Lark and Learn . .

It's been a while since I described my first encounter with Larking with Brains on, known to many as Orienteering . .

Since then I've spent too many hours on the motorway and far too few hours running, but I have managed to take part in some more orienteering events, and slowly, I think I'm learning a few things about this new - to me that is - sport. In particular, I've learnt that I wish I'd discovered it years ago!

My second event was down by the big tv mast at Priddy, just north of Wells, where many of us fought our way through a hail storm, it was freezing cold and I discovered that when it's really windy my eyes water and I can't read the map. Which made a couple of my route selections rather exotic. Despite this, I found the controls, and made my way round the course, and loved the sense of achievement I felt as a consequence.

Next, I found an event at Houghton Wood in East Yorkshire whilst I visited family in York. There was much to learn here. I moved up from Orange to Light Green, and was horrified to be handed a list of control descriptions at the start that showed symbols, rather than the written descriptions I'd followed at my two previous events. I recognised a tree, and a bridge, but the remainder was going to be guesswork. And that hasn't changed in the 2 months that have passed since then.

Written control descriptions were suddenly replaced by symbols . . I wasn't expecting that!

Here I learnt that I needed gaiters because despite wearing leggings, my shins were ripped to shreds, and my trail shoe laces came undone 3 times during the event, despite my habit of threading them through themselves. So I needed to get some of those snappy, elasticated laces that never come undone. And, apparently, I needed to get pink ones!

snazzy new posh pink laces . .

Finally at Houghton Wood, I found out the hard way that when I realise a younger runner is way off beam and headed in completely the wrong direction, I don't have a duty of care to remain with them. This was the hardest lesson of all, because it just went against my better nature, but in future, kids, you're on your own! (And why you should look to me for help will always be a mystery!).

my very own dibber . . although I really must loosen that elastic . .

Since then I've invested in my own dibber (aka SI Card) and joined Bristol Orienteering Klub. And in the summer, Wednesday night is O night! I've taken taken part in the first 3 of BOK's 10 evening Urban and Park Sprint events. The first was at Rodway and Emersons Green. I felt at home in the first portion, as it was on the Pomphrey Hill parkrun course, which I'd been to 3 times earlier in the year, and I was running close to two friends. So it didn't seem like orienteering at first, it was just a run with my mates. But I soon realised that they were getting on with it, and they weren't talking to me, or waiting for me, and of course I was on my own.

As usual I made one or two unorthodox (with hindsight) route selections, but I found the controls in the correct order and once again, thoroughly enjoyed it, in particular my first experience of urban orienteering. But I realised that I needed to pay more attention to my choice of route, and the following week, at Nailsea, I think I succeeded in doing that, although inevitably there was one pesky control that evaded me for a while before I pounced on it.

Then last week, at the Westbury-on-Trym event, I learnt a particularly tough lesson. I found out what it feels like to finish, and to be told that I'd missed a control. It's an awful, gut-wrenching kick in the stomach feeling. I couldn't believe it! I'd had no idea that I'd missed one. There had been a couple of dodgy ones, but I'd found them after a little while, and although I remembered being confused at one particular point I really didn't appreciate that I'd completely missed a control. 5 evenings later and I'm still kicking myself and can't wait for the next event so that I can make amends. And I'm told that this won't be the last time I miss a control. That's probably correct, but we'll see!