Training Log Archive: Nadim

Warm-up in Wheaton Regional Park.

QOC Summer Short Series Snakehead Sprint Park-O. Dave Onkst set the courses for this fun event in which participants not only had to navigate the White level course, but had to remember clue words that spelled out a sentence. The name of the event comes from infamous discovery of a Snakehead (indigenous to China) fish in the small park lake that devours all other fish, then slithers over land to other ponds. I navigated okay but repeatedly had trouble in the circle trying to find the plastic baggie and streamer. There were a few silly mistakes too which in a regular O-meet wouldn't have amounted to much but in Park-O, made all the difference. I wasn't very pleased with my result but this was good training. The time includes a run to the start triangle.

After resting a bit and drinking a Gatorade, I went out to pickup controls, which were streamers with a plastic baggied and an index card. I ran the whole route in order. Having known all the locations, I lost no time and even took what might have been better route choices. The time includes ripping off the streamers. I ran easy but it would have been almost faster than I orienteered the first time if subtracting the streamer removal time. I could have done it off memory the second go around. It shows how much difference confidence, pinpointing bag location, and no mistakes can make.

Sprint - Splits

30 pushups.

From Rosedale Ave., Maryland Ave. to East-West Hwy, to the Georgetown Branch Trail, to Connecticutt Ave, to Jones Bridge Rd. to Maryland Ave. to Rosedale Ave. It was a humid evening and dinner still felt heavy while running. Weight 171.5.

Potomac Pedaler's Mad Cap Wednesday ride from Ivy Lane in Greenbelt, MD. Continuing meetings in Beltsville allowed me to get to the club ride. The route zig-zagged across the research center, came up Fletchertown past our old house in Bowie, and out 193 to as far as Old Glendale Rd. I rode in the lead pack as we alternately cruised and pushed the pace. After a long pull up the biggest hill one of the UMD riders earnestly asked me if I'd been training with anyone at college so I took it as a compliment. After another long pull near the end on Powder Mill Rd., I got dropped as the others sprinted up the last big hill. I caught-up at a light. Kurt and Chuck rode too. Weight 170.5.

From the UMD Track, north on the Northwest Branch Trail to the end of the pavement and back. In Beltsville for work for a few days, I took advantage of some old haunts though by arriving late, I missed much of PGRC's practice. I really wasn't sure how fast I was going at first. I was glad the storms had cooled things off a bit but it was still about 80F, very humid and damp underfoot. This was a confidence builder since I hadn't run much distance and none at this speed nor in the heat for a long while. Halves on the trail: 3:19, 3:19, 3:17, turnaround at 27:03, 3:26, 3:23, 3:23. I had faded even more than the times indicate since I usually run this in negative splits. Weight: 170.

45 situps.

From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD to C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was delighful 58F morning passing others but riding alone. There were headwinds along the water. Weight 172.5.

From Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. to Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD. I started around 10:15pm. My headlight is not working well and I didn't expect to need it on these longest of summer days so I had left it at home. All I had was my rear flasher so w/that on, I took off into the humid and breezy night. I was okay going to the river but on the trail I had to slow and speed-up accoringly with the ambient light. Thick forested areas had one benefit with the lightning bugs helping light the way. I avoided running into the deer who darted across the trail. I saw one other cyclist with a dim headlight and stayed out of her way too. The fartlek pace left me strong enough to sprint fast up the bridges. In Bethesda I wandered to find food but there was nothing fast open. Luckily there was pasta aleady made at home.

Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC) Championship Series Burning Tree 5K. It was beautiful 60F, low humidity and breezy. Mostly unplanned, Peggy dragged me out early to this. We got there with enough time to warm-up 300m to the start and have <30 seconds to spare. Finding on the starting line that the distance was 5K over an advertised shady and hilly route, I felt fine for the first 2 miles. The last mile had "Heartburn Hill", the longest on the course. None of the hills were that bad. Not having trained for leg speed, I held ground or got passed going down but usually passed all going up. On Heartburn Hill, I started well then faded and lost several places. My two mile split was 11:41. I was surprised and satisfied about that but I never saw the other mile markers. Except as a freshman in high school ~28 years back, I think this was a personal worst (PW) for 5K. There were +200 people; I was 22nd overall, 13th in the unofficial 40-50 age grouping. The winner was 48 and ran 16:30. Weight 171.

2 laps around Fernwood Elementary School with Peggy.