Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Wheaton
 

Armco Park, OH. Warming up between the parking area and the start of OCIN's Middle Distance event.

Armco Park, OH. OCIN's Middle Distance event was in a park that was more appropriate for a sprint. The really hadn't intended this for A-meet material but took on the work of doing the Championships for NIght-O and the Relay. I think the event for Sunday was just a way to round out the weekend. I heard from several people who more or less stopped racing and just wanted to finish on the least unpleasant route, even if it were longer. Certainly the weather did not help matters much. The ground was snow covered (2-4 inches), it was well below freezing, and with increasing winds. Almost out of the starts I had thoughts of taking a more pleasant route, on the way toward #2. The basic approach involved going across one or another flowing streams. I unknowingly had picked the worse of the 2 options plunging in on the left side. To get to #3 the most efficient route was across some green and across the same stream. I learned after the event that the Red course had to cross this set of streams 5 times. There were several controls which involved crossing mowed fields. Going to #4 was one of these. I went on the longer left approach around fenced-in ball fields so that I could use more pavement. I approached well but got distracted at the end by a control more visible but on a different nearby ditch. For controls #5-12, I ran prostrate most of the way. I had to duck to get through the green. Most of the navigation involved keeping a good bearing or aiming off or even following the right snowy elephant path. I managed to mess up a few of these controls one of which I passed by within 10 ft. Of near a shoreline and still couldn't see. Navigation came more into play when correcting errors. For leg #13, I ran down the snowy rough open ride passing a woman and a man. When another ride merged in from the left, I cut right at an angle sharper than needed to get around some green. As the terrain dropped of to a stream, I cut left, once again missing the control by less than 15 ft. as I did so. By the time I looped back, I crossed paths with Ali Crocker and Bill Pullman who were apparently making the same mistake that I was doing.
I think Bill figured out something was amiss when he saw me running the other direction. I lost about 2 minutes. The last 6 controls were better. The green wasn't as bad. I did choose to cross some green and another stream that I know others chose to go around. It saved me a little time but not much. I found it hard to run at the end. I was just tired. I caught the man I'd passed on the way to #13 but couldn't quite catch the woman. Once again, my feet were numb after finishing. That's a wierd feeling knowing that I'm touching something with them but not being able to feel the touch. I could see an old line that I thought had long ago healed from a frostbite in the 1980's.

Armco Park, OH. Warm-down jog back to the start to pickup my coat.

OCIN_Armco_Middle_Dec_2013_Green - Splits

Camp Liederer, Loveland, OH. Warmup at the lake near the start of OCIN's Relay Championships. It was raining, around 32 F and cloudy. I warmed-up in a Goretex top with long john top and pants underneath.

Camp Liederer, Loveland, OH. OCIN's US Relay Championships. I ran on an all QOC team of Greg Lennon, Keg Good, myself, and Ted Good all running in the afore said order. Greg and Keg ran okay 1st and 2nd legs.

At the last few seconds before taking the handoff from Keg and starting, I decided to leave behind my Goretex running jacket. It was a good decision. Despite the rain, I wasn't feeling cold from it. I did however have trouble finding control #1 on the map as I started. This cost me some time getting to #1. The first leg, and the rest of the course for that matter was very sprint-like. I was a bit hesitant getting to #2. Just before getting to #3, Ian passed me. His presence helped me on the next several controls but he was pulling away. I caught at least one other orienteer before getting caught myself by Dave Swanson (MNOC) at around #8. I got ahead of Dave on the way toward #10 but in doing so, I made an error in reading the control location. I thought the control would be in a reentrant but it was really on the spur across a reentrant from where I ended up. Dave had taken a similar path. He crossed more quickly and got to the control first. I got ahead again until missing at #14. I'd passed the control just a bit, then turned back as Dave came in still just behind me. I was having trouble reading detail with wet glasses but I saw enough to sort of see the second trail intersection. I used it and spiked #15 but Dave seemingly took the first trail. I had a decent run-in. After finishing and seeing Ted take his turn, I changed outside under a shelter. My feet got so frozen, that I couldn't feel anything in the entire areas in front of my arches. Ted was running okay, or so we thought. He did come in ahead of the anchor for the MNOC team and QOC would have been 2nd but both Ted and his MNOC competitor had mispunched early by skipping the short leg to #4 on the Red course.

OCIN_US_Relay_2013_Green - Splits

Event: OCIN - US Night and Relay Championships
 

Hueston Woods State Park, OH. Warmup in the snowy lodge parking lot. It was around 32 F and cloudy.

US Night Orienteering Championships, OCIN, Hueston Woods State Park, OH. This was one of those times when a do over would have been really nice. It was cool (~30 F) at the start, but I planned for that and was ready. There was about 2 inches or more of snow on the ground and i was more or less ready for that too. The first 3 controls seemed to come up really fast, especially since it was night orienteering in which distance travelled is usually perceived to be longer than it actually is. I had to check and re-check the map on the first 2 controls (I'd also forgotten to grab control descriptions at the start). For the 3rd control, my bearing was off so I hit a road passing well under the control, then had to go up the road and back. On the 4th control, I wanted to stay high so as to avoid a slippery steep climb at the end. However, I was too far to the right and had to come back to the left at the end. For #5, I chased a guy and then ran true as he missed to the right; I spiked it!

Control #6 was my downfall. I thought to use the roads and trails. First, I wanted to hit the roads well left of the straight route. I don't know what was happening but I kept drifting right. The result was that I went across some green going almost straight toward the control. When I hit a road, I wasn't sure which road it was but eventually left it, knowing where I was. If I'd have just stayed on the road, I would have been better off. However, I returned to my plan to hit a power line trail in a greenish slashy looking power line ride. I was okay at first but hit some dense vegetation and started adjusting a lot. Soon, without knowing it, I got turned around and even read my compass 180 degrees off. I never seemingly got to the power line ride. I stopped when I realized this and not knowing where I was, I bailed for the road again. Once on the road, not far from where I'd left it earlier, I headed toward the finish and Go control. I passed both going for the lake shore. I realized that I needed to head back up a little when I saw that some streams were high. Eventually, I got in the right reentrant, followed it up to the power line ride, then climbed the side of the reentrant slowly to the control. I think I lost 15:00 minutes,

After that debacle, I settled down. I ran straightest toward #7 but when. Hitting the reentrant valley, I paused a long while to figure out if I was left or right of the control; I had been left of it and analyzed it correctly, I went straight to #8 too but got caught in unmapped green right before it; I even fell and had trouble untangling myself to get up. For #9, I crossed the reentrant, ran up a kind of spur, and went along the top of a reentrant to spike it. Somewhere along here, it had started snowing harder. For #10, I wasn't sure what to do. Rather than take long to decide, I decided to just run straight up the reentrant. This took me back and forth across the creek a few times. I also used a trail further up. I spiked it. For #11, I ran a straightish angle to the road then with some hesitancy, I went around to the right side if the hotel. The rest was just run and run. I did however stay in the snow on the run in.

This was a disappointing race. Knowledge of the park would have helped a lot.

OCIN_US_Night_2013_Green - Splits

From the Friendship Heights Metro Station at the DC/MD border (Western Ave. & Wisconsin Ave.), Friendship Rd. to Willard Ave. to the Little Falls Trail, to River Rd. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Bethesda Ave. to Woodmont Ave. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. I worked late but at least I did my short planned run. It was icy so I went slowly for a while. Once on the CCT I picked up the pace a little. It was straighter and I could tell but not necessarily see in the dark, that there was less ice.

Though tempted to go run, I realized that it was too icy.