Saturday, 23 February 2013

BUCS Orienteering

 23-24th February


Okay so this weekend started with the earliest morning :/ Meet at the DSU at 7pm…COMPLETE JOKE, I had still not caught up from my Birthday on Wednesday night so wasn’t feeling fresh at all! Luckily I managed to sleep on the minibus there (as did most of the other athletes in Durham University Orienteering Club - UDOC) so when we arrived, helped by the FREEZING WEATHER we were all a bit more awake! Not having seen a lot of people at the event meant there was A LOT of catching up, not something I have a problem with and soon it was time to get ready to run, wearing my Durham Vest with pride! Haa I had a pretty decent start time, being the second to last so I was quite comfortable, with Linnea Gustafsson 1 minute in front of me and Bex Harding a minute after.

I started well and was enjoying the course, with the open moor appealing to my orienteering style and so I was relaxed and happy. A few little fine-O mistakes didn’t trouble me too much and I was quickly at the finish, knowing I hadn’t done too badly by catching up a few other athletes starting in front of me J Near the finish, I’d run past Abi (a friend who I’d grown up with in the South West squad) who had injured her ankle and was hobbling back so I grabbed a coat and ran back out to her helping her through the last bit of the course. She was gutted not to have finished and worried about her ankle which I could understand, having had frequent injuries to both ankles. Luckily there was enough snow to mimic an ice pack and we’d got her to her car! Once everyone was back results clarified that me and peter and both come 2nd (WOOOOHOOOO!!), earning Durham University lots of BUCS points for the championships and maybe, just maybe, a little respect after being constantly slated by the Orienteering University ‘top dogs’ – Edinburgh and Sheffield (Sheffield especially, who are way too cocky to realise in a couple of years Durham will be annihilating them :P).

The evening, as predicated was hilarious with dinner and then drinks being consumed happily until we made it into PopTarts (a Sheffield nightclub). Here the party continued with the theme (Rubix Cube) getting into full flow! Although the night was decent, it made Sunday morning a struggle for the most of us having to face an early morning and then the relay :S Nonetheless, we all again braced the cold and soon found the relays underway. These were hilarious…I appeared to be after the first km in the lead with Charlotte Watson and Sophie Kirk (which I remember having a conversation on our course about how rough we were feeling and our safest bet would be to just follow Charlotte :P) A prime example of our GREAT NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS :P Anyway it worked out well with Charlotte and myself pulling a lead, a sprint finish at the end where I handed over to Aine in first (WOOP WOOP – only just though ;)).

The relays seemed to last forever while standing around in the cold but once the majority of teams had finished, prize giving was underway and over both days, DURHAM HAD FINISHED THIRD!!! SUCH A GOOD RESULT that UDOC was so happy with!! Everyone in the team pulled their weight and helped secure the place J The best way to celebrate…was of course with food so on the way home we stopped off at some services and I brought a Chicken Burger and crisps :D LOVING LIFE!

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