I came, I saw, I wandered. I wondered. My goal had been to be able to successfully finish an H21 elite course. I knew I would never have the opportunity (or fortitude) to hone my physique to Olympian class, but the 1995 COCs were to be held in flat Alberta terrain.
This was my chance. I requested an early start for both days. With a 2 hour starting list and a 3.5 hour allowable time on course, this left me 5.5 hours.
My orienteering shoes were worn out so I bought new ones before the event. To break them in I walked around the house one evening and ran a brutal 1 km. Everything seemed OK. I decided to replace the insoles with Sorbethane insoles like those I had used in my previous orienteering shoes. Their shock absorption capability is really useful on 5-hour romps. They were a bit thicker than the original insoles but I felt it would still be OK.
Experience taught me that I needed good shock absorption to last a long time on the course. So I selected some Thor-Lo socks. They were a bit bulkier than I had worn with my old shoes, but I felt it would still be OK.
Time to drive across the country. We left on Saturday morning and arrived at Smokey Lake on Thursday evening, camping along the way.
I try to put my feet in the newish shoes with the big insoles and the bulky socks. Oh, oh. Everything was really tight.
Five minutes of use created considerable pain in both heel and toes. I gingerly attacked a few controls, coming in after 45 minutes. I was greeted by a large blister on the heel of each foot. I felt it would still be OK.
Despite the foot pain, things were going reasonably well. Some of the controls were put on very subtle features with few good attack points. This was a mental and physical workout.
As I proceeded, the foot pain aggravated. The heels settled into a dull pounding but the toes felt they were compressed in a vice with cut glass. It occurred to me that this may be what women feel like in high heeled shoes with pointy toes. If so, what a ridiculous fashion and cultural statement.
The peach drink, water stops, and Nutrigrain bar helped my stamina but I was physically fading. The excruciating pain does not help concentration either.
I gave up after 5 hours. It took 30 minutes of hobbling to get to the finish. After 5.5 hours on course I had acquired two raw heels and extremely bruised toes.
To maximize range I fully loaded my bottle. I placed two nutrigrain bars under my hat.
The course was long and tough, a real workout. At one point, I blindly ran into a barbed wire fence. The wire slid down my gaiters and, as a final insult, proceeded to leave a large gash in my new left shoe.
The bars and drink did seem to revitalise me when ingested. After 4 hours and 28 minutes I was able to run across the finish line. I was sore but successful.
I do not plan to run H21 again.