Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Summer Short Series Sprints
 

QOC Summer Series, Sprint 1 at Glendening Preserve near Bristol, MD. It's always fun to go to a new area. I like this kind of course with the flat open woods. It's very fast. Still one needs to keep a straight bearing and be able to read the trail. The contours actually did help too. I got there a bit late with Max. Peggy had gone there earlier w/Valarie to setup (controls and e-punch). As soon as I could get ready, I went out. I had hardly any warm-up but with the temperature pushing 90F, I probably didn't need much of one. I started okay then kept changing my mind on the way to #1. I had similar bobbles going to #2 and climbed much more than was necessary. After that it was fast and mostly straight. I saw Mark Mace who was trying to recover after an error going to #9. See the Split List for more. I was 3rd fastest for the course out of about 13 people. My cold has subsided though there's still some phlem in the sinuses.

QOC Summer Series, Sprint 2 at Glendening Preserve near Bristol, MD. I'm not sure how much time was in-between the races. I could have used a toilet and this bothered me later. I started this one in the middle of those who came. I had heard that Ted had troubles at #8 before going out. I was a bit slow to #1 mainly because I was reading the map incorrectly--I thought the control was on the same side of the large reentrant that I approached. The next few were fast. Dave Pruden messed it up worse and I almost caught him there. I missed a little at #2 mainly because the vegetation was closer together than the map showed the clearing to be. Eddie Bergeron caught me just before getting to #3 and I briefly passed Dave there. I was slow to orient my map and didn't bother trying to chase Eddie without getting my own route decided upon first. Dave got ahead of me either because he was quicker at the route decisions or because he was aiming to stay in contact with Eddie. We ran in the same order until #7 when I got to the control just ahead of Dave and then took off. Dave slowed after this. Either he had a good strategy of letting me make a mistake first, or he just needed time to plan this one. #8 was in a tricky area where pine vegetation and fields were the only features nearby. By this time, I'd forgotten hearing about Ted's trouble. I entered the area just at where I had entered when approaching #5, then emerged well past the control. I hunted for a while, seeing Dave run off at one point. Eventually I came in from 100m to the east where I could make more sense of the vegetation mapping. Kris Beecroft was just behind me briefly but she was going to #5. I hit #9 after passing #5 and went on to finish w/o further error. See the Split List. It was good to get a nice workout in, especially since I haven't been doing much lately. I actually ran harder and faster on this run but the error at #8 doesn't show it. I'm still having left hamstring issues but didn't feel it during this race.

Glendening Preserve, Bristol, MD. Control pickup of #3, #4, #7 and #6 from the second sprint.

Sprint 1 - Splits

Sprint 2 - Splits

I had some errands to do so I left work early, finished my errands and did some mapping in the Civic Center Park in Rockville, MD. I started from Mark Twain School and Park and hoped to cover things in Rock Creek Park. First however, I wanted to finish the Civic Center Park south of here. It took longer than I thought. I got to some areas that I hadn't had a chance to cover earlier. Though I covered a bunch of ground. There's still a little bit more. I also fixed a few things in areas that I'd already been through. It's a lot of work to cover all of a park. It seems that in every place that I hadn't got into deeply before that there are more hidden features. My cold is starting to dry up but it still keep me tired.

45 situps. Feeling tired. Seezing with a runny nose all day.

From Rosedale Ave. in Bethesda, MD to C St. SW in Washington, D.C. I intended to take it easy and was doing so initially. A headwind was slowing me up anyway. After Massachusets Ave., another guy caught me so I tucked-in behind him all the way to Georgetown. He had a large frame which gave me a good block to hide behind. He was pulling up to 22-25mph down the grade, then 22-23 on the flats. I eased back after we split.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD. I felt tired from the morning ride starting out and had a headwind to Georgetown. I think a cold I just caught was taking a toll. Taking it easy, I got passed by a guy so I got in his draft. He didn't mind and cruised just under 20mph on the flats and 17-18mph up the grade. We passed many and eventually picked up a third person who got in behind me. Rather out of shape, I only managed to trade one pull but the stronger rider appreciated it. As we approached the ramp to go over River Rd. we started passing another rider who was on our right. Two other riders were coming down the ramp the opposite direction. I thought I cleared ahead of the guy we were passing but just as we hit the ramp, the lead cyclist slowed, thus slowing me and then he moved to the right. I needed to move right too with the others coming down the ramp from the other direction headed right at me so I did; not too quickly or all the way. My attention was drawn forward toward oncoming cyclists but the guy we were passing on my right must have been there still. He was probably overlapping part of my wheel so he got cut off. We climbed the bridge ramp and the guy who got cut off got all huffy. He turned out to be racer. I apologized sincerely but he wasn't the type to hear it. It was road rage on the bike trail and we kept riding. He started saying stuff that I had hardly heard since high school. Maybe he was on steroids. A second apology wasn't enough. He went on to try convincing the other two riders about how insignificant I was as if he could never make such a mistake. The others would have none of it and returned complaints to him now because he was making so much cacophony and had moved ahead slowing us up. It all ended as we split up in Bethesda. I thanked the guy I had drafted and he exchanged a smile and a 'you are welcome' wave. I suppose on what I'm told is the 3rd most popular bicycle commute route in the country that one is going to have such days. I wonder where the guy I offended got the idea to turn what was worthy of sympathy into total disdain from those who were there.

C • Sorry to hear about your encou... 3

From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda MD, riding around the neighborhood with Max in tow. We went after I got back from work. Max fussed about wearing his helmet but submitted and kept it on. He hooted in the tunnels and was happy getting to the playground. He even let me put the helmet back on w/o much trouble. Max had been pretty happy this morning and after work to see me return from a week in Colorado.

Buena Vista, San Isabel National Forest. Warm-up jogging near the start of the U.S. Championships at approximately 8,500ft. elevation.

U.S. Classic Orienteering Championships Day 2. San Isabel National Forest, on The Big Sandy map near Buena Vista, CO. It was a rough day for me. I started anticipating a good hard through grassier and flatter terrain than the day before. Instead, it turned out to be a very technical map which was printed a bit on the light side. I also was anticipating some close competition with Tapio and Steve Greg who both started just ahead. To make it more enticing, Tapio had a two minute lead on me from the day before and was sitting in 3rd place for the M45+ category with me 4th. I started not so great but managed to catch Tapio by the 2nd control. There I wandered 20 minutes making poor attacks and getting tired out. I had other troubles too due mainly to not making good plans before trying to execute. I found it very difficult to read the rock detail and relied a lot on contours. I still managed to enjoy myself which is why I came though I'd really like a shot at redemption on this map. See the Split List.

Red Day 2 - Splits