The interval between races 2 and 3 was all too short; just time for lunch, a quick shower, and a couple of hours to put the feet up. In no time we were back in the car and on our way.  My legs were asking questions along the lines of “why?”

We were back at AIS, but this time heading south into the Canberra Nature Reserve – a pocket of native bushland squeezed between two roads, and criss crossed by a series of mountain bike tracks which wound their way tortuously.  Now in most sprints I will run as much as I can, with the odd walk break to grab my breath. But in bushland, I’ll only run on smooth tracks, and then only if they are flat or downhill.  This generally leaves a substantial portion of the course where I am walking, and in a sprint, that puts me well off the pace.  So I went in with no expectations whatsoever, and it’s safe to say, those expectations were met.

I was hoping that the course would be mostly track running, but our first control required heading cross country up a well vegetated gully.  Everything is very dry and crackly and scratchy, and there are lots of things to trip you up.  We were all wearing our regular sprint gear ie shorts and singlets. I had trail shoes on which did give me a bit more grip.

I jumped onto the little bike tracks as much as I could, but riders clearly hate going in straight lines, and I was adding distance and time. I still felt this tactic was a better option than going cross country.  We did a loop to the east, came through the middle, then a longer loop to the west.  By that stage I was pretty much over it – the navigation was simple, and the rough, meandering tracks were tedious.  I was watching time tick away, and my right ankle was getting very sore.  When I finally emerged onto the broad smooth track to the finish, I could barely run any more, and even walking was becoming painful.

I wandered back to the car park in desultory fashion, and punched in at 49 minutes – much too long for a sprint. Luckily we get to drop our worst race so this one won’t count.  Pete beat me by 15 minutes and is way out in front in the Dishwashing Challenge.  With no chance to make that sort of time up in the last two races, I just need to make sure I finish them both and drop this one.  A mispunch will be my undoing!

Breaking news – the official results show me one place ahead of Pete, thanks to both of us dropping Race 3.  No dishes for me!