Big 5 O - Day 2

I'm really chuffed to say that I had another really good day out - albeit dragging my feet a bit on the hills... But navigationally... no complaints. In fact, I'm having a hard time choosing sections of maps to show you because my lines were pretty straight and true and effective.

I will brag about my charges first...

A lot of improvement since yesterday. It seems that our evening activities are paying off.

Tseke and Mary doing Spot-the-Difference.

Ephraim and Tebatso working on their Spot-the-Difference games.

We've been focusing on map symbols and colours so that we know what the map is telling us. If you don't get these, it's like reading these lines but now knowing the alphabet and so the words mean nothing.

These were just provisional results but I think they still stand...

Tebatso is one of mine - he won the short medium course today.

Lesedi is one of mine too - he's moving up to short medium on Thursday. 'Mary' is our Mary. She really did well today - even beating Diketso. Although Tseke was disqualified for missing out two controls I'm totally please with him. All the controls that he punched were in the correct order and they were all for his course.

Juliet missed out the last few controls as she was out of time and had to get back to the start/finish. Aside from this he route was clean and tidy. Same with Mary.

Ephraim is running longer and more technical courses. Aside from a really bad one on Control 1, he got all of his other controls. But as he mis-punched #1 (another control from a different course), he was disqualified.

With Ephraim before the start. Yes, the sun came out today.

Diketso and Juliet before the start.

OK, back to my course...

(on this map my route to 1 is a bit wonky as I'm not sure when the tracker started to record. It would have included some or part of the start boxes etc... I haven't proportioned the track so it isn't lying in the right place. The track doesn't start at the triangle, where it is currently positioned and I didn't make those curves. Just sayin').

I've pushed the track colours to enhance the orange/red - areas when I'm going slower. Sometimes slogging uphill, walking through thick undergrowth and/or tree branches lying on the forest floor...

At Control 6... I was heading in the right direction through thick lantana. And then I found a gap in the vegetation but it pulled me a bit too much right. And then I saw a control on the men's course and knew I'd overshot (it was on some boulders - I was looking for a depression between humps of vegetation). So I had to turn back a bit to get my control.

The steep hill leaving Control 11 - OMG! Geezzz - that was n.a.s.t.y.!

I should have taken the track through the young forest (light green) to #12. Instead I stayed on the road and hung a left. Chatting to others who did take it, it seems like it was decent and going through the light green wasn't bad at all. I did see the track but then went for the easy running option.

The track is a bit wavy from 16 to 17... I was on the trail though and not wandering in the forests.

My only real error for the day was being 'dragged' from 19 to 20 too far left. I was initially heading in the right direction - according to my compass. As I came around the rise the hill I spotted another runner on my course. I'd seen her be a bit wonky on a control or two before this so I should have known better... I did see the root stocks, which I was looking for - except they were the wrong ones. I realised quick enough and scooted on to the road to get my positioning right and then headed back into the forest on the right line again and got the control.

Tomorrow is a rest day but there is a fun novelty metrogaine in the Kaapsehoop town, which we'll do. I think I'll hook our runners up into pairs, which will make it that bit more fun. And then we can play some more coaching games in the afternoon. I think tomorrow it may be time for COMPASS skills.