Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station--back to work again!

From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Rock Creek Trail, along the Georgetown Waterfront to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to the Glover Archbold Trail, up to the Tenleytown Metro Station via Van Ness St. and Wisconsin Ave. I did feel pretty good starting out. My lungs were not so challenged but by the 3rd mile, my quads started feeling a little more-so. It was a pretty nice day for Washington D.C. in August; humidity under 50% and temperatures in the low 80s F. That was still warmer and wetter than my last 2 weeks. I started sweating more on the climb and sometimes pushed harder on the hills. I ran out of energy on some so I was only running a little better than the last time. Perhaps it was part of the time zone change and not getting the sleep I'd been getting but after finishing the run I was wobbly tired. Running the trail was pretty nice though.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. The breeze while I was riding felt really nice. I had been completely soaked with sweat. I weighed-out at 170lbs. After eating, I had to lay down for a while.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. I got out early to try to finish-up a couple of areas for a QOC meet in September. Things started slowly as a ranger at the gate recognized my car from July, and we discussed the upcoming QOC meet. I got into the woods near the Bluejay shelter and was surprised at how much the stilt grasses had grown in one month. I felt a good bit stronger than I had been feeling in July. I had a spring in my step that was probably due both to altitude acclimation and the extra running and hiking over the last 2 weeks. The spring was the cause of an unfortunate loss of time as my GPS popped out of my open waist belt pack and disappeared in the stilt grass. I spent the better part of an hour looking for it. I was somewhat able to retrace my steps because of the stilt grass being mashed down where I'd stepped. I had a 120m stretch on a hill to go over. Not finding it, I went on to another area but when I passed through the same hill again, I gave it another try. I got off my track by about 5 ft. and that was enough for me to find it. After finishing the area, I drove to the east end of the lake and tried to cover 2 hillsides. I rushed through it and would have like to have done a better job. I still ran short of time since I had to meet my mother and sister in Virginia, and I didn't finish it completely--still there's enough to use.

Event: 12th World Rogaining Championships
 

Flying back from Denver, CO, to Washington, D.C. my job was to carry a large case of controls back as carryon luggage. I was worried that the security guards would have a lot of questions for us but perhaps since we got shuffled into a special line, we go through without a single question. They were a bit busy so that probably helped. It would have been awkward explaining just what these battery operated and sealed plastic boxes with holes in them were. The case of controls also meant that we had an extra carry-on bag so my second worry was that they'd want us to check something. Fortunately the stewardess greeting people was distracted and I walked past with my backpack and the somewhat heavy case (about +25 lbs worth).

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. From the Bear Lake parking area., Peggy, Max, and I went to Emerald Lake via Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake. This was a wonderful hike and a popular one. We had to take a shuttle bus just to get to the trail head. The climb was fairly easy. It started on a paved trail at about 9,475 ft. elevation; paved like so many of the popular area short trails are. However, it changed to natural surfaces within about a half mile. At the lakes and on the approaches, there were great views of stunted pine trees, boulder gardens, towering cliffs, and waterfalls. The skies were great too with clouds popping over the snow speckled continental divide above. We saw a little wildlife. Max was bewitched by the many chipmunks that were so tame that they would crawl up onto people (including Max and Peggy). On the out and back hike, he referred to one spot as the chipmunk place, rather than Dream Lake. Some jays were searching for handouts too and even the trout were tame enough to show themselves a few feet from the shore. Just after we left Emerald Lake (about 10,200 ft.) to return, we started hearing thunder, and dark clouds started replacing the white ones on the mountain tops. We got a little rain, but most of the energy missed us. After we got back to the bottom, we walked just a little way to see Bear Lake too. As a bonus, on the bus ride back we saw a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road.

Grand Lake, CO. From the marina at the end of Hancock St., Peggy, Max, and I all rented Hobie Cat kayaks and paddled across the lake. A few motor boats made a few waves but mostly it was calm, quiet water. It had rained the night before and so it was cloudy. This made me more tired than I thought it would. Sleep had helped my stiff neck the day before but the kayaking, with less back support, seemed to set it back a little. We rested with lunch and some street shopping afterward. It also rained and hailed during lunch.

Later we visited the Kawuneeche Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park, and saw a bull moose just off the road along the way.

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. From Medicine Bow curve, Peggy, Max, and I hiked out on a trail that seemed to indicate it continued on for 35 miles to the Medicine Bow Wilderness, where we spent the early part of our vacation. We climbed gently for a ways above tree line with beautiful views of the Never Summer Range. This was somewhere above 11,500 ft. As we rounded a bend to a ridge, the trail ran out. We did however get a wider vista of the Mummy Range and more alpine tundra. We returned the way we came.

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. From the Alpine Visitor Center, Peggy, Max, and I hiked up and back to the rocky knoll at 12,500ft. Along the way we got a close up view of a marmot who was under the trail in a culvert. The views from the top were great. The clouds kept changing the scene from sunny to cloudy and things in between. The steps from my last time here had been replaced by nice stone ones.

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. From Trail Ridge Rd., Peggy, Max, and I went to the Mushroom Rock, high on the ridge; this was perhaps around 12,300 ft in elevation. The temperature was about 53 F and there was a breeze going that kept it cool. The winds in the winter here get to 150mph, and the shapes of the rocks surely supported that measurement. We went further a ways to another set of rocks which had a marker on top, dedicated to a former park superintendent. We heard, then saw a Pika really close. Views back to the Alpine Visitor Center and the Never Summer Range were on one side, the Mummy Range on another, the big Thompson River Valley on another, and finally Longs Peak on the other.

After we'd returned to the car and got down the road a ways, we saw a herd of elk that were slowly crossing the road. The were fairly tame, and allowing of us to get some close-up shots from the car.

After dinner, walking around in Estes Park, watching Max at the pool, I noticed in the mirror that my neck wasn't straight. There's a definite lean to the right.

Glenwood Springs, CO. In the main or original attraction of the town, Peggy, Max, and I splashed around going back and forth from the large warm pool, to the water slides, back to the warm pool, into the therapy pool, and all over again, we were there for about 2 hours.

Later we drove toward Grand Lake, stopping by to checkout what Vail was all about. The Village at Vail seemed to be a completely planned place, like Disney World or a shopping mall. It was nice to look at. We bought candy at a candy store. Grand Lake was completely different. While not exactly run down, the town of Grand Lake had much less of the glitter and little of the planning--Grand Lake was more organic.

My neck was stiff and it was difficult to turn to see things on my left side. This may have been related to some perceived back pain after the race on Saturday.

Glenwood Springs, CO. From Wulfson Rd., at about 5,850 ft. elevation) I got on a bicycle trail that took me to W 8th St., and another trail that ended very quickly 0.25 miles later at Sayer (?) Park. I turned around from there to cross the river on 8th Street, and got on the Glenwood Spring trail going upstream. Taking that past the high school, I used a gravel trail to loop around, and to get back. When I was climbing the trail up river, I felt slow but tired; it was a little redeeming in that despite my slow pace, I was able to out run a feeble but determined elderly cyclist.

Peggy, Max, and I rented bicycles and rode downstream to 6th St. in Glenwood Springs, from the Bair Ranch area off of I-70. We were told that I-70 is the most expensive stretch of interstate highway in the country. There were numerous elevated sections which the trail took us under. The cliffs of the canyon, cut by the Colorado River, were mesmerizing and beautiful. It was 91 F (but dry). Though mostly downhill, a 200 ft elevation drop, this ride took the energy out of us. There was one smallish hill before the town of No Name, and we all crawled up it. We got out of breath easily. The ending elevation was about 5,800 ft.

Later, after relaxing a little while, we had fun at the Glenwood Springs Adventure Park. To get there we rode a gondola up about 1,000 ft. Above the town. There we started with a mountain roller coaster in which the driver gets a brake to control a car going down a track. This was quite fun and Max rode with me. We also did things like ride a big 3G swing that suspended us out over the canyon cliffs, ride swings that swung us over the same cliffs, played laser tag, did a maze, climbed a rock wall about 40 ft., and hiked through a cave (what is being logged)neither a guide.