Training Log Archive: Nadim

Rosaryville State Park, MD. I jogged over to the start of QOC's Mid-Atlantic Championships. I was short on time with about 80 minutes before the relay was to start.

QOC: Mid-Atlantic Championships. Returning to the park where Peggy and I got married (2002), I enjoyed the nice, nice weather and had a pretty good run. There was room for improvement for sure but my running is surprisingly continuing to improve without much training on my part. I guess the nerves are continuing to reconnect after my back problems. I still feel some back warnings like after this run and when I do some things around the house, but overall my back issues seems to be getting better.

S-1 Kathleen Lennon had started right before me and with the start out in the open, I saw her head off to the SW, knowing she was on the same Green course that I had chosen (I chose Green since I had a fair chance of scoring for QOC and I didn't feel I was strong enough to run well on both a Blue course and do the relay). When I looked at the leg, it seemed obvious to me to go SE and round the barn so I did confidently. I cut down from there and crossed the gullied stream at a distinct bend on a fairly straight route. I didn't seen the option that Adras showed me later to use the trail through the green, but it was probably best that I hadn't taken that route.

1-2 I went just left of straight to get around the fallen tree, and didn't use the trail initially. I got on the trail at the second crossing but only until I could see the reentrant on the other side. From there it was just getting across the creek and up, and I had to cut left out of the way a little to keep from slipping on a steep slope.

2-3 I climbed and got on trails to get through the green. I cut across at bends when the trails veered in the wrong directions. I had briefly lost contact with the map. In the power lines, I was loath to drop down to the nicer woods. Instead, I got hung up in the green till I got to the white woods. Once I saw the big reentrant on the other side, I crossed and spiked it in the next reentrant.

3-4 - I angled down to cross the creek, then up. I was lazy about running all the way up too the long straight trail, and instead ran on the lower one south of the large knoll. I continued straight through the light green and went left around the deadfall at the end. In retrospect, using the long straight trail and coming in from the right was better.

4-5 - I angled pretty much on the straight line until crossing the road and stream near the lake. I contoured a little getting around the broad spur south of the control. I was glad the control was visible but expected to see it on a rootstock instead of the stream.

5-6 - Straight for the most part. I passed an older guy who was walking on the climb.

6-7 - I was rushing too much and didn't plan routes through most of this race--something I need to work on more. I ran straight across, checking my progress at the forked trail intersection and adjusting when I crossed just below the fork. I spiked it in the end but I probably would have been faster if I'd used the trail.

7-8 - I had gotten to #7 just before Kefin Culberg had, coming from another direction. I led most of the way but slowed when I stumbled on some roots under the leaves. We'd gotten a little high and to the right. Kevin had just passed the control when I saw it and cut left. Kevin realized it quickly and still got there ahead of me.

8-9 - I really was rushing too much. I didn't visualize the contours correctly for the part after the road. I realized I had up and down incorrect but it took me time to adjust. I hugged the hillside and came in north of the line. Unfortunate for me, I hit a parallel ditch that I just couldn't read on the map while running. It was partly obscured by the 9-10 leg line. I almost hit the trail, and saw the rootstock SE of #9 before slowly coming back and finding the control back down the hill. I figured the second ditch hadn't been mapped when I got to the control.

9-10 I ran straight to the trail intersection. I didn't try to push too hard and was a little worried about the footing with leaves obscuring sticks and ruts. I spiked it but at one point, I thought I was on the parallel ride just to the south of the control.

10-11 - I followed the open ground NE, then cut down to the parallel path. I cut through the supposed fight easily. However, once through, I climbed on a bad bearing and found myself far north of the control. I thought I should have contoured around to the south but it seemed so far away that I got confused and kept climbing. On top, the terrain was mostly open except for a wall of green to the south. The map didn't show this change in vegetation but I plunged through it and dropped into the reentrant. The control was sitting in a small patch of white forest.

11-12 - I was not wanting to take risks after my effort getting to #11 so I climbed rather than try to punch through what was supposed to be fight on the straighter route. I crossed the trail and slowed getting across the reentrant to the next trail--it was the same trail and I would have saved time running around. I angled up (NE) and found a fairly easy way through the green--of course, sticking on the trail would have been fine too. I just thought it was going to drop too much which was an incorrect assessment. I went to the power line pylons and got on a small trail in the white woods. I cut across the rough open---they'd mowed a path which made it fairly easy. I punched through a small bit of green and was in a reentrant. I should have cut across it more instead of following it straight down. At least when I got to the gully, I knew which way to turn. I was going to cross it but once in the gully, I felt like I could run it to the control. It sort of worked but the walls were slippery and V-shaped like the symbol. I had a hard time staying out of the water and slipped and fell at one point. I almost gave up staying in the gully but then I could see the control or the gully bend ahead. It was slow going through this gully but I got there. My bigger error was not punching my way through the green at the beginning of this leg to the long trail.

12-13 - I was tired from climbing, running through green and running through the gully. I closed-in on a guy ahead by angling up to the ride more than him. I almost caught him at the control.

13-F - I was still feeling tired and the straighter way looked slower than the road. I cut NE to the road and ran on it well, increasing speed along the way. I was cautious not to run so hard that I risked pulling something, and I didn't want to wear myself out for the relay with a sprint. Had I run like Tori, or gone on the straighter route, I might have won the course. I did pickup control #13 and walked the straighter way to the finish. Still uncertain, there did seem enough with the steeper hill, weaving through the vegetation, and a missing formline or regular reentrant, that my chosen route might have been best for me.

Overall, I was happy about this race. It was the first time I'd broken 9 minutes per kilometer in a long while, and I didn't make many errors. Better route planning is still needed.

QOC: Mid-Atlantic Championships. I was on a 3 point relay team with Amber Tomas leading off (I think we were actually 5 points). Amber did pretty well I think. I caught 2-3 other teams on my portion. Jon Torrance was anchor and caught 2-3 more again. We finished just 2 seconds or so after the 2nd place team, the Campbell family. The 6 and 9 point teams had handicaps. The Riley family team, representing DVOA, won by several minutes. My course was like a Yellow course and I was happy about that.

S-1 I intended to go straight but couldn't see a good way through the edge of the forest. I cut around the right, but stayed off the trails.

1-2 I dog-legged back but was going too fast. I didn't read the trail that #2 was sitting on. Once to the open, I cut right into the woods again instead of taking the trail a very small distance around.

2-3 I left #2 but went back to double-check the control. After that, I passed a woman who was hesitating about taking the trail around. I went straight across both trail crossings. I had to cut left to the control a bit but was glad that I saw it.

3-4 - back up the way I'd come, I did use the trail for a short distance. I had already seen people at the spectator control earlier, so I went right to it.

4-5 - As I started-off, I could see several people ahead. I closed-in on them (I think 2 were Petya Aleksiev, and Keg Good) but there were more. I wanted to go straighter and punch through the green but as I looked at it, it looked like that'd be too slow. I hedged and ultimately cut through about 10m from the end. I angled down to spike it.

5-6 - I was still anticipating a longer race, not having looked ahead enough. I ran the hill but paced myself. I passed Petya and Keg along the way and hit the break in the trees well. I was hesitant with a line of trees inside the break that didn't appear to be mapped (it was actually there but mapped much thinner than reality now dictates). I also ran down the hill in an injury preventive kind of way and could see other guys leaving to my right.

6-7 - I came up the hill feeling slow. I angled over toward the power line pylon. I gained ground on those ahead and saw that some were going the longer way around through a break in the trees too early. I didn't catch them.

7-8 - I was surprised by how much sprint the other guys had. I ran well and perhaps gained more on them, but I didn't catch the 2 guys ahead.

QOC: Rosaryville State Park, MD. I picked-up 6 controls. 3 of them had control stands, and one was a water stop. I lugged back a full gallon for less than the last half and walked all of that. My heel/arch was hurting.

Green - Splits

Relay Leg 2 - Splits

From Westbard Ave. to Ridgefield Rd., to Brookside Dr., to Woodlawn Ave., to Kennedy Dr., to Bradley Blvd., to Wilson Ln., to Aberdeen Rd., to Aberdeen Pl./Garfield St., to Northfield Rd. After breakfast with MCRRC, we went over to pickup Samantha's cake and I ran back. It was only around 50 F but the headwinds were strong. That and the generally uphill route kept me cool and feeling slow for most of the run.

From Northfield Rd., to Arlington Rd. in downtown Bethesda, near Elm St. Max and I rode to go buy him some new basketball shoes. It was dark and somewhat cool. We took our time going about it and walked to a second store.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I had planned on running but it didn't work into the schedule.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Carderock Park, C&O Canal Towpath north toward Great Falls to Mile Marker 13, then back. It was around 63 F, sunny and breezy. It felt good. I could feel the headwind going out along the Widewater just before the turnaround. I kept focusing on my stride coming back--it's not so strong due to lack of training but I kept up a good pace. I took mile splits but the markers along here are so far off that they aren't worth reporting.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I had left my laptop at home so I went back to work from there.

From Northfield Rd. to Norfolk Ave., and Del Ray Ave. for lunch, then back.