Training Log Archive: Nadim

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd. to Montgomery Ave., then back via the Bethesda metro station, then back to the metro station again. I had gotten Max ready and to school, then I went off to work. It wasn't until I'd been most of the way to work on the train that I remembered I was on travel last week and had left my laptop. I had to go back and get it. My work and home life are so different that I compartmentalize my thoughts about them. I hardly think of work when I'm home but I do think of home when I'm at work... I was pretty tired from the long weekend. I had several detours for neighborhood street work in Bethesda. My knee was hurting while walking around too.

From the Bethesda Metro station to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd. via the Georgetown Branch Trail. It was dark and I was in my work clothes but it felt pretty nice outside. Some of the roads which have been under construction were paved with a final smooth layer of asphalt. The lower part of my right hamstring is very tight. The left one is unaffected. I suppose it's a leftover effect from The Stumble since I was starting to cramp in that same spot. I also guess that my left leg didn't feel the cramping or after effect of tightness because I've often been favoring my right leg since surgery.

Event: QOC: Rosaryville
 

QOC: Rosaryville State Park, MD. Runing Peggy's course, I did okay. My initial worry was being tired from the long race the day before. It turned out not to be a factor that I noticed when running. In fact, I ran pretty well through most of this race but made what amounted to some minor errors at controls 4 (control was misplaced), 8, 9, 10 and 16. On the way to #12, I bumped my head on a branch. I was surprised at how much it hurt since it didn't seem like a big bump. Soon I was dripping blood for a ways. It didn't bother me much though I had to wipe off the map and my head a few times on my shirt. The blood was getting into my eye and I was seeing a red tint. It turned out to be a fairly minor cut. I finished pretty well (2nd on Blue by just a little bit over 3rd). I even tested my knee with a harder run in than I've allowed myself to try since March. See the Split List.

Blue - Splits

Event: SVO Susquehanna Stumble XI
 

SVO Susquhanna Stumble at Kings Gap Environmental Education Center, near Carlisle, PA. This week has been a blur of travel and varied activities. In many ways it's what I like to do but I woke up late this morning and wasn't focused on the physical nature of a long race at Kings Gap. However, I had been looking forward to and perhaps gearing toward this race since August when I wasn't running at all. That it came off well for me was just great!

Arriving at the meet site with 15 minutes to spare before the start, I was just in auto-pilot. It was made easier by Peggy volunteering to watch Max because I didn't have to make sure he was going to well situated to have a good time. I was ready quickly and in time for the start but forgot to wear my heart rate monitor. The warm weather for this time of year made the day nice too. It was in the upper 60's to low 70's F. When the mass start proceeded, I found my position on the map fairly well and got a good start. That helped me keep in sight of leaders up to the first control window. I did that window ABDC. I had been reading the map well. I think part of it was that the woods at Kings Gap are generally white. There's a lot of blueberry underbrush to run through but I could go straight a lot and I didn't have to push much stuff away with my hands. In Massachussetts recently I had to zig-zag a lot and sometime use my hands; I just don't read maps nearly as well under those circumstances.

Going to #8 after the first window, I found myself alone between leader groups and trailing groups somewhere. I liked it. I made my own navigation and control window choices without having to reevaluate with what the groups were doing. I did the next control window FGIHE. Vadim had taken a wandering route to F and got there behind me but caught me by around G. He moved ahead but with the downhill less steep and the navigation not so hard, I kept pace with him. I felt like I was navigating on my own but having him near made me less hesitant. Later I found out that Vadim's knees were hurting. Mine felt good just about the whole run. I presume it was because of the softer ground that goes with running over blueberry bushes. On leg #1, I thought the lack of pain was due to adrenaline. Vadim and I kept pace pretty much all the way back to the map exchange. I passed him going up the steep part at the end. I was going to eat a Gu before getting to the map exchange but decided to save it. At the map exchange I had a bannana and a whole Gatorade which I'd asked Peggy to set out for me.

Vadim had gotten out of the map exchange first. I saw him heading somewhat toward the mansion so I thought he was going to take a trail route to J on the next window. When I'd looked at the leg to enter the window, all I could focus on was the deep valley I'd have to traverse. I initially started the way Vadim had but decided a more direct route was better. I curved around aiming for what I thought was a saddle but had did this rather badly. I could have used a road to set me on the right path but traversed a hillside below it. As I got closer, I realized that there was no saddle but I had saved climb which I would have incurred by using the trail. As I neared the control, I saw Vadim ahead again. I got to the control just after him and realized that he decided to do the next control window the way I had: KJLM. I used the lower trail to get to J. Seeing Sandy Filebrown leave it help me get there since I was a little below and unable to see the control when close. I used trails again going to L. Vadim had going more directly and made a slight mistake so I got ahead. He passed me again going to M. We saw others there who seemed to just be starting their window. Alexis left it with Vadim and I and was running stronger than both of us however he was making an error going to L while Vadim and I were going to #18. As we neared #18, I read the green vegetation on map and was able to connect it to what I was seeing. Vadim had gotten ahead but wasn't going close enough to a dropping hillside. As he passed it, I went more directly. We both saw it at about the same time but I got there first.

I was feeling a bit tired but pushed on going straight on the long leg to #19. Using the field and vegetation boundary, I spiked it just ahead of Vadim the whole way. Vadim was a bit faster getting to #20. As we descended to the last control window, I felt right hamstring cramps starting to form. I slowed and Vadim got ahead. We took the window SRQPON. I like the flatter shorter legs which were like a sprint course. I also lingered longer at the water stop, taking 3 cups and a Gu. Going to #27 was technically challenging since the control was a charcol terrace on a basically bland hillside of blueberry shrubs. I led Vadim but was off to the left a little and under the control. I stopped when hitting a boulder 100m past the control. Unsure, I decided to double back anyway and it paid off. I shouted back to Vadim but don't know if he heard me. I figured he would have done the same and with him usually being faster, he would have passed me anyway. I led again toward #28 by contouring but got a bit too high. I saw the control to my left at about the time Vadim was closing in. I don't know if he saw me turn. Going downhill, I opened up my stride and got there first. I was going to use the trail going to the finish but got too high and didn't see it. I could see a vegetation refuse pile above me and knew that it meant I was close to the road. I climbed up, running most of the way since it was the finish. The cramps held off and I ran a fair pace finishing up all the while wondering if Vadim had taken the trail and was going to get there first. My adrenaline won over his sore knees. I believe I finished 7th overall.

I felt this a good accomplishment and proof that I've come a long way since having orthoscopic surgery last summer. With a result like this, I also wonder about turning off the "Injured?" flag on my training log. For now, I think I'll keep it since the pain still is affecting my training and sometimes my races. The pain definately limits my training runs which are only 2-3 a week. This race is the longest that I've run since at least last Spring. My GPS watch indicates that I went 10.69 miles through these hilly woods while using few trails.

C • Exchange area 2

Long - Splits

Rock Creek Park, MD. From the Lake Frank parking lot off Avery Rd., I tried to finish up the field checking for the areas west of the creek, and between Avery Rd. and Southlawn Rd. Most of the time in this area was spent correcting drafting which I'd done earlier however I also did finish off some small technical areas which I hadn't covered before. I next went to areas northwest of where I parked; within the Lake Frank watershed west of the lake. The weather which I'd brought with me from Fort Collins was great and it made even some greener areas seem attractive to run through. I also found more features than I expected in the new terrain. I rushed through them a bit so I'll probably have to clean them up later too. My knee was hurting through much of the day and perhaps was aggrivated by some earlier deep bending and twisting.

Bethesda, MD. After catching a late flight back home, I did 45 situps.

Fort Collins, CO. From the parking lot for the dog park in the Spring Creek Canyon Park (about 5,200ft.) at the west end of Horsetooth Rd. The sun was already behind the mountain ridges. I followed a trail over the first foothill, then proceeded clockwise on a route that eventually looped back past Dixon Reservoir. Seeing that the Foothills Trail continued north (it didn't seem to do so on a previous trip), I crossed Dixon Canyon Rd. going between the CSU Hughes Stadium and the large white "A" tatooed on the side of the ridge, then up to a fence corner for a restricted area. From there I could have gone on and wanted to but it was getting dark fast. I retraced steps back to the reservoir and finished my clockwise loop. I chose this route over others (including a trail run up to the Horsetooth rocks) so as to take advantage of flatter and softer ground. With my GPS showing 100ft. vertical gain after a half mile, I still felt that I got enough climbing. The ground was dry and hard. The views were nice though. From the high points, I could practically see from end to end where I'd run. It was very enjoyable and worth missing a movie with other coworkers.

It was a travel day. After flying to Fort Collins, doing some work, and dinner with coworkers all I had time for was 30 situps.