Training Log Archive: Nadim

I caught the flu that Max had picked-up earlier.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area, MD. I started from Riffleford Rd. and worked my way up a reentrant.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

Event: QOC Greenbelt
 

Event: 2015 Billygoat Run
 

QOC: Greenbelt, MD. I had hedged a lot about whether or not to run the short option of the Billygoat, or stay home. Having been in Kansas City all week played into staying home, as did seeing my mom and getting Samantha to some birthday parties. I also had run a little more so I thought to give it a true weekend warrior try and do Blue.

I was probably first out on Blue and I knew that the course setters were both setting their first courses. Greenbelt Park is aptly named with a lot of greenbriars so I wasn't sure what to expect. I figured that just getting out and going longer would be good.

S-1 I went fairly directly, crossing the road and using the trails a little to get over the ridge, then dropping to the stream. I followed the stream down to the control. What I had trouble with was getting used to the small symbol size of the revised map. The map had been re-done last year but I had missed that meet and didn't realize how hard it was going to be to read. Just about everything was accurate on the map but smaller than standard. I continually struggled to find my place on the map despite having magnifying eye glasses.

1-2. I ran for the trails and crossed the road. I went straight after the trail hit a t-intersection and right to the control. However, I misread the map and though that I was looking for a ditch intersection a little further down. I had to circle back and lost almost a minute.

2-3. I ran straight across the ditches and spiked the control.

3-4. I ran the trails to get near to the road, then ran on that. At the end, I got one reentrant too far to the left so I had to come over a slight hill. I lost about 30 seconds.

4-5. I saw another guy heading out my direction and by taking a more direct route, I almost caught him. However on the road, I plunged into the green sooner than he did. It was slow in the green and I thought that this control could have been better placed elsewhere.

5-6. Out to the road, I dropped almost to the stream, then wen west along it. I pulled up a little short by looking at where the bridge crossed a gully on the other side of the stream. I corrected appropriately but still there was no control. I zig-zagged wondering if the new course setters had made a mistake. Soon the guy at #5 had come to the area. We both went on another loop before I decided to go on. The control had been stolen.

6-7 I ran just left of straight and passed a homeless encampment on top of the ridge. Crossing the reentrant, I climbed to a ditch, then cut further west. I cut back eastward, then sure of my position, I attacked without finding the control, so I decided to move-on to #8. I had checked the area thoroughly.

7-8. I ran straightish and could read the ditches. still, there was no control. I was really doubting the course setters by this time.

8-9. I ran westward down to the trail and attacked from low. I was able to spike it.

9-10. I missed the route option to climb and go through the campgrounds. Instead, I got onto the Perimeter Trail by cutting across the forest. As I was nearing the Blueberry Trail, I couldn't see the trails on the map. Approaching the intersection, I got distracted by a guy with 2 big leashed dogs. I climbed the wrong Blueberry Trail and made a parallel error that I never would have done if the map were more legible. The trails were getting lost in the vertical slash. I lost over 10 minutes partly because I was again doubting the course setting (the course setting was just fine with the exception of a few controls being somewhat hidden.

10-11. I ran the Blueberry Trail to the Perimeter Trail, then hesitated as I crossed Still Creek on the bridge (I could have gone a straighter route but didn't want to get wet). Coming along Still Creek, I found the reentrant and climbed it to the control.

11-12. I climbed to the Laurel Trail and took the Perimeter Trail until I could attack the control.

12-13. I ran to the trailhead at the parking lot, crossed the road and then the creek, then cut right. When I hit the Perimeter Trail, I mistook a trail bend for one further west. Subsequently, I went down the trail too far before attacking and missing. I cut back and hit the control well. I probably lost about 1 minute.

13-14. I went straight, climbing a bit. When I crossed the road, the leg was so similar to #1, that I crossed a gully at the same top of it location. I hesitated just a bit before spiking the control.

14-15. I felt teased being so close to the finish but having a loop to do first. I went straightish, crossed the stream, and got onto the Perimeter Trail. I took that to the bridge south of the control, then ran in.

15-16. I ran back to the Perimeter Trail, over the hill, then back into the thorns. It was a little slow and I was moving slowly at that.

16-F. It took me a while to get around the thorns but there was no time lost really. I crossed the stream on the Perimeter Trail bridge and got onto the road. I went on the west side of the parking lot and just wasn't able to run very fast. This was the longest that I'd gone since November and I was weak on my right side.

I tightened-up pretty quickly after running and had to limp a little. My back was hurting at the base of the spine on the right side. My right hamstring, right back of the knee, and top of my right calf were sore. I'd also bruised my left foot when running on something that must have been like a beaver spike--I remember thinking at that time that it was a really good thing that I had strong shoes.

Blue - Splits

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area, MD. I started from Riffleford Rd. and worked my way up a reentrant. I spent half the time on some detailed gullies, and a big chunk of the rest of it laying out some indistinct vegetation boundaries. It was sunny and 77 F. I didn't have much time since before going, I'd dropped-of Samantha at a birthday party and I had to be back when the party ended.

I had some things to catch-up on at work and by the time I was done with that, I rushed out to fly home.

After another full day meeting, I ran with Michael Martinez, one of the other managers. Michael hasn't run as much as I have in the past but does get out a few times a week. I did find myself slowing down for him at times, though I didn't feel all that energetic myself. We ran from Lenexa Park, over to the Tomahawk Trail to then back. We added on just a bit to make sure that it totaled 4 miles.

I had an office dinner so I didn't run, and back home it was Peggy's birthday.

Overland Park, KS. From College Ave. and Woodson Dr., I cut through a corporate parking lot, got onto W. 115th St., took Glenwood Ave., got onto W. 119th St., got onto the Sprint Parkway, took W. 117th St., took Nail St., took W. 112th, St., and stopped at Woodson Dr. again Before going, I was having definite lower back pain but this time it was a little on my left side. My bak felt better later, after the run. I also had gotten rained on for a short while. I hadn't intended to go this far. My legs were sore from the day before and I'm so out of shape that I don't want to push it much. However, I got going around the huge Sprint campus and it was much bigger than I thought it'd be. These parts of the Kansas City suburbs are odd in the way they change so much from block to block with rural, corporate, and urban terrain. So far this week, I've more than doubled the non-orienteering running miles that I've done for the entire year.

Near Monticello, KS. After flying-in I stopped off for a run. I started from Lawrence Rd. near the intersection with Midland Dr. (near Starwood Park). From there I ran the Gary L. Haller Trail northward past the Mid-America Sports Complex, to the Johnson Dr. overpass, then went back. It was nice to have a relatively flat area that was both quiet and sometimes scenic. The trail paralleled Mill Creek. There were many 20-30ft. mud-banks along the rain swollen creek.

Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Stream Valley, MD. I had to take Max to a soccer game so I came late, only for control pickup. Having mapped the area this was probably just as good. I was hoping to go slow enough to make some map updates. As it turned out, I didn't have that many controls to get and didn't see a lot to update. I noted some rootstocks and other minor fixes. I wasn't thinking so well during this. The circle showing me which controls to get was not that hard to see but it was drawn only in pen--I ended up going to a control that I thought I needed to pickup but when I got there, I realized that someone else had the control and had gotten it already. Later, I picked-up a bag, leaving the box. On the very next control, I got distracted by a woman asking me questions about doing a QOC event--I subsequently picked-up the box but left the bag.

Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Park, MD. I ran out to get the one box that I'd left earlier, then discovered that I'd also left a bag on the next control. I was surprised that I was able to move as quickly as I had done.

As I was driving awas and passing parts of the park, I realized how much new deadfall there was. It's too bad because some of the nicest areas were more covered by blowdown.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area, MD. I started from Riffleford Rd. and worked my way along Great Seneca Hwy. between Long Branch, and Seneca Creek. This was not difficult terrain but I had some trails to add and a lot of point features. I spent a while trying to map out a small marsh but I decided later that it will be better on paper to make it more general. I covered some interesting flood plain. There were some long parallel ditches that had depressoins along the way. Most of the terrain was quite nice but leaves will be coming out soon. I lost track of time and ended up being late for a lunch with my parental family.

Physical Therapy restistance workout with polymer bands. I also got the usual ultrasound, massage, stretching, and electrostimulation. I have been noticing increased flexibility of my shoulder. On the downside, I've been having more backpain and foot numbness on my left foot. It was nice that the rain had finally stopped.

I did some arm work to stretch out my shoulder. Other treatments were similar but not so harshly done--electro stimulation, ultrasound, massage stretching.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. I knew this would be the best day of the week but I wasn't prepared to try to run. I got busy instead.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I missed a physical therapy appointment.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area, MD. I started from Riffleford Rd. and worked my way over toward the disc golf course. I had wanted to finish getting the vegetation colors in some places and cover more of the slopes that I'd missed getting to earlier. I never really made it there, instead covering other ridges with the most open forest that I'd been in in a long while. There was deadfall and low vegetation in some of this but in general this area was a pleasure to map and go through. I have a lot more to do. I could have used more hours.

Event: QOC Manassas
 

QOC at Manassas Battlefield. I got a very late start and was rushing while the kids were distracting. I rushed out without clue descriptions on a Red map that I had used to copy the Green course onto. There were a lot of intersecting lines so as I got distracted bumping into David Onkst and Gary Smith, I navigated right to the wrong control (trying to get to #5). Besides that, I ran okay. I had been worried since I've been having increased back pain. I enjoyed Daniel H's course. I made a few not so good choices and an error going from #7 to #8,and #8 to #9. Thank again to Valarie who watched over Samantha while Peggy and I ran. After running, I flew a kite with Samantha--her first and still later we had a nice but late lunch with some of the old gang--fun times.

Green - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt slow and kind of on the weak side.

I did some arm work to stretch out my shoulder. Other treatments were similar but not so harshly done--electro stimulation, ultrasound, massage stretching.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt slow and kind of on the weak side.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. My back has been acting up and I even have been doing some more limping.