Training Log Archive: Nadim

Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park, MD. I was able to get out at a good hour and the rain held off. First up was manually resetting a north bearing on the map. I'd thought I'd made a mistake previously with the adjustment to magnetic north but I'm not entirely sure what was going on. Perhaps iron ore or some irregularity from the power lines had confused my attempt to manually align the map previously. I think it was more than just not using the minus sign to adjust -10.76 degrees. I used the long fence along the quarry property border (north end of the park) to manually align today. It seemed to match-up okay with point features I'd recorded on my last outing.

Today I continued along the north end of the park and headed west. There were many point features to be found and mapped, though I found more ditches than I'd pulled off of the LiDAR previously. Since heading west took me across Greenbriar Branch, I had to work my way through it. The mapping of it that I'd done using aerial photography was helpful. I could usually use the corridors. Sometimes I was able to pin down my location on the base map because of mapped vegetation. There were lots of rootstocks and boulders as I'd found previously. These were more interspersed amonst mapped vegetation so they were a little more challenging to place on the map. I'll have to rely on and adapt my GPS information to get this right. My GPS was giving me trouble at times because it was take a track but get stuck while saving it. I had to start and stop the GPS unit sometimes.

Bethesda Turkey Chase 2019. I had hoped to be better prepared for this but kept dropping expectations with the lack of training in October and some breaks in November. Moreover, I just got too busy this week leading up to the race, and not getting enough sleep for a few days. With those considerations, I ran pretty well. I started off with Ted Good, David Onkst, and my son Max. back in September, I'd predicted Max would beat me with his high school Cross Country training but he'd stopped running and has been doing wrestling recently.

We started quickly in the 2nd wave. A tailwind added to the downhill first mile. I'd bumped or flubbed the starting of my watch so somewhere in the second quarter mile I restarted it. Ted passed David, Max and I and had a +100m lead as we turned north away from NIH to start the hills. Max stopped to tie his shoelace. There course was rerouted from previous races. There was more going through the housing developments. It seemed hillier overall, but went up and down less. Max caught back up with David and I very quickly. Soon after, just before we hit a long climb, I backed off the pace David was holding and Max stuck w/me. Max was often hanging just a half step behind me. We started getting passed a lot. We'd probably started off in a wave a little too fast for us. The 3rd mile came up faster than expected, due to the course being rerouted. Max drank at every water stop, including the informal one that the Boy Scouts setup shortly after 3 miles. As we climbed the grade on Rockville Pike between NIH and Bethesda Naval Medical Hospital, Max was hanging back even more. I encouraged him once in a while and he pulled equal again. We ran Battery Ln. which I was very familiar with. It had a bend that hid the last bit of hill to Old Georgetown Rd. Though Max still stayed close to Old Georgetown, I picked up the pace there, since it was flatter and it seemed like the wind was at my back. Without knowing it at first, I pulled ahead. I started passing others for a change. At around the local hospital, the wind was perhaps not twirling as much and definitely a headwind. I kept pushing my pace and either staying with others or passing. Passing Cedar Ln., the route was mostly downhill. Different people were putting in their finishing kicks. I usually hold my own during that stretch, but others were just too strong. I probably got passed by most of the people I'd passed when turning onto Old Georgetown, even though I was running well. My overall pace was 8:39--I'd been running faster than that on training runs though in places not as hilly.

It turned out that Ted Good had stopped somewhere on Old Georgetown Rd. with a cramp. David had passed him and Ted wasn't able to catch up. Ted finished 52:02, and David finished 50:20. Max finished in 54:10.
Peggy finished in 58:39. Samantha had walked with Heidi Onkst and Darcy Good. Alexis Merka ran 1:04:36 and her mom Dagmar Merkova ran 1:05:49. Howie Weinstein finished in 45:00, but I think Tom Nolan ran best of all, winning the masters in 46:02, in 213th place overall--67 years old! Don Fish had come to see his son run. Kenny Walker, and Samantha Walker had apparently come too but I didn't see them. Some of us had our usual stop for bunch at Bagel City afterward. We also had a nice Thanksgiving dinner in the evening, making it a game night.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station. There was light traffic.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station, then back to Northfield Rd., then back to the metro station. I'd ridden quickly to the station the first time and since I was distracted by having to get a spare key for Samantha (who'd lost her's), I forgot my work identification.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

Event: QOC Hemlock Overlook
 

QOC: Hemlock Overlook. I ran pretty consistently today. I just about spiked all the controls, except for maybe #13. However, I am not sure I used the fastest route choice. My overall result was pretty good. The course was set by new course setters and was physical. My climb registered at 130m above the course rating. Some of the control locations were in steep, precarious places where a badly timed slip could result in a bad fall.

S-1 - I thought to run back up the road since I was having a hard time reading the trail in front of me at the start. I took it anyway, then ran down a long reentrant.

1-2 - Rather than go low, I backtracked, then turned left up a side reentrant. Getting to a trail, I attacked from above and could see it when I was not far off the trail.

2-3 - Rather than drop down, I went just left of straight. This took me through the dark green but following a ditch, that way was only steep. I got to the trail and could see it from the field. Yuri was coming up as I approached.

3-4 - I went back to the field and was about to go past the lake when I noticed Yuri going up the power lines. That route looked better so after stopping, I chased. I caught Yuri at the road but got confused. I was thinking that the start area was where I'd parked, near the registration, and that the control should be before then. I realized what was what and went on to punch.

4-5 - I thought about not drinking but I was probably dehydrated starting this morning, so I did. I was able to leave before Yuri. I cut across using trails as much as possible, and being left of the line.

5-6 - I crossed the first trail and used the second. This kept my climb down but was longer. Attacking from the east, I spiked it.

6-7 - I went straight, but stayed out of the slash.

7-8 - I doubled back to the trail I'd attacked #6 from. At the trail I saw Yuri heading toward #7. I left the trail at the unmapped junction with the old ride. I crossed to a reentrant that took me to the creek, and I cut downward only to the next reentrant before climbing. From there I followed a side reentrant and went straight to spike it.

8-9 - I ran down the reentrants and as I approached the creek, I saw Michael Dickey ahead, but further downstream. I kept going straight from there and closed in on Michael. I was watching the ridgetop and saw Michael turn left going down the ridge. I saw a hint of the pit rim with some white stones and turned toward it. That spiked it for me and Michael was nowhere to be seen.

9-10 - I ran the ridge and enjoyed the open gently downhill sloping running. Not far after leaving #9, I saw Michael was already headed back. I had picked up my speed a little thinking he'd catch me but spiked #10 and didn't see him.

10-11 - I started out going right of straight and crossed the stream above the unmapped earthbank. Climbing, I corrected left a little, came over the top and stopped for a second. I set my bearing and turned to look and it was obvious. I spiked it.

11-12 - I angled up to the ride and ran it past the saddle and past the first knoll to the left. At the next reentrant to the left, I saw enough of an opening in the green to run through so I took it. Nearing the bottom I saw Michael Stasiowski coming up. I hesitated at the first reentrant but figued it to be the one mapped in dark green. Running the flats I remembered that someone said something about a control being in a lot of vegetation on the south end of the map (I didn't read the course notes before I started). I was happy to see the next reentrant and soon the control.

12-13 - I backtracked the flat ground, and most of my earlier route from the ride. Cutting left I realized the vegetation mapping here was out of date. I passed one dense area of green that I thought might have been the one with the control, so I turned left after it. I saw nothing and realized I hadn't crossed the ridge yet. Going across, I found the other green but the shape was feeling like the one that'd been mapped. I spiraled in going clockwise so I guess I didn't spike this one.

13 -14 - I ran left of the line since the running was best there. Climbing after the reentrant before the control, I got just above the vegetation but that turned out to be too high. I had to drop down. This was a somewhat dangerous place.

14-15 - I walked sometimes reaching out out to the base of trees at eye level ahead of me--very steep. Using the contours I hit the right area. On teh run I didn't realize that the reentrant I saw was one leading to the control so I attacked from above. I had to use the reentrant to get down low enough and then come over. Again, this control was in a dangerous location.

15-16 - I angled through the woods to the N/S trail. I left it past the trail intersection and dropped to a side reentrant. I crossed that side reentrant and climbed to cross it before reaching the creek at the bottom. Going up the creek on the right side, I left right at where the leg line crosses the creek on the map. I spiked it.

16 -17 - I angled right of straight to save climb and got on the trail north of the power line. I left just before the bottom. My feet were hurting already from sidehill running. I had to climb a little but could see the control 30m out.

17-18 - I went straight and had to cut right to the reentrant junction at the end (where the control was visible ahead on the left ditch).

18-F - I walked a lot but went as straight as possible, spiking it.

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd. via Greenwich Park, to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Woodglen Dr., to Nicholson Ln., to Executive Blvd./Jefferson St. at Lorraine Dr. in Rockville. I hadn't run this in a while. It was around 40 starting out. My mile times varied with the climb. We met the old MCRRC crowd for breakfast at Panera Bread. At one point Peggy remarked "Dude, I wasn't even born when you graduated high school!" They are a good talkative subgroup from NASA who've done a lot for MCRRC.

Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park, MD. After doing some things at home, I got over to the park in time to beat the rain. It was about 40 F but felt colder. This was my first time actually trying to field check here as the outing Peggy and I did earlier was really scouting.

I got started from a fence corner and put a nearby dot knoll and rootstock on paper. Going to a visible rootstock further out, I didn't have anything to triangulate from. At first, I took a waypoint on my GPS and just estimated the distance on paper. That usually works for me in other places but with the area sloping so gently and evenly, I could't pin point it on paper as I would in places with more contour. After doing my best with that, I tried to place a boulder next but again, only had my last mapped feature that was visible and helpful. As this park is mostly point features, my notes were getting messy quickly. Before going out, I'd marked some areas that Karttapullautin picked out as boulders. I'd also used high resolution imagery and got many points between Karttapullautin and the imagery to line-up well. I thought it'd help me in the forest but it didn't turn out that way so far. I hope my GPS track and waypoints help enough. At least next time I'll have more to go on.

I did get to other places where I could triangulate later. However, this wasn't working so well. It turns out that magnetic north was off. I thought I'd adjusted for it already, but I think I turned it the wrong way and ended up 20 degrees off. That didn't help getting things onto paper any.

I was glad that the point features were abundant. I found more boulders looking randomly spaced as well as a nice amount of full looking rootstocks widely spread out. There were some areas of stony ground that I took GPS tracks for. The thorny areas seemed daunting but I'd pre-mapped what I could by reading it off of high resolution imagery. The results seemed to correlate pretty well.

I'll have to step up my skills to map this park correctly. If I can, it could become one of our most technical maps.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave., to Norwood Park, to the Little Falls Trail, to Dorset Rd., to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. and into to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt tired during this.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

Event: Susquehanna Stumble @ Patuxent River Park (QOC)
 

SVO Susquehanna Stumble @ Patuxent River Park (managed by QOC). I think this was the 21st Stumble event and maybe my 6th. That seems odd since I usually try to run this even when I can. This event was pretty well attended. A few people flew in. The course was fine. This park can be tricky at times. I was so focused on trying not to make mistakes that I didn't think about the overall technical level much but Peggy pointed out that the navigation was relatively easy. It helped that I was following bearings well when attacking, and that I'm very familiar the area.

Starting out, I found myself in the middle of the pack. I've been getting distracted by others in big mass start events and it was starting to happen here. I keep having to fight the situation where I am aiming to get ahead of others, instead of getting into steadily reading the map. I too the first window in ABDBE, which had me cross the creek twice. I had originally planned ACBDE but the first wet ditch crossing was visibly easy. I got across dry both times which was good because it was about 40 F (I wore short sleeves and the wind at the start convinced me to wear gloves which was a good choice). I may have gotten a tad wet at the last control since it was marshy there.

Exiting this loop, I found myself on a trail behind Vido Aleksiev and his daughter. David Onkst was right behind me. Passing them we approached Ted Good but Ted was moving faster in the forest (something that would repeat often). Fortunately, Ted went wide left, to arc toward control #6 along the bluff. I led David on a straighter route. We gained on Ted but didn't get ahead. Vido popped up ahead too but Ted led. He overshot the control a little so Vido and I got there with Ted at about the same time. Angelica Riley was nearby and led on the way to #7. Ted attacked a little early as Angelica went around a reentrant to a trail bend. Ted and I corrected but were behind. Going to #8, Angelica took to the trail and road. Ted went straight. I led David Onkst angling off trail to the road and we popped out right behind Angelica, having gained ground. On the road David planned our next window and then I did the one after that. Michael Stasiowski caught David and I. Angelica cut in early while the 3 of us went across the creek on the bridge and up the hill before cutting over. When we got near the control, we saw Angelica not having gained any time on us, but Ted had beat us there. I led David and Michael toward #9 and we got ahead of Angelica and young guy she was running with. Using David's window choice, we took to the road where Ted had already headed. Ted walked some of the hills but managed to stay ahead of us anyway. I cut in toward G at a good place but probably because the window box covered-up a reentrant, I went to the first side reentrant. Ted had too but kept moving to the second where it was. Going to H, I went a bit higher than Ted because the running was better. Similar things happened going to I and J but we didn't catch him. As I was going toward F, it seemed like Ted was going to #15. I yelled over to him and he apparently corrected.

I went a little slower going over the hill to #15 but was on target. I paused a little high and Michael Stasiowski was able to see it just ahead. David O. got it step behind me as I used the trail most of the way to the road. I wasn't ready to trust the open ground along the stream. We saw Ted (apparently he used the open ground along the stream) hit the road ahead and go toward the bridge. I chose to go through the maintenance yard and led David and Michael through it. We crossed the stream w/o much trouble and went within sight of Q as we climbed to the top of the bluff along the big gully. As we approached #16, Ted came in from the right, again just ahead of us, but we'd made up distance from where we'd seen him on the road.

For the next window, I was starting to get tired and getting a little more sloppy navigating. We did it in order of LMPKON. Some of the Short Stumble people were there (Kris Beecroft and Kathleen Lennon). Ted stayed ahead of the pack, now myself, David Onkst, Michael Stasiowski, Angelica Riley and 1 or 2 others. There wasn't a lot of choice in routes but we had some micro route differences. We also chased Ted to #23 this way, but Angelica had taken a low route there which popped her up just ahead of David, Michael, and I. There wasn't much eventful going to #24 and #25. We used the trail going to #26 and gained some ground on Ted. Though #26 was very near the event registration pavilion, that pavilion would have been out of the way. I just ate a Gu and went on to #26 with Michael. David was just behind. Ted stopped.

I led going to #27 and spiked it, attacking from the edge of the medium green. I led again to R and S. I paused almost on top of S when I couldn't see the control from the rim of the reentrant. Michael Stasiowski came up and saw it. After punching I led to Q which we'd seen earlier. Leading to U, I went around some of the green and emerged on the trail with a control in front of me. I didn't think it was mine but checked it anyway. This broke the rhythm I'd been in. I wandered back to the trail looking for the trail intersection to prepare a better attack. As soon as I saw the intersection, Michael announced he'd spotted the control. Leaving U, I came out kind of funny and was avoiding crossing the reentrant where it was deepest. I got to the trail with Michael and David behind me. Cutting into the woods,we saw Peggy going the other way. I got away from the edge of the reentrant for better running and even went past a reentrant with a streamer. I overshot. Our trio agreed to go back. We converged on T with Angelica.

We used the road going to #33. I slowed to plan more and to keep from making silly mistakes. We used the road and trails getting to #34. I came over the hill after crossing the stream and #34 popped-up so quickly that I thought it was like back at U where another control was en route. As I paused, Angelica swooped in and punched.

Neither Dave, Michael nor I had planned our last window. We quickly decided to hit Y first, then come back for X, Z, W, and V. I led us to X using the trail but Angelica and others were right behind. I didn't think through the route to X and as David moved up straight toward it, I did too. In retrospect, going down the reentrant and south across the larger one would have been better (I heard from Ted that that way was marshy). After climbing out, I dropped down and had to cross 2 reentrants to get to the correct side for X. David perhaps wisely decided to go around. The first of those reentrants was steep and slippery with fallen leaves so that I kept falling back. I lunged for shrub trunks and made my way up. It took me more time to reorient and relax enough to navigate. I moved well and ended up getting to the control a little behind Angelica. I found out later that Michael, David and even Ted were not far behind. I gained ground on Angelica moving to Z and Michael gained ground on me. After W, we passed Angelica, hit V, and crossed the stream (Robley Branch).

Going to #40, I went around the big reentrants and ran straight. Michael was with me. I dropped down on the big spur and spiked #40. Leaving #40, and hearing Angelica right behind us, I decided to go around the hill, but I climbed a little first. There was a leafy deer or hunter trail which helped. We used the bridge, got on the trail and moved well. I had to walk up the other side of Meadow Swamp and left the trail on the climb. Having done the last bit in previous orienteering events, I ran the bluff only looking at the map 2 times until hitting the reentrant. I crossed it with Michael right behind me and punched #41 on the spur. The running from there was more open than I'd remembered it. I got on trails and went around to the left. It was slightly uphill but shorter. I think Michael didn't try to run in hard and I didn't really sprint. I finished only a few seconds ahead of him. If I'd have run a 50 miles trail race the week before, I wouldn't have been sprinting, nor running as fast as we had the whole race. Angelica finished about 4 minutes back. She said I was running fast and Wyatt explained that at the end, she'd just run out of energy (she'd also been healing from a broken rib). David Onkst finished not far after. It was fun running with David once again!

I finished in 8th place overall which I thought was pretty good considering the level of competition ahead and behind me. My running training since last March has been continuing to help me improve and get back to being closer to the form I was in before my back issues started. I look forward to continuing that and like the long winter runs coming up. Next however, there's the annual Turkey Chase to do.

C • Good write up. I enjoyed re... 2

Long - Splits

I thought I'd got out and do some field checking today, but I spent most of the day just getting more on the base map. I'd gotten so much data off of Karttapullautin that I figured I'd be saving time overall. I'm still having the trouble with Montgomery County, MD LiDAR. It's similar to the problem I encounter when OCAD converts the same LiDAR. The scale is all wrong. Karttapullautin thinks an area about a mile across is almost 10K long. OCAD converts it only being off by a factor of the ratio between a foot and a meter (checking the box to make the conversion doesn't change it). When OCAD converts the LiDAR it also gets the coordinate system wrong. I spent a lot of time getting the output from Karttapullautin to scale and be georeferenced correctly. Some of that was manual manipulation which could introduce opportunity for error but the results turned out well. With Karttapullautin, I seem to get a lot of the boulder locations, but only actual field checking will confirm that. I plan to use some upcoming time off at Serpentine Barrens to find out.

C • Lastools 2

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station. I had a little bit of a tailwind.

Washington, D.C. I repeated an extended version of what I've call the Memorial Tour from my office. I ran the same version a few weeks ago but ran easier this time. I was only about 40 seconds slower (From 12th St., SW and Independence Ave. SW, to Main Ave. SW., to Ohio Dr., past the Tidal Basin, and Jefferson Memorial, over 14th St. Bridge to the Mt. Vernon Trail, around Lady Bird Johnson Memorial looping under the George Washington Pkwy., to the footbridge over the Boundary Channel into Virginia, along the North Pentagon Parking lot, to the trail along S. Washington Blvd., to the Mount Vernon Trail, to Memorial Bridge, clockwise more than half way around the Lincoln Memorial Circle. to the Reflecting Pool, past the World War II Memorial., along Independence Ave. past the Washington Monument, to 12th St.)! It was cooler this time; upper 40s F with no winds. Few people were out and it was quiet. The monuments reflected well off of the Reflecting Pool. I speeded up finishing and that was aided by having to make random stops at some traffic lights. It felt like good interval training.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I had a little bit of a headwind and I was tired.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I forgot to bring my sweat jacket from home so I skipped a planned run after work. My left knee continued to hurt some so I rested it more. It was too bad because on a run in DC, I might have been able to see the lunar eclipse

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station. I worked late and with it suddenly cold motivation waned. My left knee had been hurting through most of the day too, from my run on Sunday, so I figured it best to just rest it.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

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. A touch of winter arrived early. It was in the 30s F and windy as I left work. I'd debated skipping this run but that would have been making excuses and really it wasn't bad out. The wind and the extra clothing I wore, did slow me down. Being a little sore from the Sunday run added to that too. Once I got into the Rock Creek valley, it was much easier to run. I ran hard enough to work up a nice sweat. My left knee hurt a little but overall that wasn't bad either.

Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park, MD. I'd been looking at the possibility of using this park for training and after many years of thinking about it, Peggy and I went to check it out. It's roughly a little more than a square mile. The elevation change from high to low is only about 35m. A good portion of the forest is very open and there are scattered boulders and root stocks there (it's right next to a very large fenced-off active quarry almost 500 ft. deep and a mile across). The contours in the park are not intricate at all. The subtlety and mostly point features makes the area all the more challenging. There are some areas of thorns (the aptly named Greenbriar Branch stream valley) but most of that is very distinct or at least concentrated. I'd like to map it for summer use.

Event: QOC Balls Bluff
 

Greenway Trail: From Berryville Rd. north to the Rte. 28 Darnestown Rd. parking lot and back. I didn't sleep that restfully. When running it was in the mid 50s F with hazy sunshine. I again wore my new Ice Bug Ortholite trail shoes. I paced, not having run this far in a while. Though not fast, I was able to keep up my effort and speed through the run. I was getting tired at the end and was careful not to drag my feet. I would have liked to have run farther, perhaps looping with the trails on both sides of the river but I'll save that for another day. As it was, my left knee was hurting afterward. During the run, my left foot had been numb a lot of the time and the ball of it did hurt during the last mile.

Cabin John Regional Park, MD. From the playground parking area, Peggy and I started out together doing a lolipop loop through the northern section of the park (above Tuckerman Rd.). I wore my new Ice Bug Ortholite trail shoes for the first time and they felt fine. I needed a stop out at the far end of this loop and thought I might catch Peggy later but did not. Since I'd run farther yesterday, I didn't do the extra loop that Peggy did in the central part of the park. I was feeling tired on hills. It was about 34 F starting out. We got our first real frost overnight with it being in the 20s F.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From 12th and Independence Ave., 15th St. SW, then to Ohio Dr., and the 14th Street Bridge. Using the Mt. Vernon Trail, I got to Key Bridge. Next I took the towpath to the Rock Creek Trail, to the Lincoln Memorial and along the Reflecting Pool. From 17th St., I finished up Independence Ave., to 12th St. SW. It was 41 F when I started and I finished with light tailwinds about all the way from Georgetown. I was faster than the last time I ran this route which was in August.

Having done a lot less running in October, the foot pain I'd been feeling since the Scotish 6 Days In August, on the ball of my left foot (David Onkst suggested this may be the small front arch tendon), has healed/improved. I used to feel it sometimes just walking around, and much worse after a run on roads. I didn't feel it while running this week and not much at all outside of running.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd.

It was a rainy day and leaving work late, I decided not to run through it. My office had also been very hot all day, making it difficult to concentrate and get stuff done.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave., to Norwood Park, to the Little Falls Trail, to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. into to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was cool and dark.

From Bethesda Metro Station the Northfield Rd. I was tired and awkwardly carrying 2 backpacks.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, across The Mall to Madison Ave., to and past the Washington Monument, past Constitution Gardens and the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., past the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station to Connecticut Ave., to the Cleveland Park Metro Station. I moved not so smoothly at first, getting used to the dark and not seeing what my feet were running on in places. Just past the Lincoln Memorial, I caught a guy at a traffic light. As we got moving and heading the same way, he slowed and I pulled ahead. I apparently pushed my pace to keep ahead. My pace went from 8:48 the first mile to 8:15 the next. It was too dark for me to read my watch so I didn't know. The other runner stayed behind me until the P Street bridge where I guess he turned off, so my 3rd mile, slightly uphill, was 8:10. It was darker along Rock Creek and I was feeling the pace so I slowed to 8:36 before the much steeper climb to Woodley Park. Along Connecticut Ave, there were many sirens from different emergencies. I cruised in, pretty tired.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was tired after my run.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

Washington, D.C. From 12th and Independence Ave., SW, to Maryland Ave., SW, to 1st. St, SW, to Pennsylvania Ave., NW, to Constitution Ave., NW, to 14th St., NW, to The Mall just before Jefferson Dr., SW., to the 12th St., SW, to Independence Ave., SW. I felt okay but a little tired from racing the day before. A woman taking laps around the Capital Reflecting Pool was going just a little faster than I.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

SVO: Mid-Atlantics at Pine Grove, PA. Between being busy and stressed, I didn't do much training this week. I felt de-trained. Once I got going, I was okay. I like the Pine Grove area well enough but the map could use some work. It didn't show the vegetation well enough and with visibility not so great, it was hard to attack confidently. The trails and clearings were also not to be relied upon. I liked Sam Kolin's course well enough but mispunched on #9, the last real control in the forest. There was another control just outside of the circle and pretty much on the attack route. I got excited being so close to finishing that it was the one control I didn't check the code for.

S-1 - I started after Paul Hession who was on my course. I was going to give Paul more time but the SVO starter encouraged me to go ahead. I passed Paul on the road and started to leave it a little early--I planned to thread the cabins which were out of bounds (with contours and the out of bounds stripes it was hard to be sure). Seeing bad bushes in front of me, I dropped to the road again and encouraged Paul not to go up. When I did attack, I got to the edge of the reentrant but couldn't see the control. It just wasn't visible and was behind a tree from where I stopped. A step or 2 more and I saw it.

1-2 I used the road but cut the corner on it to climb above the cabin. Tring to contour across, I climbed too much and bounced off the ride. Some other people were coming down from the ride and that helped me locate it.

2-3 - I went straight but bounced off the ride, SE of the control. Kim Jepsen was just ahead and had done the same. He and I realized we needed to go back in. I think Kim got there just ahead of me.

3-4 - I ran straight but drifted right. Kim had drifted right more than me and had fallen behind. When I saw the stream, I turned back and found it.

4-5 - When leaving #4, I saw Kim looking for it. Vegetation pushed me left of straight so after the stream I cut right. To get around more deadfall, I went further right than I wanted too. I cut back left again after getting around a line of deadfall--the map showed no green and just some of the rootstocks but I found it right away after the zig zag.

5-6 - I kept checking my compass but drifted a little right on this short leg. I stopped where it looked like I hit the right contour rise. I figured it might be behind some evergreens which weren't mapped light green, and it did turn out that way.

6-7 - I went straight and was right on the line. The leg line on the map was covering a contour so making a parallel error, I climbed to the right a little early. Since I had to cut right to do so, I guessed that I must have drifted when In fact, I hadn't. Once up the little hill I cut right further but realized that the contour didn't match. Guessing my position, I cut left to climb higher and I was correct. Bill Wright was in the area and converged just behind me.

7-8 - I went straight but realized I was drifting left and right. I made small corrections. At the trail crossings, I didn't stop and they didn't make enough sense. Reading the contour at the end I was happy to realize I'd spiked it perfectly.

8-9 - I decided to go down and use the road, but along the way I stopped for a nature break. On the road, I moved okay and passed a woman but I found myselft leaving the road very quickly. I crossed the yellow trail and the marshy bits perfectly dry. Going up I walked and stayed away from the cabin. I came across the spring that was mapped under the leg line, and used it as an attackpoint. When I found a control just a little bit to my right I figued I had done it and left without checking the code--later I'd learn that I miss had punched. The real control was just ahead and would have been easy. It was supposed to be on a charcoal platform but I'd punched a control on a depression.

9-10 - I ran down the hill staying a little left of the line. A better option would have gone right and used the trail/road. Once I got on the trail/road, I could see Max ahead and I shouted to get him moving---he'd injured himself so he didn't speed up much. I caught him quickly and passed. On the hilltop above the lake, i started to go staight but realized the trail was the best option.

It was disappointing to have mispunched. Compared to others, my time was not bad--I'd have been 3rd on the Green course 2 seconds ahead of Greg Balter, or very close.

SVO: Mid-Atlantics at Pine Grove, PA. - I ran with Laura Linville and Virginia Debons on a 6 point team for QOC. Both women kept us in striking position.

S-1 - I was hesitant leaving the start but got moving enough later.

1-2 - I passed a woman on the road. I attacked from a trailhead and spiked the control. This turned out to be the control that I'd mispunched earlier on the Green course.

2-3 - I basically went straight but it was slightly left of straight. Once across the road and over the hill, I could see Jody Landers and Keg Good in the area. I punched just behind Keg.

3-4 - I went right around the lake, passing Jody and someone else. I cut right a bit to get around the unmapped evergreens. Once on the road, I just ran to the spectator control, back where I'd started.

4-5 - I used the field and trails but left at a gentle bend. I crossed one trail but didn't see the other one that I expected. Going on, I saw the control and another guy leaving it.

5-6 - I wanted to go straight, but the vegetation didn't look so great for that. Instead, I cut left to the trail, and took it around bends to an intersection. Cutting right, then off trail at the depression, I attcked from the end of the depression and spiked it. I'd gained time on the guy I'd seen at #5.

6-7 - The other guy had cut left more than needed but my way was a little steeper. When I hit the trail, the other guy was just ahead of me.

7-8 - I tried to make a straight line to the trail head and bridge but lost time to the other guy who went left first and got around some green. Once in the field, I closed in all but the last 1/3 of the distance we'd gotten separated by, but I never caught him. I was running out of energy fast.

Both the team of the guy I finished with, and my team got 2 points for 5th and 6th place. QOC won back the Broken Compass Award, keeping the point lead it'd gotten going into the relay.

Green - Splits

Relay Leg 3 - Splits