Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Intro to Orienteering
 

Mason Neck State Park, VA. QOC held a beginner event. It was unusually cool and there was a very nice breeze the whole day. I trained 2 groups and watched Samantha do a model (mostly) on her own. Samantha was afraid of the dragon flies which were large and active, so she needed some pushing to finish going through a field where the dragon flies were concentrating. After all this, I was planning to do a longer trail run but it was late and I was tired of standing. At the last minute, I opted to do the Yellow course as had most of the other advanced orienteers who were volunteering. I did fine, starting with not pushing too much. It made sense to stick to trails for most legs. I had heard that Peggy had made an error going from #5 to #9 but when I got there, I did almost the same thing. I did realize it as I was approaching #9, so I only lost about 30 seconds. I was running out of steam after #11.

Earth City, MO (near Saint Louis). From Rider Trail S. near the intersection with Rte. 141, to Hollenberg Dr., to Boenker Ln., to Forester Rd., to Rider Trail S. Though I went to dinner with co-workers again tonight, I did muster myself to run. I had a better chance to plan a route this time, though the areas to choose from had similarity. There were a bunch of corporate buildings, warehouses, and drink distributors. I did however pass some hotels, farmland, and even residences too. The biggest difference was that the route was relatively hilly. I hadn't realized the hilliness from just looking at the aerials. It started out gradually climbing right from the beginning, and even got steep at times. The return being predominantly downhill was much appreciated but with most of the route being on concrete roadway again (with almost no sidewalks), I was feeling the strain in my calves and knees a little. Though dark out, there were few cars and the run felt safe. Interestingly enough, just before going out, I'd seen a news report of a travel advisory issued by the NAACP for the whole state of Missouri. The greater Saint Louis area does seem to have a lot of disparity and the employees at the office where I'd worked this week had plenty of personal anecdotes, with it being very close to Ferguson. At dinner, my fellow traveling co-workers shared the feeling of lost opportunity with so much dilapidation in the downtown areas but sprawling mini entertainment cities popping up far in the suburbs.

Bethesda, MD. From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I was carrying my +20 lbs. suitcase again. Additionally, I had a laptop bag slouched on my back. I'd at least had on shorts and a t-shirt that I wore on the plane from Saint Louis (early, after flying back on a delayed flight, I had gone into my office in DC, and later yet, too the metro train to Bethesda). The ride wasn't that hard. It didn't take exceptional balance or energy, but it did put a strain on my back. I felt the strain through the evening at home so after watching La La Land with the kids, I decided to not try to run.

A group dinner precluded me running after work.

Earth City, MO (near Saint Louis). From Rider Trail S., Rams Way to Lakefront Dr., to Park Steed Dr., to Rider Trail S., a loop through the Holiday Inn parking lot, and back to Rider Trail S. It was warm but not so bad with the breeze. I was somewhat tired from working all day. Earth City is an industrial park--large warehouses and moving storage centers mostly. There are no sidewalks around my hotel. The streets are flat and concrete though a layer of asphalt is on top of the shoulders. I ran okay considering all of that. I held my phone and read the map sometimes so as not to get lost and have to run a lot of unnecessary distance. It helped since the scale of everything was larger than what I thought it'd be, and there were some extra roads I didn't notice when I cased out the route from my room.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I rode carrying a +20 lbs. suitcase in one hand.

QOC Intro to Orienteering at Wheaton, MD: I jogged and walked the White course with Samantha. She was enthusiastic starting out but soon needed a bathroom and had a hard time focusing. We stopped a lot, including at an outhouse, but she got hungry after that. We had to go right past an ice cream truck so Samantha got an ice slushy and a ride on the merry-go-round.

Wheaton, MD. Leaving from near the merry-go-round, I picked up some controls and dropped them off at the old ice rink. They were on stands so they started feeling heavy toward the end; especially after the last control which still had 3 good gallons of water that I carried.

After just about everything had been packed-up, I discovered that my van had been boxed-in by parked cars on all sides. A large family reunion, and a lot of other picnickers were in the park and there was no way to find the driver. I reached Heidi and David Onkst who were picking up the controls I'd dropped off earlier at the old ice rink. I walked over to them so we could eat. It was nice to catch-up with people on what they have been doing this summer so far. Afterward, Peggy drove me back. Even after +3 hours, I was still trapped. In about 15 minutes, some kids came by and they were able to get a parent to move a car with just enough room for me to escape.