Training Log Archive: Nadim

Letchworth State Park West Side (southern portion). Warm-up for ROC's sprint as part of the OUSA Convention. As I ran around the fields, I also cheered Max who was doing the super line-o course twice.

Letchworth State Park West Side (southern portion). ROC: Sprint A. I had trouble with this sprint. Perhaps I was trying to run faster than I should, though these days, I don't seem to be running all that fast at all. There were some slight problems with the trails not being very precise for a sprint. The map was probably made for normally running at a 1:10,000 scale but it was blown up to 1:5,000. I started out okay going left on the trail to #1, and cutting off at a good but indistinct place to spike it. Going to #2, I went through a trail intersection that I didn't recognize and went way past the control, just beyond #9. That lost me around 1:30 minutes. I spiked #3, then slowed a bit before continuing to #4. #5 seemed further away than I expected but I hit it. Going to #6, I rounded the first marsh on the left side, then went on to see a break in the second marsh--only one break was shown on the map so I thought I was on course but really I was over to the left, crossing the marsh on a small wooden walkway. Going to #7, I went to the wrong hilltop and had to move over to the right after fumbling around. Even now, I'm not sure about the mapping of the contours there but a fenced manmade object should have helped me figure it out quicker if only I had seen it sooner. I hit #8 well and since I had already been to #9, I got that easily. Going to #10, I was going to descend the grass in the first field, and then cut right. However, getting closer, I could see through the first tree line and cut over to shorten distance. I think I started counting tree lines instead of fields because I crossed the seccond tree line and stopped at the power lines before the trail. I finally found it then headed off to the finish only to have gotten the map disoriented. I ran through the super line-o to the start and couldn't find the finish punch amongst all the controls. I asked around (poor form), and then went to the other end of the building where the finish punch was. Not such a good race for me but I guess I got some mental practic and some exercise.

ROC: Super Line-O. I gave it a good effort but came-up slower than hoped. Early on, I was distracted by a Sprint runner finishing her course whom I almost colided with. I overshot a control and lost some a second or two. I started to get tired sooner than I thought I would have.

ROC: Super Line-O. I gave it another good effort but fumbled too many controls. It was fun but tiring too. If I hadn't fumbled so much, I would have beaten my first run at it.

Letchworth State Park West Side (southern portion). Unknown to me when I volunteered to pickup some controls, some training had been setup well west of the sprint controls. Some were in a very steep yet detailed area. As I got into the woods, I passed Ted Good who was also picking up controls. We both commented on how dark it was. Clouds and drizzle and hemlocks made it hard to read the map. I got a little above the first control before seeing it behind me. I would have expected the map to show an earth bank above the control since it was so steep but it didn't. I spiked the second control, just going on a bearing along the steep hillside. The third was a little easier since it was on a ridge but I hit it well just the same. I was happy about these controls seeming to come-up sooner than expected on the 1:10,000 map. The 4th was on a trail bend but I hit it perpendicular to the trail. I ran a trail most of the way to the 5th control. Going back, I wanted to avoid crossing a gorge in the still darkening woods. I ran south down a road which got pretty close to the river cliffs on the main park road. I cut across some woods at the end, hitting things well along the way. Though there was no pressure, I felt a bit redeemed by this exercise.

Letchworth TDS #3 Sprint A - Splits

ROC: Durand Eastman Park, NY. For the second day of the US Orienteering Convention, there was more course work followed by some sprints and a picnic. The sprints were fine though steep. I thought some of the map might have been better in places but it was probably printed at 1:5,000 and mapped at 1:10,000. I made an error right out of the start by having a poor bearing and missing a trail. That cost me about 1:19 according to AP. I moved okay afterward but I wasn't moving as fast as I would have liked. I had a few bobbles such as moving left at first on the leg to #10, then deciding that going right around the water was better.

ROC: Durand Eastman Park, NY. ROC setup a Super Line-O sprint that slalomed through the trees. I did it not long after finishing my sprint. It was rather tricky requiring speed and agility. I fumbled with one control but was okay with the others. After this, we ate a picnic dinner and then went to the Sea Breeze amusement park. The amusement park overlooked Lake Ontario and was nice. The cummulative effect of several fast rides added-up, making my stomach feel nauseous. I had lost a sense of equilibrium.

Durand TDS #2 Sprint A - Splits

US Orienteering Convention. After listening to some sessions on map making as well as a little practice field checking in a park in Rochester, NY, I took it easy. Peggy ran a sprint but it was hot enough and I'd run enough over the weekend that I didn't think it would help me much. I went out later for the mass start night orienteering that was put on by ROC and the US Juniors. Peggy took Max out and I crossed their path at a control. It was fun, though starting out for the first 15 minutes, I struggled with trying to digest a picnic dinner that was part of the convention. I didn't understand the point assignments in this score-o and ended-up missing an easy 50 point control, very near the start. Other controls were mostly easy at intersections or close to intersections. One group was in a very steep technical area. I got them all but had a hard time interpreting up and down. My lighting worked well. I had forgotten a longer cable so I rigged the battery to attach to my headstrap. It was a fun outing. I think I ended-up with the 6th place score. I also strained something around my right hip. It probably happened while running downhill on a wide trail and kicking a fist sized rock twice.

Event: 2011 OUSA Convention
 

At Happy Valley WMA, in NY, near Syracuse, I jogged over to the start of the 2011 CNYO US Classic Orienteering Championships.

CNYO: US Classic Championships Day 2 at Happy Valley WMA. I was out for a bit of redemption and mostly I got it. Unlike yesterday, I only had one ten minute error. I was off a bit on #1. Perhaps I should have taken a safer route following the wall from the road but I recovered quickly. I spiked #2, simplifying a lot by ignoring most of the contour detail. I knew enough to go to the top and I did read a Y-shaped valley to know that I was a bit to the right near the end. On #3, I did the same simplifying and stopped on the correct knoll, left of the control. However, I saw another control more to the left and checked it out because visibility was poor enough that I couldn't be sure from the clues. Going to #4, I'm not sure what happened. I though I was coming off a hill correctly before crossing a flat area but I missed. I wandered, then decided to bail out. In the process, I think I headed the wrong way and stopped at my 5th control. I was able to hit #4 after that, just after Greg Lennon had gotten there. Greg had started 4 minutes behind me. I chased and caught him at #5. I took a straight route to #6, crossing both marshes and losing Greg at one since he wanted to go around. I spiked it. Going to #7, I ended off to the right, while going slow on this short leg--others did too. I spiked #8 by going straight too. The control was knocked over when I got there. I tried to stand it up again but the peg of the stake was bent--it just rolled over again. I moved well going for #9. I used the walls and kept good track of where I was the whole way and spiked it. Going to #10, I got hung-up in the fallen branches that were hidden by ferns. I moved of my attack line to the left due to this and ended-up losing time by going around the marsh to the left. The actual location of this control was hard to verify. Going for #11, I paused at a control on an earlier wall intersection. Moving on, I spiked it. I moved pretty well in the open ground but my lack of interval training or even much running shows in my lack of speed.

To day was a much better day overall. I used a hand held magnifier as needed. The magnifier had a handle but it broke at the start when I had dropped it. I just held the lens. It helped a lot. I'll still need to practice with various magnifying options.

Day 2 - Green Y - Splits

Event: 2011 US Classic Championships
 

Warm-up at the Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area near Williamstown, NY. Jogging to the start with a bit of back and forth on a dirt road.

CNYO Day 1 US Championships at the Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area near Williamstown, NY. This was my debut day running a Green course as an M50+. I had some hopes of doing well but I was also realistic about the competition. I should have been more focused on interpreting the map. In many ways, my head wasn't in it. I gave it a real try some second thoughts about coming this weekend could have factored in. I started out wrong right away with a 180 degree error; this after already seeing JJ Cote head out. I lost about 7 minutes right away. I was fine getting to #2 which only encouraged faster running toward #3 and some sloppy technique. A lot of people had trouble with #3 probably because it was obscured by a bush but I should have been more capable. I must have went past the control at least 4 times. The 2.5m contours were a factor there along with a very tussocked ground that contours didn't capture. I overshot #5 but was okay with perhaps only 2 minutes lost gettting to it. Leaving #5, I managed to make a second 180 degree error and this one was worse than the first. I was following a ridge up on a longer leg and it was just enough parallel to what I was seeing in the woods that I ran the wrong way for 5 minutes and went off the map. I was able to return well enough and went ahead and punched-back in at #5. Tim Parsons was just getting there at the same time. We ran off correctly toward #6 this time with me staying a bit lower. I missed seeing the reentrant up higher and turned back once hitting a stone wall. Tim, who had been behind, was now ahead. I chased him to #7, catching him there. I went back in the lead following compass bearing and reading the bigger features as I got to #8. I left for #9, ahead of Tim but drifted too far to the right. I got somewhat confused by this and took some risks even after locating on stone wall. That lost more time and I was really getting tired at this point. The upper 80 F weather was taking a toll on me. I was okay getting to #10 but was rather confused by the mapping of the walls in this area. I didn't notice that one was mapped with the stony grojund symbol and thought I was making an error crossing another.

I finished okay and was glad that earlier runners had made a path through the field. This was a really poor race for me. I thought of taking a DNF and I almost never think of that. I came away wondering what went wrong. By listening to others and studying the map, I formed a plan for the next day that involved using a tight bearing and using the contours less.

Day 1 Green Y - Splits

After a bit of yard work and seeing how much Max had learned at swim camp, it was a driving day.

From Northfield Rd. to Beech Dr. with the trail-a-bike to drop off Max. Max was a bit cranky before going (got up too early on his own) but he cycled well.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.