Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Dr. to the Bethesda Metro Station. Once again I kept encountering traffic, but it was a nice morning. Summer is coming--this was just warm enough that I started to feel the small of my back getting heated-up. So that it could cool and dry, I needed to sit without leaning back on the train.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Dr. There was a good headwind returning home.

From Northfield Dr. to Willow Ln. After I'd gotten home, I towed Samantha and rode along with Peggy and Max on a leisurely ride to get dinner. We meandered our way back on a very nice evening.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. There was a fair amount of traffic early on. I got passed near Dalecarlia so I drafted the guy up to Georgetown. There I passed him and finished up mostly alone. The winds were negligible or at least not much of a factor.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd. I'd narrowly escaped work on-time. The guard had already closed the gate despite a rider 30 seconds ahead of me asking her to wait. She was locking-up early and grumbled about having to open it just as I'd gotten there and the gates clanked. There was some bus traffic early but I got a draft off of it too. After that I had headwinds getting to Georgetown. I'd caught up to a young woman rider but couldn't get around for a while due to oncoming traffic. Taking separate ways to Water St., I did get ahead. The auto traffic was moderate in Georgetown but I caught up to a guy in green just as we were exiting to the Capital Crescent Trail. I wisely stayed in his draft. The young woman stayed close behind me--with everyone having some skill drafting closely, we were moving well through more bicycle traffic. We picked up another rider as we continued into the wind at a good pace. I was okay until we hit the climb. My legs were still tired from running so I had to put in more effort going up, just to keep up. At the overpass at the sewage treatment plant, an older rodie passed me but we still stayed a 4-5 person group that was moving well. Just before the River Rd. overpass the older cyclist got around the guy in green and both took off. I lost contact, but still pulled for the woman behind me. We split-up at Falls Rd. and I just tried somewhat unsuccessfully, to hold it all together getting home.

From Northfield Dr. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Down The Mall to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Rock Creek Trail, around the tunnel near the zoo, to Tilden St., to Connecticut Ave. to the Van Ness/UDC Metro Station. As I started, a thunderstorm was just ending. That meant it was cooler for a while but it got warmer and started to feel more muggy. I kept trying to keep a steady pace and thought I was. My GPS may have had an anomaly when it recorded me suddenly 30 seconds faster for one mile. I intended to run up Olmstead Way through the zoo, but the gate was closed. That meant I had to run further--I was holding up okay so that wasn't bad. Part of the trail was being repaved and Beach Dr. had been in the process of being narrowed to one lane. I was routed onto that road for a while. I was surprised that I was able to run all the way up out of the Rock Creek valley on Tilden St., and not feel that it was really difficult or hurt a lot. I guess some training is paying off though I'm still not watching what I eat as closely as I should.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Wisconsin Ave., to Battery Ln. I took a break there for an appointment and later went on to Northfield Rd. via Keystone Ave., N. Brook Ln., Old Georgetown Rd., Huntington Pkwy., and Custer Rd. I had intended to go back to the Bethesda Metro Station but I realized that my keys were in the running pouch I"d given Peggy to carry home. Later, after getting some groceries, I drove downtown to retrieve my bicycle.

From Northfield Rd., to Norfolk Ave. for lunch, then back. I looked around a little at some other lunch options. Though some stay around for a long while, other restaurants come and go in Bethesda a lot. I had toyed with the idea of runniing after this but rainy weather and the idea of a rest day quashed that.

I ran the Seneca Greenway Trail between Rte. 355, and the parking area on Watkins Mill Rd. It was in the low 80s F starting out. As soon as I entered the forest the climate was noticeably better. I was also surprised at how open the understory looked. It was more open than I remembered and it had been a long time since I'd run here. The hillside had invasive grass growing but it was all low. If I were running off trail, it would have been easy and nice. I wasn't used to the hills. This route is somewhat up and down the whole way. A portion of the trail had again been relocated. Now just about the whole thing is on the slope and out of the bottom lands which can get wet at times. I was slow. That's partly just being out of shape, and still not running enough. I did however enjoy the run a lot. I've missed going out on runs like this and longer ones.

From Northfield Rd., to Custer Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Johnson Ave., to Heampstead Ave., to McKinley St., to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd. I'd hoped to do a longer run today but I spent much more time at my mother's house with Samantha and my sister, than planned. By the time I was home it was near family dinner time. I ran short but still didn't eat with everyone (include a friend of Max's who was here for a sleepover), since I needed to take a shower. I ran in my old Nike Pegasus, which I'd considered a few years ago. There was a very light rain to start with but I didn't slip around or get wet from it as much as from my own sweat. I didn't sleep well the night before.