Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd. via Greenwich Park, to Wilson Ln. to Custer Ln. to Northfield Rd.

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park. I started from the Hoyles Mill Trailhead parking lot on White Ground Rd. The little field there had been let to grow except for where they mowed for the trail. I got a phone call just before I was to head out, and I subsequently forgot my eyeglasses. I ran down Hoyles Mill Rd. without them, then crossed over into areas I'd mapped on Saturday. I was pleased that I could navigate from what I'd mapped earlier since some of my notes had been sketchy. I checked some features, then headed to the areas further northwest. The further from the streams that I got, the better the woods were overall. Vegetation changes were gradual, making it hard to map. I was productive however. I found and mapped a lot of newly discovered boulders and low cliffs. This area is likely to be tougher to navigate than others on the map, due to density and the spacing of the rock. Though much of the rocky areas are to be mapped white, the occasional barberry bushes or small rises in terrain keep the visibility low. There were areas of fractured stony ground too that made treacherous to ankles.

Summer Short Series Training in Patuxent River State Park at Annapolis Rock Rd. Jan Merka premiered a new map he'd been working on. He'd been making it since last June. It was a fun event and the terrain was mostly pretty nice. It started in an area of mature pine trees that didn't have the usual deadfall so typical of Quantico area pine forests. Other oak forest was pretty open. It was typical ridge and valley terrain. It didn't have a lot of technical or physical difficulty. The map was a work in progress. Mainly, the vegetation needs to be improved. Vegetation on the map had been generated via LiDAR data and satellite photos. A sizeable group of fox hunters were riding around while we orienteered.

S-1 - As I headed out I realized that I didn't know how the controls were marked. I wondered if it was virtually as I headed down a reentrant unsure how far to go. With a little hesitation, I saw the clearing ahead and got to the control.

1-2 - Weaved through this different set of pines with low branches and spiked it.

2-3 - Down the trail then attacking prior to seeing the trail intersection.

3-4 - Straight but I got a little to the right at the bottom of the first reentrant. Realizing it, from the top of the ditch I adjusted on the climb over a ridge. I got to the edge of the circle but didn't see the correct ditches finding 2 unmapped ditches further on in the same reentrant, I was temporarily convinced that I was in the right place and that the streamer was gone. I went down and up the ditches to be sure. Next I went back to the last trail I'd crossed, went down it to an intersection, then went on the trail to get over the ridge and to the correct ditches.

4-5 - Back to the trail and past Gary Smith who was in the forest, to the control.

5-6 - Going down the trail, I misread a bend and started to turn off on a trail to the right. Gary passed me as I corrected and the trail narrowed. Jens Wira got behind me. At the bottom we waited a good while for horse riders and their dogs to come through. Some were lingering so our wait was about 50 seconds according to my GPS track. To get across the creek, I went to the right and crossed on stones, only getting a little wet. As I climbed I could see Peggy. She'd started after I had so I figured I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't move :). Moving was tough for me while climbing. I didn't gain a lot of ground. It did help a little that Peggy was ahead and that I could see her reaching the control.

6-7 - Trail to the bend, the straight. I saw Peggy had already left the control but he rootstock was very big and obvious.

7-8 - Straight, ignoring the trail. I crossed the reentrant a little early by Peggy had crossed it earlier. Using the trail at the second intersection would have been best and I would have had to climb. I saw Peggy leaving, which helped give away the final location, but I heard footsteps behind me.

8-9 - Unmapped deadfall kept my lower than I wanted. Chris Gross passed me and then Peggy. I tried staying to the right at the creek fork to only cross once, but it didn't help me gain any ground on Peggy and Chris. We all went low under the mapped green and hooked right past the first set to get to the control.

9-10 - I picked-up an unmapped but distinct animal trail that skirted below the mapped green. I'd lost sight of Peggy and Chris. I got to within sight of the catch pond, then climbed. I saw the reentrant splitting but stayed to the right, unsure since vegetation wasn't manually mapped, if going in the reentrant was beneficial or not. Near the top, I could see Peggy approaching from right to left, and going above some unmapped deadfall. I could go to the left without dropping into the steep reentrant so I eventually went around the deadfall to punch too.

10-11 - I ran fairly straight, with only a little arcing around the reentrant after the saddle. I glimpsed Peggy but lost sight of her. Staying high, I found a good way through the under-mapped vegetation on the spur above the control. As I descended, I could see Peggy approaching from the right, but I got to the control first.

11-12 - I found the log crossing the creek and used it. I stayed low and eventually used a trail. I paused to check to make sure it was in-bounds, since it was on the edge of an out of bounds area. When the trail rose a little, I left and angled to climb. I hit the gully in the middle, climbed and couldn't see the streamer. Close inspection let me see that the streamer had been torn to pieces and was on the ground; probably a dear had pulled on it. I could see the number 13 on the streamer and thought it odd since this was control 12. Peggy later pointed out that it was coded 113.

12-13 - I angled up when I should have climbed directly. I saw the tops of the mapped ditches, and cut left/direct through the mapped green. Some of the way I'd found an animal track that helped, but when it veered away I worked through the thorns and deadfall. Emerging from the green, I thought I was low. Then I saw Peggy approaching from the left. I went higher but didn't see the ditch. Unmapped vegetation obscured it but I was able to see the streamer hanging above it. I got there just before Peggy.

13-14 - I went straight and ignored the trail. This was partly confusion that I was going from 14 to the finish. I looked for what seemed to me like a saddle, but that was bad and rushed map reading. I managed to see the streamer and it seemed a longer way that expected. I stopped and stopped my watch thinking I was finished :(.

14-15 - Peggy got to #14 and went on. I looked more and realized I'd messed-up. I went on chasing her. Reaching the trail I was able to push harder to pass and finish ahead of her, but she'd beaten me overall, mostly due to my error at #4.

It was encouraging to see that Jan had found a good new area to use, and that he was able to map it. I anticipate club events here eventually. The park is a lot bigger than the part of the map that we used but Jan said that some of those areas are somewhat greener.

Peggy, Samantha, and I had lunch in Damascus, and then picked-up Max from his girlfriend's house.

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park - Starting from Hoyles Mill Rd., I ran down to the bridge, and a little further before working on more of the NW areas. After finding some ways through a key but green area, I stuck close to a side stream. Mapping the green along it wasn't real hard but with the vegetation gradually changing from green to white, it will be tricky to map and navigate. It was around 40F while I was out; sunny and a little breezy.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Johnson Ave./Hempstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. It was in the 30s F and a little windy going out. I felt a little better coming back but my right knee was bothering me.

From the intersection of Elmhirst Ln. and Elmhirst Dr., to Elmhirst Pkwy. to the Elmhirst Trail, to Cedar Ln., then downstream on the paved Rock Creek Trail to Mile Mark 4, then onto Beach Dr., which was closed, back to Cedar Ln, and back the rest of the way that I'd come out. I expected the park to be busier on this Thanksgiving Day. Some people were out, but not many. I needed a bathroom and eventually stopped at an outhouse. My knee bothered me both directions but lesson the very gradual uphill way back. A faster runner went past me like I used to run.

In the evening we hosted a dinner with a few friends and I hadn't laughed that hard in a long, long time. I was getting out of breath!

From Northfield Rd. I ran up to Custer Rd., to Wilson La., to Exeter Rd. to Glenbrook Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to the NIH grounds, to Maple Ridge Rd. to Georgetown Pike, to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. I didn't feel so good today. I was tired on minor climbs. My right knee continues to bother me and my left leg gets overtired compensating.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Park Ln. to Battery Ln., to Wilson Ln., to Aberdeen Rd., to Aberdeen Pl., to Northfield Rd. I felt a little better than I have been feelin on recent runs.

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park - Starting from Hoyles Mill Rd., I ran down to the bridge, and a little further before starting-in on the NW areas; north of the creek and west of the Hoyles Mill Rd. This is just across the creek and road from where QOC is soon to host an National Ranking Event (NRE). I'd been in this section only twice before. Once was on an initial scouting with Peggy, and the other time was for field checking after finishing the mapped areas used for the US Team Trials last spring. I didn't have a lot of time but used it well. I refined a large green area then covered areas along the creek. I was mostly in light and medium green forest but I did find areas with white forest. I found some more rock and was able to match-up ditches in light green areas. I finished by jogging back to the car at dusk.

Event: DVOA Fair Hill Mason-Dixon
 

DVOA: Mid-Atlantic Championships at Fair Hill Mason Dixon. Tom Overbaugh set the courses. I had fun but struggled with the climb. Even in the fields, I was having trouble running, but so did others.

S-1 - I wasn't very warmed-up but managed to jog up the trail. I could see the control from the trail and angled over to it.

1-2 - Back up to the trail, then down past the reentrant.

2-3 - Around the low vegetation on the left, then across the field. I got a little too high, perhaps distracted by people coming down from a different route.

3-4 - I didn't bother getting to the trail until I hit the forest. Turning right at the intersection I crossed the road and attacked. I was pretty close to on target but came in from the left (east) side.

4-5 - I used the ride to get to the field edge. As I did, I saw the road/trail route option. I figured I'd already gone to far to make it work, but also I was moving slow enough that any extra distance would be hard to make up time for. Crossing the field I was further right than intended, I went around the boomerang shaped tree cluster on the west side, then turned left. I'd gone this way because I saw the trail mapping was a ride or intermittent. As I eventually got to this trail, I saw it had been improved and the map didn't show it. I used trails to cross the creek and then saw the big boulder on my right. I basically ran/walked around the low vegetation to spike the control.

5-6 - I crossed the saddle the went into the forest on the left side of the large reentrant. Once across the creek I got on a trail and left it soon after at a bend to spike the control.

6-7 - I climbed to the trail, turned left on it and left at the next bend. I dropped dwon and didn't realize how high above the creek the control was. I walked up after stopping at the creek valley edge. I probably lost a minute or so.

7-8 - I used the trail and saw it from the trail bend.

8-9 - I hit the trail and ran on it. Having mis-read the fencing and taking it for a trail, I went ito the field, then had to come back to the same trail I had been on. 2 other guys were near the bridge as I got there. I was moving slowest but when the faster runners would stop, I'd catch-up to pass for a short way. The mapping was off in this area--it was scattered open but mapped mostly green. The trail had become intermittent. I missed an intersection so I popped out with one other guy onto the road further south than intended. I climbed the next trail up toward the field but when the guy ahead went into the field, I used the trail through the forest. It had less climb and was easier to run on. After the trail got to the field, I stayed in it for a little while, until I saw another clear opening back to the trail. After rounding the last green, I left the trail and could see the guy who'd been with me at the bridge but had taken the field route. We were even though he was running faster. I was on target but couldn't see the control on the hillside. In the hesitation, the other guy went ahead and punched first.

9-10 - I went straight and so did the other guy. A younger guy who'd also been at the bridge was lower and missed. I was just bellow but didn't.

10-11 - The guy who'd beaten me to #9 went for the trail. The other younger orienteer did too. I kept straight and hit the trail just before the stream. The other 2 went around but I cut through the light green running the whole way to basically punch right about when the other 2 faster runners did.

11-12 - Not only were the 2 guys still with me since the big bridge, but we'd caught 1 or 2 others. The lead guy started for the road. I decided I'd go straight and pulled the others along after they figured what I was doing. I got to where I could see the rootstocks but went around them, rather than crawl under the tree trunks. That let the same 2 guys punch just ahead of me.

12-13 - Straight. The other 2 guys were much faster climbing. One was on my left and one on my right. The youngest punched first. I was a little left but didn't lose any time, and punched 3rd.

13-14 - I had a brief thought of crossing the field. The other 2 guys seemed headed that way. Then I saw that going back down to the road was best. I pulled one of the other guys with me. Once on the road he took off. I did see that after the covered bridge he turned left on a trail along the creek. I went to open ground on the SW side of the pond. The other guy got hung-up in thickets so I was able to punch first.

14-15 - I went straight, using the wiggly trail, and managed to punch ahead of the other guy who'd been near me since near control #8.

15-F - I hesitated as I almost took the wrong trail. The other guy passed me for the last time. He finished well ahead since I was going slow and my right knee was hurting.

Overall, I did okay. I could have improved by seeing the best routes more quickly. I ran 6.5K and 227.5m climb for a course rated at 5.5K and 170m climb. I had pre-chosen not to run the relay. I'm just not in adequate shape to have done both courses without unnecessarily risking further injury.

Green - Splits

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, MD - Starting from Broken Oak Rd. Initially, I went down to the creek floodplain to check on areas that I had seen but wasn't sure I'd covered adequately. For the most part, I had gotten the mapping of those areas correct. As I passed other areas, a second pass let me refine the mapping and catch a few errors. I found and marked some good creek crossing points. The creek is crossable throughout the mapped area but some parts get deep enough to be uncomfortable. The water was not cold and I had wool socks. Crossing the creek got me to the edge of the large field in the NE of the map that was too green when it was warmer. There were lots of thorns at the edges of the field. Some could be pushed through whereas others were true fight. The nice thing was that there were corridors between the greens. I was able to map them adequately though I was a bit rushed in the extreme north where there is fencing for livestock/horses off the map--not a place people should need to go close to when orienteering. I finished crossing the ridge and then the creek again as it was getting dark. My right knee was hurting.

I ate dinner and saw the new Ghost Buster's movie with Peggy and Samantha afterward. In the theater, my right foot started hurting again right where the cellulitis had been worst.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Cordell Ave., to Wilson Ln. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was a cooler day (42 F) and I was rushed for time after work, by a dinner invitation that was coming-up. I ran a little faster, making-up the route as I ran. Like yesterday, my right knee and Achilles tendon were hurting and my left leg was tired before finishing, probably due to overcompensation.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Johnson Ave./Hempstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I felt that it was time to start trying to run again. It had been a wonderful sunny and warm day earlier. Just as I got started I felt the first rain sprinkles. It rained lightly the rest of the way. The last time I did running that wasn't orienteering was a warm-up for the Hudson Lowlander on 9/26/21. Before that the last true training run I did was 8/18/21. Even that run had been an anomaly since regular running basically stopped for me last June. The lack of training really shows. I'm also the heaviest I've ever been. I started with short choppy steps to ease into this and I wore my older heavier Nike's, that have more support. I really felt like I was crawling. before the end of the run, my left leg felt like it was getting more tired than my right leg. I think this is a compensation since I've had most of my recent troubles on my right leg and foot. My right knee and right Achilles tendon was also starting to hurt when finishing the last half mile.

Starting from King's Crossing park, I went down one of the long reentrants on the east side of the Little Seneca Creek, into Hoyles Mill Conservation Park. I covered areas along the main creek floodplain, and returned in a reentrant that I'd started fieldchecking earlier. It was getting dark near the end. I jogged neighborhood trails to wrap-up. The woods were mostly good, though not too difficult navigationally. My right knee was hurting going up and down hills.

Event: QOC Fountainhead Central
 

QOC: Fountainhead, VA (Central). I'm doing much better but my right foot is still a little swollen and weak (this week, though it didn't affect my orienteering, I starting getting something else on my arm that looks like shingles). Having done nothing real for training for months, I'm in the worst shape I've ever been.

S-1 - I went fairly straight and spiked it.

1-2 - Running past the start, I cut in near the end of the parking lot. The map is really hard to read with the vertical slash--the trails need to be made more bold if the vertical slash symbol for low vegetation is still to be used. I started down a trail and turned right. It wasn't until after the slash after leaving the trail, that I located myself on a spur. I kept moving and hit the valley SW of the control. I went right to it.

2-3 - It seemed to me when leaving the valley going up a reentrant that I knew to be correct, that I should have seen another reentrant before this one. It was just a slight hesitation. After the dry waterfall, I climbed out on the left side and kept moving as well as I could on the ridge to the open area, then to the reentrant.

3-4 - I saw Peggy going into the control that I'd just left. I kept to the left side of a reentrant on the way down then went right to the control.

4-5 - I remembered losing time climbing out from this area before. I decided to cut right along the stream to get around the first spur. I came up the next reentrant, went over the ridge where it ended, then spiked the control in the next reentrant.

5-6 - I went for the ride powerline trail after getting around a reentrant. I cut off some of the main trail in the area east of #8, then use the trail to get to the power lines again. I noted the new green boxes and that they weren't on the map--they'd have helped. Going just past the bend, I cut in too early. I saw the reentrant and made sure to go around it, back towards the power line. Reaching the ridge I descend slowly. Patrick Field (ran Blue) passed me, and I was glad to have the assurance of someone who navigates pretty well heading the same way.

6-7 - I tried to avoid more of the deadfall by staying to the left initially. Once at the power lines, I went straight across, but descended afterward going a little to the right to avoid climb. I passed a couple discussing the taking of bearings at the bottom of the reentrant, then slowly climbed out to the left side of the flat hilltop. I spiked the control from there.

7-8 - I kept a bit to the right to avoid dropping down unnecessarily. I got a bit too far right and had to cut left after the larger reentrant.

8-9 - Keeping the reentrant on my right, I climbed out slowly to reach the power lines. I kept straight and a below the deadfall to reach the ditch going to the spur. I stayed to the right of the small hilltop, then on top of the ridge to the saddle. From there I was on the left side of the formline knoll.

9-10 - I descended to the creek and came-up a forking reentrant on the other side. Following the ridge where I'd set a key control for an Ultralong course here in 2015 (just before my back troubles began), I crossed the trail and didn't start running on it until I reached it again over a small ridge. I cut off parts of the trail again as I made my way toward the creeks south of #4 and west of #10. There were a lot of people on the trail including small kids. I was already having trouble reading while moving better downhill, and I'd thought at the beginning of this leg that the control was across the small bridge, so I just focused on getting around the people and across the bridge. I ran a ways up the trail on the other side only to realize that I'd passed the control. I doubled back across the bridge, climbed and went along the earthbank before getting to the reentrant with the control. Mike Dvorsky was there when I punched I might have passed him on the busy trail I'd descended. AP says I lost only 1:17 minutes but it felt like more.

10-11 - I dropped to the valley, and ran along the trail until crossing the creek on a bridge. I was torn between staying in the valley and climbing early. I ultimately climbed but probably should have climbed earlier. I rounded the fence and crossed 2 reentrants before spiking the control. My right achilles tendon was feeling stressed.

11-F. To the trail, to the road, and through the parking lot. I was not moving that fast.

After the orienteering, I spent a couple of hours blowing and raking leaves. The hard part was haling tarp loads of them to the front of the house. I got sweaty and it was cool/breezy outside. My back was feeling some strain. More leaves are still in the trees but the next time this should not be as difficult.

Green - Splits

Little Seneca Creek Regional Park - I started on Clopper Rd. for the first time. This was to map areas on the east side of Little Seneca Creek that I'd only seen from the west side before. I started in an area of green and light green vegetation but there were white passages making it a little more complicated to make map notes for. The further south I went, the more open the woods became. When I got off along a side stream, the woods became what I'd remembered Fountainhead to be--really nice and open, but a bit hilly. The open woods were complimented with a whole lot of dot knolls of mappable height--there must have been a nasty storm(s) +30 years ago that left the knolls after fallen trees rotten away to nothing. I'll have to go though this area again to verify point featue alignments, but more of the dot knolls were visible in the LiDAR than usually is the case. It was getting dark early so instead of going back the way I'd come, I ran though neighborhood streets back to Clopper Rd. at the edge of the park.

Little Seneca Creek Regional Park - Starting at Camp Seneca, I finished-up mapping everything to the south that I hadn't before. I also validated some areas that I'd covered before. This led me to an area I thought would be too wet and green, but I found a 2 nice passage ways through it for another link to the areas mapped last spring. I finished up on the big ridge and jogged some of it to the finish.

Event: DVOA Rodney Scout Reservation - NRE
 

DVOA at Rodney Scout Reservation - I didn't run the first day of this event. This was the first time that run since October 17th and the 9th. The cellulitis on my right foot had improved but my foot was still swollen.

S-1 - I ran straight toward the reentrant system. It was such a short leg that I was there before reading the detail. I'd gone to the first reentrant, then realized I'd have to go around it. After rounding it and getting onto the spur between it and the next reentrant, I dropped into the reentrant going past the control. If I'd dropped-in just a little earlier, I would have seen it. Obviously, I came back up.

1-2 - Getting to the road, I took it and turne left to use the trail. After passing the thicker vegetaion I came down and knew I was east of the control. I adjusted but not enough. Crossing the big reentrant I cut south but not enough again. I came back lower to find it.

2-3 - I sucked up the climb, basically dog-legging my way back to the trail and road. I saw Kim Jepsen ahead of me but he had turned through the valley. Coming to the control from a spur SE of it, I spiked it.

3-4 - Leaving #3, I saw Kim Jepsen again--his route to #3 through the greenish valley was slower. I somewhat dog-legged back to the roads but did find an unmapped ride helping me to cut the corner better. I came into the control from the building (NE) and spiked it.

4-5 - I climbed to the trail thinking I'd go further up this time but after a few steps, I realized I could avoid climb by doglegging again to go past #1. I basically stayed on roads and trails, attacking the control from the NW. I hit the ditch tool low, and went lower. Seeing a runner come up where the hill started dropping more steeply, I doubled-back but stayed out of the green and almost caught the guy I'd seen.

5-6 - I got to the road and past the bridge, then basically went straight. The reentrants helped me know where I was. The unmapped green and rootstocks were in the course notes so I didn't worry about them much. I spiked it.

6-7 - I doubled-back the way I'd come for a little while, then broke off to the left more. Getting in the circle, I read the control to be in a shallow reentrant near the stream, but it was much further away where it was flatter. I lost a little time because of that.

7-8 - I went a straight, got across the road, an happened to hit the intermittent trail. Attacking from a shallow bend, NW of the cairn, I spiked it. The charcoal platform seemed hard to detect.

8-9 - I made my way to the ride, went south, then cut the corner before the next ride to get to the road. I saw Ken Walker, Jr. and then my son Max, near #8. I saw Ken again on the road as he was coming out on the ride. I was moving very slowly. A few people passed me. Lydia almost caught me but I speeded up going down to the bridge. I left the road before the man-made feature, crossed the reentrant and hit the control well. It probably helped that Janet Tryson had been coming into the control ahead of me from the west.

9-10 - Straight past the houses then along the road south of #10. I got too far past the control by trusting the vegetation mapping when I knew I shouldn't. I could see the house around the bend. Popping in, I estimated a bearing and hit it well.

10-11 - I went past the house and knew that I was drifting right to get through the woods in the better places. I passed someone but when I had to cut left much more than I thought I should have, I had to push to keep ahead of the guy I'd passed earlier.

11-12 - I opted to go past the house since the forest in the reentrant north of #12 looked good on the map. The forest turned out to be full of fallen trees so the way was slow. I spiked the control.

12-13 - I went straight but knew I was drifting left to get past vegetation. I could hear footsteps coming-up behind me but I got to the control first.

13-14 - The footsteps I'd heard on the last leg turned-out to be from my son Max. I was going straight but did get passed just as I decided to use the bridge. Greg Ahlswede encouraged me not to let Max beat me but it wasn't to be.

14-F - I was feeling pretty tired and my right foot as I'd done the last few controls. I couldn't muster much speed.

Green X - Splits

Little Seneca Regional Park. With Peggy and Samatha gone, I had the whole day to make progress on the map. I started from Camp Seneca and went up the ridge so that I could come down a steeper part that I hadn't covered before. After that I did a lot in the valley below the big ridge and between the main creek. When I'd gotten south of the ridge, I found a small interesting area that had man made dot knolls, depressions and some earth walls. The bigger valley after that took a lot of work since neither LiDAR nor imagery showed the extent of streams and linear marsh delta. There were a few features with half the woods nice, and half not so nice. I mapped this complicated vegetation with GPS but still had to rely on handwritten note a lot to make sense of it. I got all the way to small cliffs and a stream where I'd stopped mapping last winter--the Bumble went more north and west of this area. It was nice to get so much done, but some more on this side of the creek, and all of the other side remain.