Training Log Archive: Nadim

Lake Neewood, Rock Creek Regional Park, MD. From the trailhead or what's better known as the end of the of the Rock Creek Trail, I ran trails on the east side of Lake Needwood to the pipeline ride, through the tunnel under the Inter-County-Connector (ICC, Route 200), through a part of Zadok Macgruder HS, to the paved trail through North Branch Park, to Muncaster Mill Rd. at Meadowside Rd. (the entrance of Lake Frank), to Avery Rd., to Needwood Lake Dr. (entrance to the Lake Needwood area), down to the lake trail, and back to the paved trailhead for the Rock Creek Trail near the dam. I was pretty weak on this run either from breakfast, not being rested enough or just not ready to run.

I hadn't intended to go this far today either. Having slept-in I ate a small breakfast and then decided to go with Peggy when she announce a plan to run at Lake Frank. She'd mixed-up the names of the lakes as many people do, so when we went to Lake Needwood, I had it in my head to run trails around Lake Frank. Having mapped a lot here, I planned a loop to go along Lake Needwood, through North Branch Park, and along Lake Frank. That turned-out to be too far with Peggy expecting me and waiting after her shorter run. Realizing it, I improvised this shorter route. Some trails had changed a little. I was disappointed that a paved trail with a promised bridge over North Branch Rock Creek hadn't been built yet. It stopped where I'd last seen it built to, despite Google's site making it look complete.

Earlier than that, cutting through the high school, I got partway before being turned away. It was probably because I didn't have a mask. I still feel that I can't run with one and so I run at late hours or mostly in little traveled areas. I passed 50m away from some kids doing outdoor Karate in the front end of the school, but in the back, on the football field and 150m away from anywhere I was going, other people were doing something and I was turned away. I had to go through the pipeline ride that I'd been following since Lake Needwood, but the ride near the high school was thorny with only an intermittent animal trail to get through it on. After getting through that and losing a small amount of blood, I was surprised to find that they'd mowed the big field in North Branch Park. That would have been perfect to make the area useable for orienteering. It's likely to grow back to a mess again but nice to know that they do still mow it sometimes.