor; soon after she got home she fell down the stairs. Not a fun day for her, or for Marti, who was feeling under the weather herself. So it was kind of them, soon after I got home, to let me go for my Thursday evening run – at Mike Baggott’s event in Redditch. But the family stars must’ve been in misalignment. I hit my right calf on a thin rootstock just after the first control, and it was a bit sore but I thought I’d run it off as usual. Bad idea. Running uphill to #4 the calf went bang and my race was over. “Calf strain” doesn’t sound too serious but I can hardly walk and I’ll be out of action till June…
Oh, and when I stopped on the way home to buy myself a treat, I discovered that one of the two quids I’d got at the event in change was a fake. Never rains…
Time for a few ads…
1. Harlequins’ Thursday evening series is under way and carries on through August.
2. Droobers’ new park race series begins in Coventry tomorrow.
3. We’ve just had a bank holiday, I know, but the next one is very soon. That means Springtime in Shropshire!
4. Before then, on the 17th, there’s a Level Two event in Bentley Woods, and the entry deadline is this coming Sunday. Maybe the timing is bad, it coming the week after the big races in Nottingham and Thringstone, but I hope the number of entries pushes on well beyond the current 145. (Even assuming they do, I think some of the age classes ought to be combined at smaller regional events like this one: e.g. 18+20, 21+35, 40+45, 65++.)
Although I can’t find the map, I’ve found the results of the only event I’ve run there: it was the Midland Champs in February 1996. A good run by my standards: I got a “silver” time on M21S. This year’s event seems better value for money: the M40L was 8 km in 1996, while this year it’s 10km!
Excluding the string course, there were 637 competitors, and these were the course winners that day:
10 Megan Greenall OD, Nicholas Tinker MDOC
12 Emma Whitehead DVO, David Hodkinson NOC, Matthew Dickinson DVO
14 Julia Leventon WRE, Stephen Wright NOC
16 Hannah Wootton HOC, Alastair Footitt NOC
18 Claire Daniel HAVOC, Adam Harrison WAOC
20 Jo Abbott WRE, David Jenkins LSOC
21 Alice Bedwell BOK, Jamie Stevenson ESOC
35 Janet Evans NOC, Stephen Kimberley DVO
40 Jane Booker NOC, Barry Elkington OD
45 Judith Holt LEI, Roger Richards WCH
50 Sue Porter LEI, Rex Bleakman DVO
55 Judith Powell WRE, Brian Morris WRE
60 Marlene Palmer WCH, Peter Bayliss WRE
65 Barbara Bradley WCH, Frank Smith OD
70 Phillip Broadhead LEI
p.s. I love you too, Mark.
Since the WMOA website refuses to publish such information, here are this year’s West Midlands champions, elected last weekend on Cannock Chase:
M10 Alex Mitchell HOC
M12 Harrison McCartney OD
M14 Matthew Elkington OD
M16 William Gardner OD
M18 Matthew Halliday OD
M20 Adam Bushnell WCH
M21 Robert Little WCH
M35 Steve Parker HOC
M40 Jason Howell HOC
M45 David Nevell HOC
M50 Barry Elkington OD
M55 Bob Dredge WRE
M60 Mike Hampton OD
M65 Brian Morris WRE
M70 Colin Spears HOC
M75 Norman Hall WCH
M80 Frank Smith OD
W10 Ella-Rose McCartney OD
W12 Aimee Morse OD
W14 Julie Emmerson OD
W16 Emma Kettley OD
W18 Sophie Kirk OD
W20 no winner
W21 Jessica Halliday OD
W35 Sharron Richardson WRE
W40 Ianka Evans WCH
W45 Suzanne Humphries OD
W50 Carol Dredge WRE
W55 Hazel Waters WCH
W60 Sheila Carey OD
W65 Jean Rostron POTOC
W70 Hilary Simpson OD
W75 Marlene Palmer WCH
W80 Pamela Emberton WCH
Congratulations to one and all. It was a fine day and a fine event. I was there but did the Yellow with Catherine. (Note to users of AutoDownload – isn’t it possible to correct the name of the entrant when they’ve used someone else’s SI card?)
Time for a biggie. Orienteering must hold the world record for the sport with the most starts. This occurred to me way back in February of last year, at the Chasers’ event at Beaudesert, and I was reminded of it when the fact came up in conversation that it’s compulsory to run to the start kite after you’ve, er, started. I’ve been orienteering for 15 years without picking up on that rule, and I’ve never heard of anyone being disqualified for breaking it, but there you go.
Start 1: registration
Start 2: beginning of taped route away from assembly area
Start 3: big sign proclaiming “START”
Start 4: being allowed into the “start box”
Start 5: being allowed out of the “start box”
Start 6: punching the start
Start 7: getting your map
Start 8: the start kite
Some of the starts at Beaudesert
As well as being confusing, for a newcomer to the sport this profusion of starts must seem pretty ridiculous. Contrast that with informal events where there is often just one start. Okay, a big event needs more than that, but EIGHT?
A BOF leaflet (dated 1993) written by John Knight in 1983. (600 kb)
Some comments:
1. Before you start, study map and legend. I agree there are a few things it’s worth checking, e.g. special symbols; course overview; out of bounds; crossings and crossovers, but there’s hardly much time to “study” anything.
2. Don’t think of the competition as a race. But it is!
3. Never run at absolute top speed. Hmm. Too many times I’ve got to the finish with too much energy left over, which can’t be right.
4. Try not to stop. Like a lot of people, I find it hard to read the map while moving. And that’s not the end of the world. On the other hand, “try not to stop at the control” is good advice.
5. Don’t stand still if you’re lost and can’t work it out. I suggest it is a good idea to stop for a moment if you’re lost, and try to work out what’s happened.
6. Don’t run on “feel”.
7. Don’t rush off.
8. Don’t ever run without counting your paces. I’m afraid I hardly ever pace-count. It’s possible to be moderately successful without pace-counting, so though it’s an important skill I wouldn’t have it on my top tips for newcomers.
9. Don’t ever assume you are right and the map and compass are both wrong. I wonder how many newcomers know what a reentrant is?
10. Don’t forget to read contours. Fair enough.
11. Don’t kid yourself you can beat the superstars. How many superstars am I going to be competing against?
12. Don’t let them tell you fitness isn’t all that important. Fitness isn’t all that important.
2nd-4th: 0007 (Forest of Dean)
Tue 5th: Alveley
Wed 6th: Coventry
Sat 9th: Nottingham British sprint championships
Sun 10th: Thringstone British middle-distance championships
Tue 12th: Brown Moss
Thu 14th: Hartlebury
Sat 16th: Schools Championships, Cannock Chase
Sun 17th: Bentley Wood badge event
Mon 18th: Bentley Wood police championships
Tue 19th: Stanmore
Wed 20th: Warwick
Thu 21st: Habberley
Sat 23rd: Stapeley SinS day 1
Sun 24th: Brown Clee SinS day 2
Mon 25th: Corndon SinS day 3
Tue 26th: Haughmond and Market Bosworth
Wed 27th: Rugby
Got home at 5.30, checked the event details: “Registration closes 6.40; courses close 8.00.” Eventually left the house at 6. North Birmingham to Bromyard in 40 minutes would be tricky at the best of times, but in the rush hour? A couple of times I thought of turning back, but I really did want a run, especially as I hadn’t had a chance at the Brockhampton event back in October, and the mild, wet conditions were ideal.
After my fight with the Worcester southern bypass, I rolled into the car park at 7.15. Mike looked ambivalent, but 3 minutes later I was off. Could I get back by 8?
Start-1: Took me a few seconds to realise I had to run up the drive I’d just driven down. Belt towards the row of trees in front of the fence. It helps to be tall and wearing an old pair of joggers when negotiating a barbed wire fence… Came into the wood a bit to the east of the control but soon spotted it.
1-2-3: Refreshing downhill runs through bemused sheep and cows
3-4: As I was running along I got the idea 4 was on a spur and tried to decide between the quick, steep ascent from the west, or the run round to the east… When I got there I noticed it wasn’t a spur (!) and opted for the eastern approach with simple attack point. As it happens, when I got close I was distracted by John Bennison coming down from the other side and came off the path too soon. Never mind, I quickly hit the ditch and followed it to the control.
4-5: I usually favour the path routes, but it seemed to make sense to go direct here. Turned out the stream was in a ravine, half of which I rolled down, landing in the mud at the bottom. Then, after clambering up the other side to the path, I discovered about half a dozen hides, none of them with controls on! Could Mike have collected it in? But I tried a bit further east and there it was.
5-6: I opted to attack from above, and found it okay, but collecting the controls in later I decided I should’ve just contoured in from the path junction to the south.
6-7: Half the controls done, half my time gone. I decided on N – W – NE. Another full stream to cross, surrounded by a field of whiffy wild garlic. As at #1, on the way out I discovered the way most people had come in.
7-8: More cruelty. In the gloom, the mini-flag was just about visible from the path, but it was quite a palaver to get to it, the stream junction being blocked by fallen trees.
8-Finish: Ten minutes to go. The meat of the course polished off, the rest was straightforward. I was going to make it. I pushed myself to run to 11, but could only walk to 12. I punched the finish at 7.59.25. 
Knackered but strangely refreshed, the next minute I was off again to collect 4, 5 and 6, 10, 11 and 12. Then I could finally get out of my muddy clothes and sopping shoes and retire with Mike, Carol, the Houghtons and the BOK guys to the Live and Let Die, a fabulous pub hidden on Bringsty Common.
Hi to Sue, the landlady, and Bob, the retired ex-athlete who I got talking to at the bar.
Hednesford Hills 14/9/08, blue course: Bruce Bryant 1st 49:42, Adrian Bailey 41st 82:03
Warwick University 18/1/09, blue course: Bruce Bryant 3rd 43:00, Adrian Bailey 36th 62:48
Bruce Bryant** is a great orienteer and he’s won many races, so it was a nice surprise to find I’d edged him on the Green at Sandwell Valley.
But I did plan an event there in August, and I did help Andy White putting out controls* so I gave myself a chance!
It was a good day for my family and our friends. As well as my semi-triumph, we managed second and fourth on the White and second (maybe first) on the Orange. And we’re still waiting for the String results!
* In my defence, not in an area visited by my course.
** Sorry that I got my BB’s mixed up when I first published this blog entry. The night before I’d been following the Tiomila online and only got three hours’ sleep. I shouldn’t've tried writing anything in my post-race stupor!
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