Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Hemlock Overlook Night-o
 

I got too busy with kid and household activities to make it to the Night-O. :(

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was around 50 F this morning. I felt a tired early into the ride. I got passed at around the MacArthur Blvd. tunnel and eventually fell into line behind the guy. We caught another guy and the two other riders traded leads while picking up the pace into Georgetown. I rode slower after that but still was surprised at my finish time. I thought I'd be much slower.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving just before 6pm, it was for all practical purposes already dark. I got a fairly good start and at 15th St. I found myself surrounded by other cyclists. That was a bit disorienting moving at high speeds amid traffic close together with our headlamps. Passing the Jefferson Memorial, I was alone again and got to and through Georgetown quickly. There were relatively few runners and cars along the way. On the CCT, I always seemed to have another cyclist's rear light not far ahead. The lights would disappear briefly behind a small bend, then reappear close ahead. I felt like I was gaining on 2 riders but I was never sure if I passed them. I kept passing people steadily. I did not have any encounters with the owl that has been attacking people as they approach Bethesda. I though I might have been going slower but was pleasantly surprised seeing my finish time at home.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

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 the Bethesda Metro Station. It was dark so once I got to the Little Falls Trail, I couldn't see. I ran off the paved trail in the woods 3 times. I slowed a lot to get through it and hit the first mile at about 8:59. I could feel the lack of training with heavy quads. I was probably also feeling the long day at Great Falls on Sunday too.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark. There was some traffic. Though I was sweating from the run and riding hard, I was getting cooled-off.

From Northfield Rd., to Hartsdale Ave. and back. I towed Samantha, met up with Max, and rode back with him.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. My right heel/arch was really hurting this morning. It follows the pattern of my last several runs. It had just gotten better leading up to the QOC Great Falls event. I had contemplated bicycling all the way to work but thought better of that plan mostly due to the heel/arch, but my legs were fairly tired too.

From the Medical Center Station to the Bethesda Metro Station. When going home at the Friendship Heights Station, the train conductor announced that the train wouldn't be stopping at the Bethesda Metro Station, per direction of Central Control. Most of the Bethesdan's like myself got out and waited for the next train since they didn't announce anything more. The next train also didn't stop at Bethesda so I ended up at the Medical Center Station. They did say there'd be a shuttle bus to take people back to downtown Bethesda but it didn't come. One bus driver said it'd pickup people on Rockville Pike so I followed the crowd again. After a couple of more minutes I decided to walk. I was moving pretty well and I used to walk part of this route regularly.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark. At least this time I had my helmet mounted headlamp. I was surprised at how much better my foot/arch problem was feeling better by the evening. After the Highlander, it had hurt all week. It still hurts but much, much less.

Great Falls, MD. I did a very light warm-up. I didn't want to wear out my heel/arch early since after every run lately it hurts a lot.

QOC: Great Falls, MD. I enjoyed running Peggy's course and enjoyed it so much that I did some of it more than once. I guess I'm getting sloppier again as I'm regaining some of my speed.

From the start, I ran up the trail to a spur just past the old railroad loop, then more or less contoured over, with a little hood to the left at the end; spiking #1.

I was a bit overconfident for #2. I got into the right area and attacked from the little formline knoll to the NW. At about this time, I notice Tori Campbell on my left and that I'd been passing her. I thought she was headed to the same control so I must not have read the reentrants correctly. I got drawn to the left, then looped back to the small formline knoll. Even from there, I still didn't see the control right away. I was expecting it one spur to the west.

For the short leg to #3 I had gone around the green to the right a bit. I had mapped one of the 2 boulders at the bottom and knew there were 2 but I didn't see the second on the map. It was under the circle, a circle that I had probably established a few years ago when I was course setter (Great Falls Mgt. only allows us to use an established set of controls). When I saw one boulder, I wasn't sure which way to look for the other. After a good start, this was turning out to be going badly for me.

I ran straight toward #4, making some corrections along the way, and spiking it. I could see the ruin a bit so that helped as I approached.

For #5, I ran along the ridge and spiked it.

For #6, I contoured over at first but once across the big reentrant, I climbed over to spike the control. I had mapped that rootstock, and also had passed it on the way to #4.

For #7, I contoured over a bit to the left to keep the climb from getting too steep. After the trail, I pushed through some saplings to spike it.

For #8, I was feeling tired. I climbed past the left side of the fence and had it in my mind that the control was in the reentrant just to the SW of where it was. Once I got there, I corrected.

For #9, I ran straight across but had contemplated using the trail. I spiked it.

For #10, I stuck to the trail, attacking shortly after the trail intersection to the NE of the control. I came in a little low, hesitated, then found it.

For #11, I ran up the reentrant at a angle. At the trail, I cut left briefly and saw a ditch on the west side. This should have been the trail intersection but for some reason, I didn't notice the intersection. I attacked and seemed to be going over a spur but I wasn't where I thought I was. I cut right after going too low and eventually realized that I was in the out of bounds area. I hooked into the control eventually from the west. I should have just stuck to the trail for a little longer.

For #12, I ran past some intermediate runners along the trail, then cut in. Things didn't seem right but I found the bit of fence on the route and felt more confident again. I ran the spur to the control, pushing through the saplings. I had gotten there just before Frantisek, who was coming from below the control.

For #13, I got on the trail, crossed the creek and ran up the next hill. I briefly lost contact with the map and thought I was mistaking something for a reentrant but I was actually right. Once in the cliffs, I felt better about where I was and I proceeded to the control, just ahead of someone else.

For #14, I must have been going into oxygen debt. I mistook the line from #19 to #18 to the line I was supposed to run. I focused on the route choices and didn't notice the larger error of going to the wrong control. I started out going straight toward #18 even though if I needed to go there, I should have dropped down immediately. Once to the first trail crossing, I changed my route and did drop down. I climbed back up on the next trail and made my way past a bunch of young kids being led by some adults. I spiked #18 coming up from the trail, and confirmed the code. I next proceeded to #17 perfectly. Once there, I noticed that the numbers were getting lower and cursed. The route to #14 from there was uphill but I did get to use trails part of the way. I had a good attack from a trail bend and spiked it from there. I'd tried to run hard to make up time but my heel was hurting by this time and I was tired.

For #15, I ran back along my route to #14. I spiked the control but I was just too tired.

For #16, I ran the flattish areas around the little greens and spiked the control.

For #17, I dipped south to keep from losing too much elevation. At the end, I hooked to the left to spike it, however again I was tired.

For #18, I retraced my earlier route, from when I was making my mistake going to #14. The attack was more difficult this time but I spiked it.

For #19, I got a bit confused as I left #18. I had run a straighter route than planned so I was crossing some greener areas when I was expecting clearer forest. I recovered composure as I neared #2. Once across the last trail, I kept the large knoll on my left and went on bearing. The one fallen tree blocking the straight approach was unexpected but I went around it and spiked the control.

For #20, I just ran straight with a slight correction after crossing the trail.

For #21, I used the trail to the west for a way. At a bend, I cut the corner and went over a spur. I got off bearing doing this but realized it soon enough to emerge on the trail just SE of the control.

For #22, I used the trail that I'd taken toward #15, then ran the hillside to the long spur. I noticed someone coming in from my left who was going for the same control. He got there just before I had.

For #23, I left #22 just after the other guy. He took a straighter, hillier route. Our paths crossed and when I crested the last ridge, I found out that I had made the right choice and attack.

For #24, I went straightish. I was worried about getting into the wrong reentrant to climb ahead while moving faster going downhill. I was trying to stay ahead of the guy whom I'd just passed. He might have been feeling better than I had because as I made a slight correction at the big depression on the ridge, he was pretty close behind. I descended fast and spiked the control.

To finish, I left the control quickly, going straight down the reentrant. Before hitting the bottom, where it got steeper, I cut left. There was almost an elephant trail contouring along there but it wasn't so visible unless one was looking left. I got to the control well enough and caught my breath. As I started walking back, I saw the other guy searching for the control.

I was happy to have been able to run as well and as fast as I had given the lack of training. I need to watch the errors as I regain my speed.

Adv - Long - Splits