Training Log Archive: Nadim

Great Falls Park, MD. Starting from the parking lot across from the Old Angler's Inn, I ran up the Berma Rd. to the towpath, to the River Trail, back to the towpath at the north end of the River Trail, down the towpath to the bridge south of the Widewater, then up to the parking lot where I'd started. There was a slight detour on the towpath south of the tavern coming and going. This was the longest run that I'd done or tried since getting injured. It was a pleasant sunny 49 F. I ran in a t-shirt and shorts. I felt pretty good starting out, though even in the first mile, I felt some warning pangs from my left calf. It was a little more centrally located than previously. I backed off the pace to compensate and that seemed to work. I slowed gradually but felt a need to keep careful not to re-injure myself. When I originally injured myself it was while doing a similar towpath and river trail run much further south. When I hit the long stretch of towpath at the turning point for heading back (just under 3 miles), it was again not long before I felt my calf starting to hurt. I slowed, then slowed again. I felt a little silly running so slow but the idea of keeping myself moving seemed much better than walking most of 3 miles back. As I got back to the Tavern area and descended the slight grades at the successive locks, my calf started loosening up. I did run a little faster, and decided to take the towpath all the way down rather than the slightly shorter route on the Berma Rd.

Most of the rest of the run was pleasant after that. I saw something that looked like it might have been an otter in the canal--maybe a young one since it might not have been very long, but it was too thin to be a muskrat. Probably the most unpleasant thing was passing some walkers who were trying to keep from going stir crazy and taking pictures of the river gorge overlook. It just so happened that there were puddles on this part of the towpath and so the path was narrowed where 3 people had stopped. I ran by closer than I would have, but not so close. A trail etiquette oblivious and fearful woman in the group quickly said something to me about keeping my distance, not realizing she'd stopped where the towpath was narrowed. I felt she should have stayed inside. In contrast, almost everyone else was smiling and cheerful to be out. One place where I did see some fear involved 2 couples. 3 in the group had stopped being a bit worried about a Canadian Goose who'd stopped on the side of the towpath. I told the 4th in the group that the goose could sense fear and he played that up to his fearful friends.

After the run, I tried to stretch a little--I was tight. I went grocery shopping and was limping a little while before it eased up. It was odd seeing some aisles in the Potomac Giant almost completely bare--the cleaning supplies and toilet paper aisles. Some other products were not to be found--I got the last bunch of bananas.