Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Cabin John
 

Cabin John Regional Park. Warm-up near Popovich Field for the start of QOC's event.

QOC: Cabin John Regional Park, MD. Russ Damtoft set a short Blue course which was fine with me. The woods had plenty of of melt water and mud. It was an encouraging sunny and as high as 62 F. I felt pretty slow just about from the start. The course was fine but had a lot of short legs; control picking style. This is a fairly easy park to navigate with lots of trails and on top of that, it's fairly thin. I had mapped it because it was close-in to the population center; it's the closest map to my house.

S-1 - Before I started, 3 other Blue runners got going ahead of me. I ran down the trails and angled-up when I could see the edge of the ball fields above. I'm not sure that the control was on the root stock that I mapped but it was close and others were there punching to give it away.

1-2 - I ran up to the ball fields and took trails to the powerline ride and passed one of the guys I'd seen at the start. I angled across haphazardly and didn't cross the other side where I'd intended, above the gully I had to cross the gully and get through some thorns. From there I angled up to the control but I probably should have stayed on the trail and attacked from below because I got a little too high.

2-3 - I went up to the train tracks and ended up hopping the fence on the other side. From there I crashed through the woods to the road intersection The control was higher upstream than expected. Actually no stream was mapped; just a ditch that at this time of year was wet.

3-4 - I crossed the road and spotted the control right away. Not much time lost waiting for cars.

4-5 - Going straight and along the creek I crossed the creek on a fallen log, then ran to the semi-open area. I had mapped the feature as a stone-wall, small though it was. The clue was stony ground. Right next to it should have been a root stock which is much more prominent on the map but I didn't see it going through. I didn't look close but it should have been to the right a short way away.

5-6 - I went straightish getting through the green. I could have gone around the ridge on the trail but I went over, attacking off of the mapped campsite.

6-7 - I went a bit to the right to get around some green. I used the trail after crossing the dirt road. Leaving from the trail bend near the campsite, Going a little left around some greener terrain, I passed John Baker who I had seen pausing a few times ahead of me earlier on this leg. I saw the control and went right to it. Unlike last year when Peggy had set the courses here, the control was in the right place this time.

7-8 - I took the road around to the left, turned left at the footbridge and angled up from there. I felt slow. Slushy ice on the road was part of it but I was slower climbing.

8-9 - I took the high route on the trail to the right but have doubts about it being the right route. the lower trail would have required a climb at the end but might have had less climb overall. The control was fairly visible soon after leaving the trail.

9-10 - I used the trails to get close but in retrospect, I should have kept to the right until the end to avoid more green. After using the trails, I backed up a few steps to go around the green instead of following the wet and light green ditch to the end.

10-11 - I hunted a bit along the shore to find a decent crossing. Eventually I plunged across and it wasn't bad. After crossing, I climbed up along the reentrant before the control, walking the steeper parts of the hill.

11-12 - I angled downward intending all along to use the trail below. I wasn't on it long before angling up again. At the end I was worried about being too high and started to descend. I had to climb a little again.

12 - 13 - I angled downward for the trail, then found another fallen log to cross the creek. Once across, I just angled up the hill. I climbed too high and had to descend at the end. I think the control leg being short and green kept me from keeping better control of exactly where I was going. This happened throughout the course.

13-14 - I used the trails across the flat marshy ground before angling to cross the creek. I could see #10 and the orienteer whom I'd passed on leg 2. Once again I crossed the creek on a fallen log. It was not so easy to do this time with branches and flotsam on it. From there, I angled up the hillside into the reentrant, around the final green, and to the control.

14-15 - Angling down to the trail, I followed it until I could see the control. I guess the woods were nice and it setup the next leg.

15-16 - I used the trails, crossing the stream at the bridges. I went straight over the hill but in retrospect, going around to the left on the trail would have been faster. As it was, I got too close to the shopping center parking lot. The smell of food (chicken burritos?) was making me hungry.

16-17 - I ran the trail until I could see the control below.

17-18 - Straight. I saw the control as I was crossing the road and didn't have to wait much.

18-19 - I went to the right around the fence, the got on the trail that descended to the gravel road. Crossing the powerline ride, I stayed along the creek, using the trail for a short way. I left the trail and ran toward what had been a prominent root stock earlier when I mapped it. I was going to attack of it but had to go further around to the left to get around some green. Ahead some seasonal ponds that I'd never seen before were blocking the way and pushing me more to the right. Seeing a root stock, I got close enough to see it wasn't the one I wanted. I crossed the marsh to the left, glad that the ice held me most of the time and saw the control on a smaller root stock.

19-20 - Some legs one just has to push through. I crossed the stream and got on top of one of the fallen logs rather than fight my way through the green on the ground. The log got me to the rocks where I could cross remaining logs. I ran up the intermittent deer trail that I left off the map; I wanted to stay far enough away from the condo buildings and back yards. After crossing the hilltop and reentrant on the other side, I rounded the fences near the basketball court and construction. I knew the control feature was actually an intermittent trail that probably needs to be taken off the map. Russ had mistaken the short black line for a rock feature and clued it as stony ground. Fortunately, there was some stony ground just under the trail. A girl running a shorter course was hunting just above where the trail was but I clued her in.

20-21 - I just ran high until the reentrant, then angled down to the creek. Following the wet ditch, I got to the control. Another guy was there but he didn't seem to punch it.

21-22 - I walked most of this tiring leg but did managed some running once in the white woods. The control was visible a long way off.

22-23 - I felt much better running level and downhill. I got through the green by zig-zagging the fallen logs. Dan Do and others were hunting in the area. I turned to the left just where I thought it should be and Dan was just finishing punching there.

23-24 - I wasn't sure of the best way across the creek. The bank near #23 was too high. I ran further north, ducking under some of the fallen logs I'd passed on the way to #23, then saw one log crossing the creek. It was actually mapped but the control circle for #23 was hiding it. Once across on the log, I took trails to the hill and climbed toward the saddle, then more left to the knoll.

24-25 - This was a somewhat cruel leg near the end of the course. I ran down the knoll for #24, and pulled myself up the next steep hill.

25-26 - I angled over toward the control. I found an animal track that got me down to the gully but was able to cross it on a fallen log. From there it was up to the trail and to the fence.

26-F - Around the fence and through the mud. I was pretty tired so the mud made it harder. I tried to keep out of it where I could.

Overall, I enjoyed getting out. The short legs kept me from making errors.

C • "Unlike last year..." 3

Blue - Splits

45 sit-ups. It was another busy day and a bit rainy too. I didn't get to run during lunch as planned.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I was feeling a bit queasy in my stomach at the time after the preparation for a routine colonoscopy/upper-endoscopy. All was fine. He did say I didn't need to come back for this again for 10 years. I didn't quite feel right in my stomach later in the day so I didn't run.

45 sit-ups.

45 sit-ups. I would have run but didn't have enough time.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down Independence Ave. and the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., to Connecticut Ave., Van Ness St., to Wisconsin Ave., to the Friendship Heights Metro Station. It was warmer (unbelievably 57 F officially starting off--it didn't feel that warm) than it had been but was cooling off fast. I was worried about being overdressed in tights and a light jacket. I felt comfortable the first mile and not pushing it, the feeling mostly kept up. That's so much better than a lot of runs I had earlier in January and February. At the Woodley Park Metro Station I was already planning to go on. I passed the Cleveland Park Metro Station and kept going too. There was a second good climb going up to the Tenleytown Metro Station but once there, I figured it was mostly downhill to Friendship Heights. There were icy areas both in Rock Creek Park, and on the sidewalks in the city but a lot of clear ground too. Street lights were on in Rock Creek Park; perhaps it was the snow but it seemed the brightest I could remember it in the dark. I wonder if they changed something like the NY Times says the Newark, NJ airport did :)

45 sit-ups.

Blue Knob State Park, PA. Peggy, Max and I had been thinking to go Cross Country skiing this weekend. Late yesterday we decided to go for it and I'm glad we did. The Lennon family were also able to go with us. It was a nice sunny day at about 20 F when we started out. The last time I'd been to Blue Knob had been a few decades back and they didn't have XC skiing then. They have a small Nordic Center which rents skis and that was what we needed for Max. The terrain was a mix of golf course fairways and vehicle track. It wasn't very complicated and not at all technical. It didn't have a lot of vertical change either. Going out, we perhaps dropped gently about 200 ft. over about 2 miles with some up and down. The area was rather scenic with good views most of the way. Of the many trails around, most hadn't been groomed or used since the last snow. The main loop was groomed or well trodden so we enjoyed it. The snow was just right, right from the start. We moved casually, moving ahead, then waiting for the kids. On the way back, Max had more trouble climbing but stuck-it out without too much complaint. Other adults went for an out-and-back on the one hill that amounted to a good run (Max had successfully gotten down it with minimal falling). Instead of doing the out-and-back, I went directly back with Nicole and Max. The adults caught us later.

Rock Creek Park, MD, at Meadowbrook Stables. David Onkst and I went to the park to take advantage of roadway that had been plowed of snow, and which was mostly clear of traffic. Of course the lovely surroundings were appreciated too. I felt weak initially; sore in the quads again. We went out and back on Meadowbrook Rd. and Beach Dr., and the Rock Creek Trail, to Tilden St., returned the same route but kept going up to East-West Hwy., then went back past the stables to Candy Cane Village, and finally ended-up back at the stables. The soreness in my quads got better in that I felt almost stronger on the return trip. Plenty of other runners were out. Some we caught and passed slowly, other went by us moving well. I was fortunate to have 2 bathroom stops situated at the right places. David and I continued some discussion about our rogaine training plans. It was 40 F but it felt colder with lots of melting snow and a slight wind.