JWOC Middle Trial (2012-03-03)

Very valuable learning experience. My race was going well early on, but then to the third control I knocked the sport ident unit off the control stand. I put it back on, only for it to full off again. I wasted maybe 20 seconds trying to put the thing back on but by this stage my focus had already been disrupted. I left control 3 with poor control and lacking the map contact which i had established earlier in the course. I then proceeded to make one of these worse mistakes I have done in a very long time, seeing another control in an earlier re-entrant thinking it was my control 5, then making a parallel error losing 2 and a half minutes. My race was over in my mind...and I proceeded to make numerous more mistakes and silly route choices. Whenever something goes wrong in my race I tend to dwell on it for far too long and it results in stupid mistakes. Leaving control 3 I should have realised my lack of focus and control (I could feel something was about to give) but I read the map less rather than more! Anyway a crucial learning curve and in most ways it was a lot better than doing a good race.