Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Turkey Run Ridge PWFP
 

QOC: Prince William Forest, at Turkey Run. I forced myself through a bit of a warm-up mostly doing loops around the group camping road. It helped but I did get a bit delayed afterward talking to people before I started to race.

QOC: Prince William Forest, at Turkey Run. I had some good hopes with the open woods and feeling physically better than most of the recent days. It all started right with spiking #1, a relatively easy control across a sizeable reentrant, and over the next ridge. I was a little willy-nilly leaving #1, angling toward the road wherever the running looked best. I thought a little about staying on the road longer but the green on the route going that way looked best to be avoided. I ran a good tempo pace and read my way across pretty well up to the end. I didn't commit or aim off so coming to the edge of the reentrant with the control, I went along it a short way before dropping. I expected to see the control and didn't. I went further down before pausing and coming back up for a 2 minute loss. "Well, ", I thought, "2 minutes isn't insurmountable. I'd just better plan attacks better." I went straightish toward #3, crossing a reentrant and going over a hill that didn't look worth going around. Hitting the creek, I knew instantly that the area hadn't been field checked on the other side. Okay, I figured the contours would be enough since I knew exactly where I was at a stream junction, and had only 200 more meters. I rounded what would have been a distinct vegetation boundary, and spiked #3.

Going straight toward #4, I hit the flat ground and had second thoughts. I decided to go around a hill and come up a reentrant. Instead, I somehow passed the reentrant and fumbled through some deadfall. I turned around when I hit a reentrant and didn't find the control where I thought it'd be. The reentrant wasn't aligning with where I thought I was, despite seeing a cliff in it like the one I thought I should be in. Correcting the error, I returned almost to the flat area, tried to go through the correct reentrant, was forced to climb, and eventually due to vegetation, I had to back-door the control. That was depressing.

Going to #5 was better. I went through the field which was the finish of Day 2 of the 2007 US Champs that I directed and was a vetter for--it was funny going through there since I hadn't been back in a long time. I used the road in the campground and spiked the relatively easy control. I took off straight without a good plan since there were some people sitting at #5, and I tried to figure out a plan as I ran. Seeing the shape of the green in front of me, I decided it being worth going around to the right. I crossed a couple of reentrants and campground areas, then ran along the main creek until I found a good crossing. Fortunately it was right at where the reentrant on the other side leading to #6 was. I climbed at a run most of the way and spiked it. It was starting to feel good spiking controls again and the last leg was not a simple one. I ran to #7 spiking it too. I had kept trying to stay high to avoid climb but deadfall there kept forcing me back down and giving me an S-curve route.

Going to #8, I went straight initially, planning to cross the paved road and leave the Burma Rd. from the creek crossing. I ended up keeping straight when I got to the Burma Rd. since I could see the creek crossing ahead. I crossed the creek and ran up a spur on the other side in what would otherwise be some vague terrain. Feeling on track, I got to a saddle and attacked. My attack must have been a hair short and off to the left. I kept going unsure of how far I'd gone and eventually got to where I could see the Blacktop Rd. I turned around from there, and went on the other side of a small patch of green, kept going a little more and found it--that was at least 2-3 more minutes lost. Going to #9, I ran left at first as the vegetation pushed me that way, then I corrected a bit. I hit the stream right at the knoll so I had only to climb the side of it to the control.

I was rather frustrated with myself on leg #10. I went straight, got through some thorny and light deadfall vegetation on a ridge. I was expecting a spur since the control circle was hiding a lot of the of the contour of the knoll the control was on. Having gotten to the end of the ridge, I returned the way I had come but a little lower on the north side. I still didn't see the control. I saw Victor Lin on the thorny ridge above doing what I had done. Eventually, still not having found the spur, I hit the road and relocated my position. I went back across the thorny ridge a 3rd time, saw the knoll on the map and in the field this time and punched. That was 10 minutes or so of lost time that I could have really done without.

The woods were more open the last 4 controls and I spiked all of them. I had also picked-up my pace. I went almost straight at #11. I went almost straight toward #12 but did adjust for the hills a little. After crossing the creek, I ran straight toward a wall of a ridge so I cut left, losing a slight amount of time--there was unmapped deadfall on this higher route that forced me back down toward the creek. I followed the right stream from the junction and walked in the last bit unsure if I'd gone far enough. After punching, I saw Tom Strat coming from higher in the reentrant--he'd made his only mistake on the course there. I again ran fairly straight toward #13. I crossed the reentrant near the end and went over the small ridge to save time. A younger guy had just left before I got there. Going to #14, I chased down the younger guy who seemed less sure of where he was going--we both chose to go around the first ridge by heading to the paved road. I passed the younger guy when he stopped just before the road. I ran across the flat and open woods, took the trail, climbed a reentrant, and dropped to the other side of the ridge onto the control. Some AR guy was just leaving before I got there. I chased him up the valley and up a steep reentrant. I gained ground but was just short of passing him to the finish.

I ran well today so I can take that back as a positive for the day that was otherwise disappointing. I probably should have slowed down to read the map more carefully at times. Unlike last week when I was calm and I spiked nearly everything, I felt like I needed to push on to make up for errors a lot today. As usual, that didn't help much and probably hurt me more.

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