Training Log Archive: Nadim

Blockhouse Conservation Park, MD. From River Rd. Peggy and I got out early. It was a comfortable 55 F when we started, or close to that. I ran Peggy's pace and that was good because I was concerned about feeling hurt in my calves yesterday. We headed toward Swain's lock, where I could use an toilet. We found a new bridge over Muddy Branch creek, and we found and explored on the way back, what seemed to be a new trail. The new trail disappeared after only a short way. Our run to this point was basically out and back, but Peggy had planned to do more. I decided to hold off since I could feel some pain in my right calf was we climbed back to the parking lot. Reading in the parking lot as I waited for Peggy, I learned how Civil War soldiers had stolen livestock and horses from people across the county, and how up to that time Thanksgiving hadn't been celebrated. The tradition seemed to come south with the northerners as various fall feasts were recorded.

Event: QOC Manassas
 

QOC: Stuart's Hill, Manassas, VA. Since I felt ready to start running again, I thought I'd go for the Blue course today. I hadn't run Blue in a while. I set out to run calmly and finish. Gavin designed the courses and for the park, I thought they were pretty good. Several of the first legs were a bit too easy for advanced courses but he got us taking some different attacks and many points we'd been to before.

S-1 - This was a straight forward leg. I just used the edges of the fields and tried to use visually open ground.

1-2 - This was mostly a long trail run. I attacked from the trail bend and ran around the bit of green that was hiding the control from being seen head on.

2-3 - Up the trail and in from the bend. I went over the hill and was looking for more of a reentrant.

3-4 - Just straight around the right side of the pond.

4-5 - I was getting tired and not moving so fast. I thought that going SE and around to the right in the fields might lose me time, so I cut in early, across the lighter parts of the deadfall. Seeing myself parallel the field, I knew I'd made a mistake. I eventually got to the ridge and took it to the control. I probably lost a minute.

5-6 - Straight at it, using the road to my right to keep me straight.

6-7 - I kept a fairly straight route, not crossing the ridge until after crossing the first field. I went pretty close to the start, and after crossing the creek I followed the ridge.

7-8 - I used the road and attacked off the reentrant. I've gone straight here plenty of times before but the deadfall needs to be updated better for the map to tell if it'd save time or not.

8-9 - Straight - I'm moving slowly so walking through the trees was a good option for me. I used the ditches at the end.

9-10 - I followed the edge of the green to work my way to the control. I found the semi-open ground to be slippery from the tussocks of grass or mud under them. I was closing in on Dan Quinn on this.

10-11 - Straight, but with an attempt to aim off a bit. I did see Dan Quinn as he was exiting but he seemed to be leaving in the wrong direction.

11-12 - I went straight, and used the reentrant to guide me in. I hesitated short of it and Diana Aleksiev paused to my left too. I found it further down the stream Diana had been standing on.

12-13 - I ran right by #15, but mainly was trying to stay above the worst of the deadfall below to my right. I passed the house and went straight from there, ignoring trails. As I was approaching, I saw Peggy almost into the fields.

13-14 - Right back past the house and into the woods from a field corner, following the cairns.

14-15 - I started straight but zig-zagged through the deadfall. It was good getting a look at the control earlier as that helped me zero-in.

15 - 16 - I ran aiming for the field but seeing Diana and Vido Aleksiev, I may have gotten distracted. I cut to the right too much w/o correcting. I eventually reached the marshy semi-open terrain before hitting the field. The map seems to have changed on the other side of the field. I was worried but came in from the trail and spiked this last part. Overall, I probably lost a minute.

16 - 17 - Straight, going cautiously on a good bearing.

17 - 18 - As I was leaving, Peggy came in from behind me. I was indecisive on my route at that point and not seeing her since #13, I thought she was ahead still. The distraction and need to beat my wife led to me rushing out of there toward a trail. I somehow thought I would hit the trails to the left, but I hit the one on the right. As I ran ahead of Peggy, things weren't matching-up. I ran slower than I would have. After passing some bridges I stopped hearing Peggy behind me and knew what I'd done at the same time. I cut back and into the woods along the creek. I could see Peggy ahead, with no way for me to catch her before #18.

18-19 - With Peggy ahead, I ran straight and harder. I passed her a little bit before the White control on the trail. The control location on this wasn't really valid--there are no distinct trees any more. I plunged into trees from the field edge and seeing the reentrant I cut rigth, finding it quickly.

19-20 - I dropped down to the creek and ran along it. I thought I was seeing the spur on the south (right) side of the creek, so I came up to the left from there. I found a reentrant, but not the control. I ran to the next one down and found it. It could be that I was reading the contours incorrectly here. The bend of the creek forms a contour looking like a spur.

20-21 - Going straight, I passed the lake on the left side, crossed the stream, and followed it up to the next dam.

21-22 - I started to back out and go across below the dam but the vegetation looked too bad. Reversing again and passing #21 again, I went up the right side of the stream. From there I was wandering a bit. The map had changed too much to be very useful. If the map showed the houses on the east side of the road, it would have helped. I eventually found a bigger block of green forest and the boulders, not the dot knoll shown on the map.

22-23 - I ran up around the marshy pond, then across the field. I didn't try to make a correction on my bearing for being north of the leg line, but I did drift left, where others were. Along the way, my recently injured right calf started to make itself known. I slowed a little. Once in the trees, I was surprised to see the pond/lake so close. I saw a control so I went to check it. Finding it to be a different one than what I was searching for, I went north and found the control. I passed Don Fish and his son's dog along the way. I probably lost 45 seconds.

23-F - Coming out of #23, I thought about going on the right (west) side. It seemed longer. It was a bit green getting to the left (east) side and I cut out early rather than risk going down where the woods were better, on the hope of finding a better way out. Once in the field, I was worried about my right calf. When the hillside was sloping to the right, i didn't feel pain. However, I kept my pace steady rather than push it in.

Blue - Splits

I went back and forth from Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. I got distracted by some more trash that I needed to put out before it was collected. Initially, I'd left my key in the door and when I first got to the station, I realized it and rode back. There was a little bit of a headwind going to the station and the temperatures were in the 50s. I was dressed for work and by the time I got done riding, I was hot enough to get a sweaty back.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down Independence Ave., to 17th St., along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial circle, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to P St., NW., to 20th St., NW., to the Dupont Circle Metro Station at Q St., NW. I last ran this in December. It was near 80 F and I was about a minute slower today. There were lots of tourists out (especially at the Lincoln Memorial) and I had a few stops for traffic. During the run I just tried to make regular progress and I didn't want to push it for fear of breaking something else. I'll need to do a lot more running to be ready for the Billygoat, and I'm going to try to do it. My right calf felt okay during this run. My left calf started tightening up a little just before finishing. I stretched afterward and cooled off. A tailwind had kept me from feeling the breeze earlier.

C • running 1

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired from running. It was till warm. I had a tailwind and was riding in my running shorts but there was traffic.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was in the mid 50s F with some headwinds. After getting to the trestle bridge, I got more sheltered from the wind and I even drafted a bus on Ohio Dr. through most of West Potomac Park. I had done some stretching this morning and could feel tighter and more uncomfortable in my right calf. I'd stayed-up late finishing the posting of pictures taken from last weekend.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I left work late so initially there was less traffic. I got past a large group of tourists on bicycle after rounding the Jefferson Memorial. I was ahead of average time getting through Georgetown. Most of that was with a nice tailwind and it lasted most of the way afterward until reaching Dalecarlia. There, the curving of the Capital Crescent Trail took me into the wind until Falls Rd. My pace slowed to below normal but I finished feeling relatively strongly.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. There was a bit of a tailwind and only a little traffic. I aim to run today. We took Peggy out to dinner for her birthday yesterday, and it also rained in the morning.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave. to Norwood Ave. and Norwood Park, to Arlington Rd., to Kenwood Forest Ln. to Bradley Blvd., Fairfax Rd., to Clarendon Rd., to Hampden Ln. to Denton Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. to the Bethesda Metro Station. This is my first run in 6 weeks in which I didn't feel any calf pain when trying to run. Yay! I guess I'm not inured any more. My right leg did still feel weaker and my right quadriceps felt a little sore from the orienteering over the weekend. I'll try to stay cautious with the road running. It was a really nice and sunny 70 F day with a breeze--great for running. That motivated me to add on rather than come back on the Capital Crescent Trail. I had some start and stops getting through downtown Bethesda pedestrian and auto traffic, and my extension, though hillier, avoided that mess.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired from running and there were some headwinds, but the air was warm.