Training Log Archive: Nadim

QOC: Pohick Bay Regional Park, VA. I had no idea what to expect today. On the one hand, I thought I might be foolish to go out at all. Next with my decision to try the Green course, I wondered if I should be safer and just do Brown. The jogs to the bathroom before the start was encouraging as far as my knee goes though I still did feel some very minor discomfort in the area that was troubling me earlier this week. I took a little ibuprofen to keep the inflamation down. I left late and ran easy to the first control; hesitant even because of the map being out of date and just getting used to the scale. I could run so I was encouraged to run more naturally. Of course, I left #1 a bit fast and had a poor bearing. I mistook a reentrant juction higher up for the one that would lead me to the control. Figuring that out and correcting involved climbing over an extra ridge, then getting hung-up in some nasty deadfall. I hit the next several controls well though I had to stop once when my epunch, including a velcro safety strap, got stuck on a tree branch and came off as I ran forward (leg 4#). The course was not technically difficult; just physical. Pohick has a lot of tall steep reentrants. My route to #8, the long leg in common with Red, involved some misteps. I went left along the main road at the south edge of the park and cut in just past the park entrance. I meant to cut in much later. I ran over a trail after doing this, but without seeing it. I found myself hitting a maintenance road and seeing Keg Good, whom I'd seen earlier leaving what was my #7. Briefly on the road, then off at a non-descript point, I came down a long reentrant valley and attacked from low, SW of the control. I hit it okay but could have had a straighter line from my attack. I spike #9 and #10 too but felt the climb for these to be a bit unecessary. All in all, I was just happy to have been able to run (even slowly). I won the Green course (now my official age group) by 19 seconds. I worried about the pain happening more after the run but nothing like the swelling and pain I had on Thursday ocurred.

Green - Splits

45 situps. I thought better of trying to do some spinning. The swelling on my knee has gone down and I've been able to pop it a little better when needed.

45 situps. My knee was very stiff today and it hurt to walk. Going down stairs was rough. I wanted to use the rollers to get some kind of workout in, but I decided against that.

College Park, MD. I was happy that the rains held-off. I ran from Cherry Hill Community Park, taking the Paint Branch Trail to the 2 mile mark, back until the unammed spur trail (across the marsh) to Rte. 1 at Hollywood Rd., back down to the Paint Branch Trail, and to Cherry Hill Community Park. I started off on the north side of Cherry Hill Rd. following the trail on a little north hook before going south, and felt okay. I've always tended to run the Paint Branch Trail faster than I've averaged elsewhere at roughly the same time. It's a nice and rather flat paved trail with long quiet sections and some quick curves mixed in too. I've measured it independently so I know the mile markers are reasonably accurate. The heavy tornado damage from around 2001 has gotten to look more normal--like other woods with deadfall, except for the marsh area. Available half-mile splits are: 3:36, 3:34, 3:32, 3:33, 3:38, 3:39 (cummulative of 2 segments with a much slower 0.8 miles in between), 3:36. I'd never run on the spur trail which was added over a year ago. It was longer than I thought it'd be at 0.4 miles to Rte. 1 and I slowed climbing out of the otherwise flat valley.

When I started the run, within the first minute I had felt some pain in my left knee. It was like it was just a little out of line and needed to be popped as I do almost daily since having my meniscus trimmed. That pain went away and I was enjoying running faster than I have been doing. It's somewhat intoxicating to go faster. I've had enough injuries in the last 10 years to know that I was going too fast. I didn't try to run hard either but it was just too fast for my own good without having done more base miles. Over the last couple of years, I've always felt that I just have to take advantage of going longer or faster when I can since my opportunities for decent running workouts are few. After the run, I tightened-up rather quickly and my knee really felt like it needed to be popped back in place. I couldn't do it so I just stretched. At home it stiffened up a lot more and I noticed some swelling underneath the knee. Later I needed to kneel on my knees giving Max a bath and I just couldn't put weight on my left one. I'll take it easier on the knee tomorrow and hope for the best. I took some Ibuprofen at Peggy's recommendation; a rare use of medication for me.

C • Medication 5

Greenbelt Park, MD. Working off-site allowed me to fit in a run after work. I meandered several trails and just a bit off-trail too; covering parts of the Azalea Trail, the Perimeter Trail, and the Blueberry Trail. I was slow on hills and still a little tired from racing on Sunday. I needed a bathroom too. The trails were nice though the woods were awfully thick looking. Despite recent rains, footing was good.

45 situps after a busy and late work day.