Training Log Archive: Nadim

Max and I cleared off our driveway and car before going out to finish the errands we couldn't do the day before. There was another 5 inches on top of what had fallen earlier but my van was pretty clear since I'd driven it while most of the snow was falling the day before.

Event: QOC Cabin John - CANCELLED
 

We got 5-6 inches of nice snow! It was good to see. The roads were cleared off by 2pm. Max and I went out on some errands and the snow started-up again while we were out. Roads were getting to be tricky but few people were out and we had a good time.

MCRCC Winter Trails: From Diamond Elementary School in Gaithersburg, MD, Peggy and I set out with the group to get to Seneca Creek State Park. It was around 26 F. We went clockwise around the lake to start with. I hadn't been through the areas in a while and I was glad to see that not much had changed. I didn't see the guy I'd started with last week so I tried to keep my pace. The guy ahead of me was going a little too fast, and those behind me were not catching up much. I'd pull ahead of the guy (Nathin)and woman when going downhill, and they gain on me when I climbed. The woman dropped off as we went down the Long Draught Trail. At the Rifle Ford Rd. crossing, Nathin was not far behind. The route took us onto the Seneca Ridge Trail next and those doing the full run were to turn around at MD 118 (Germantown Rd.). I decided to hold off Nathin until the power line crossing, and to then turn around there. I was able to do that but 350m before the turn around, I took a fall. I'd been day dreaming and I stumbled on a rock in the trail. I bumped my left knee but came up running slowly. Going back alone, it was nice to see the rest of the group. They all were encouraging or just saying good morning. I saw the guy I'd run with the previous week too. I slowed more on the hills going back, and needed a bathroom. The route used the Mink Hollow Trail, making the return shorter. Getting back, it was 31 F. Peggy was waiting in the car and we had breakfast together like old times. :) This was the longest run (outside of orienteering) that I'd done in over a year, and brings be to about one sixth of all the running miles I'd done in 2018.

Lake Needwood, MD. I had an errand to do nearby so I stopped here first. Starting from the boat area parking lot, I went clockwise around the lake but I took a detour on a loop taking me onto the pipeline ride. It was pretty quiet in the park. My stomach was upset and I needed a bathroom halfway through. I finished-up a the parking lot near the dam.

I'd gotten a late start to the day and then worked around the house. My arms were tired from doing some ceiling work and I ran out of time to run in the day. With cold weather blowing in, I broke out the rolllers for the first time in a long while. Last year, I was unsteady enough with back pains that I didn't want to risk it. I hoped on this time and things went smoothly after finding the right gear. I watched television on the TV in our sun room that is not connected to cable. I have a digital antenna on that TV. All the channels on it were unrecognizable, but many of the same old shows were playing. Some stations were weak resulting in blocky movements but I didn't switch channels after getting going. On the rollers, I did ride off the side once, and catch myself bracing against the wall a few other times. Mostly that was from not paying attention.

From Northfield Rd., Charlcotte Rd., to Hampden Ln. to Wilson Ln. to Moorland Ln. to Hampden Ln. to Edgemoor Ln. to Exeter Rd. to Battery Ln., to Park Ln. to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. I got out a bit late as it was dark. It was also getting colder and windier. It had been snow flurrying earlier. Car traffic on the roads was more than expected. I felt slow but was realizing that I'm far out of shape.

From Winding Creek Park, in the Rock Creek valley, I ran up the paved Mathew Henson Trail to Connecticutt Ave. When headed back I'd seen a blaze for a dirt trail crossing the creek. I had passed it when I decided to explore, so I turned back and crossed the creek on stones. At first, the trail was pretty good. It paralleled my upstream route, but was aimed more at getting into a neighborhood on the other side. I turned back to the creek to continue (I'd seen parts of the trail when running upstream on the other side). As I got to a deep uncrossable gully, I turned left again toward another neighborhood road. When I could cross at the end of the gully, I did, but the trail quickly disappeared. I was left to cross the forest without a trail the last 150m before Viers Mill Rd. To make matters worse, the sun had set and it was getting hard to see. Some of it was thick or had deadfall so I really slowed to walk through it. It was a decent run but I thought I might have been running a little faster. The State Park that this all was in, is really thin and narrow but had mappable features, and was mostly open. There were signs of flooding and some occasional stands of invasive bamboo.