orienteering at steenbras dam

Steenbras dam is to me, the most beautiful area in the whole of Grabouw. The mountains and forests that surround the lake, and the small islands on the lake, give the area a isolated and peaceful feel. It's also my favourite area for orienteering, because there are so many features and details on the map, and the terrain is nice and open, good for running.

Yesterday was also a rainy day. It takes a bit of willpower to go running in the rain, but for me it's the best time to run. And the best running I've ever done, was in the rain. There's something about running in a forest, with rain and mud and river crossings and fresh air that makes me feel alive and free!

So an event at my favourite forest, with my favourite weather, I decided to go out and run as hard as I can, and give a more than the usual. To add to the fun, Richard Lange started 2 minutes behind me, and joked that he'd catch me by the first control, so I decided to make him work for it a little.

So what happened? I had the best race I've had all year! Richard only caught me at no 9, and I only made one big mistake going from no 16 to no 17, heading into the wrong green, it probably cost me about 5 minutes. Looking at the results, I was in second place before I made the mistake. But I started slowing down at this point anyway, due to fatigue, so I finished in fifth position in the end.

The finishing position is never that important to me, it's how "clean" my run was, and yesterday's run was a really good one. That said, I think with a bit more discipline in my training, I could perhaps move up a position or two... maybe something to aim for next year.