Training Log Archive: Nadim

Shenandoah National Park, VA - Big Meadows Campground. After packing up the campsite, Peggy, Max, Miles and I hiked the Forest Discovery Trail from our nice A68 campsite to the Big Meadows Visitor Center. It was a very easy hike mostly downhill until a steeper climb at the end. The frequent placards along the trail were in the process of being updated. We saw marsh to our left and some navigable terrain with scattered boulders elsewhere. It might be fun to have an O-map of the greater Big Meadows area but it'd take a lot of work to make and the park seems to frown on off-trail uses.

From the Big Meadows Visitor Center in Shenandoa National Park, VA, I ran on trails down toward Lewis Falls, then turned north on the Appalachian Trail to return to our campsite for our mini-van. I ran with a purchased map but it was way off-scale. Peggy and I were both hoping to take turns running but she graciously let me go instead of her since there wasn't enough time for both of us. Along the AT on a big long hill climb, I spotted a big wild turkey. As two other woman hikers were coming the other way, I explained what I'd seen. They seemed excited at the thought of seeing it too and almost forgot to tell me about the bear they'd just seen... I got to a great overlook of the Shenandoah Valley without seeing any bears. I've seen them before and if I wanted a high probability of seeing them again I'd have gone to Loft Mountain--not something for the kids first camping trip. At the amphitheater slide show the night before, the park service ranger quizzed everyone about what was most dangerous. It turned out that lightning, deer, and snakes were ahead of bears in that order. A previous park ranger holds the Guiness Book of World Record for having 7 lifetime strikes. Another ranger, still alive, had 4. The bear danger was downplayed so much that the ranger made fun of it by showing statistical comparisons. Cheating vending machines have killed more people over the decades by falling on their attackers. The bear danger was made better by park efforts to educate people about safe food practices and by relocations.

McKeldin State Park, near Granite, MD. After a drive back from Virginia and a short break at home, Peggy, Max and I made it to the QOC Summer Short Series training. Jan Merka watched Max so both Peggy and I got out into the woods a short bit apart. The training was in the area used for Day 3 of the QOC Ran-It Granite A-meet last Spring.

I started off okay spiking the first four controls and catching Peggy at #2. I must have been close on #5 but then overshot, relocated and then came back to it. Ted Good has set this as technical training for US and Canadian national team members Eddie Bergeron and Jon Torrance so it was no surprise that I had similar troubles with the next several controls. I drifted right, then left before stopping a few feet from #6; I then saw the small flagging which Ted had marked all the controls with. On #7, I got to the area well enough but in the woodland light I couldn't read the map well enough. I wandered with Francis Hogel near a quary before realizing that the boulder I was looking for was in a reentrant--I later agreed with Ted that the area there was so packed with mappable stuff that it's just hard to show things. I went the southern or left route to #8. Around to the right would have been technically easier and only a hair longer. I read a reentrant there incorrectly for a very brief time before hearing Francis give it away. I started to go off the way Francis had, then realized he was running a shorter course. I turned back and had Ted Good right behind me after passing #8 again. Ted ran a better route and got ahead. Along the way I forgot that #9 was in a pit. Not being able to focus well on the map while chasing Ted, my eyes focused on a boulder in the middle of the circle. Ted of course having set the course and mapped the map went to the correct pit--it was one that I'd made a similar small mistake on in the A-meet last Spring. Going to #10, I closed a gap on Ted. He stuck to a trail and climbed a bit extra perhaps giving me a chance to get ahead without being obvious. I took the lower route on the hillside and did get there first but only barely. Going to #11, I led going right around some water filled small quarries. I was unsure what to expect of them in the summer but it turned out that they were filled as mapped. I had to climb higher than expected to get around the quarry cliffs so going low may have been better. Going to #12, I ran like I had to #7, then attacked off the large quarry corner. I hesitated along the way but soon saw Ted going more directly on my right. He slowed enough to let me get there first. I was going to let him go first to #13 but he said it didn't matter since we were nearly done. I went a bit left of the line to stay high early. Going a bit to the right side like Ted had done might have been better. I crossed a trail and got confused enough to drop into the wrong reentrant. I must have been reading my compass incorrectly. I was swift at relocating so I made my correction fast; unfortunately for me, Ted was long gone. I ran a straighter route than necessary to get to #14. I felt the lowlands were getting too messy. I ran around reentrants and got a bit confused getting out of the woods and to the finish.

This was great training for me. The technical terrain might be the best I'll get all Summer. It was made harder by the basket wavy grass obscuring rocks and sticks and sometimes large pits. My legs felt a bit rubbery from increasing my cycling commuting last week but I ran up hills and through the grass with some strength. The woods looked very different (thicker) from last Spring but I navigated better in areas where I'd messed-up last time. The small flagging used for controls this time made it harder.

McKeldin State Park. After arriving back from the SSS training, Max told me that he wanted to go orienteering. He didn't realize that we were just at the park for training. He wanted to do the White course. He was probably bored while waiting and tired from the long day. I obliged him by trying to do a map walk with him. He wasn't in a state of mind to really learn or read the map though we did look at it. We just walked to the large quarry and back. A black dog followed/walked with us; it had followed Eddie B. while he was training. I presume it got back to its owners who were hanging out and floating in the water filled quarry. I carried Max back on my shoulders most of the way.

Shenandoah National Park, VA. From Skyline Dr., Peggy, Max, Max's friend Miles, and I hiked down the Dark Hollow Falls Trail to the first set of falls. It was a bit humid out but the cooler mountain air was refreshing. The water was more so. I got my feet wet up to my ankles and dunked my head under the falls. The kids went in further. The water was pretty shallow but they had swim suits on. I was mostly dry by the time I got back up to the top. The kids pretended to be sled dogs and pulled an imaginary leash most of the way. I hadn't been to these very accessible falls in a decade or more. I suppose we've been orienteering too much.

Shenandoah National Park, VA - Big Meadows Campground. After setting-up camp for Max and Miles first ever overnight camping, Peggy, the boys and I went to gather wood (we had to buy it; the campground is popular and gets picked over. It was heavy enough to justify logging this) and later made a second trek across the campground areas for an amphitheater slide show in the twighlight and dark. The camping was a great success. Peggy's smores were the best I've ever had. I usually don't like burned and melted marshmallow. The kids did pretty well though not without some expected melt downs from Max. We say plenty of deer and the kids began to ignore them mostly; one time, I did have to stop Max from running up on a fawn and her mother. I had wanted to show Max the Milky Way at night but there were clouds. Fortunately when things happen in the mountains, they are more dramatic. We had great views of lightning lighting up thunderheads over the valley to the east. I only briefly managed to sprinkle on us long after we were in our tent. The stars did come out very late too as a mild cold front swept through.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to C St., SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail and Ohio Dr. I felt much more tired this morning. I haven't ridden to work 4 days in a week since last Fall and I got less rest last night. With a late start the trail was less crowded. I felt less need to push so I took it easier. There was less tailwind and it was around 80 F.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It took a while to warm-up and I surprised myself. My speed on the early flatter parts was just a bit faster than when climbing the grade later. I had expected to slow down much more but I kept spinning. It was a moderate ride all around with some but not much wind. I was 40:20 at Maple Ave.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to C St., SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail and Ohio Dr. I felt pretty good overall. I was using my lungs better. After dropping off Max, I gradually got moving faster. I crossed Little Falls Rd. just ahead of a fast group that was getting on the trail. I towed all of them well into Georgetown weaving into the left lane a lot to pass a bunch of other cyclists and some runners. I was doing 23mph down the hill and 20-21mph on the flats. There was a tailwind. I slowed the last few blocks with traffic getting into the building. Though my time is slower it was a faster ride than the day before. I didn't feel any knee issues though last night my right knee was hotter than the left.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was a little less headwind along the water (mainly due to a drafting off a bus) and more headwind on the trail after Georgetown. I towed a guy in my draft from before the water treatment plant to Falls Rd. and slowed after that. I was 40:39 at Maple Ave.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to C St., SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail and Ohio Dr. I had a good tailwind most of the way and the weather was cool. I felt stronger; going 22-24mph down the hill and +20mph on the flats until I got passed in the last 3/4 of a mile into Georgetown by a pair doing 23-24mph. I hung on to them. There was some headwind the last few miles along with a few riders spurring me to push the pace.

With the train crash yesterday, while riding, I was thinking about the safety comparison between riding the metro trains and riding my bike. I have a lot more close calls on bicycle but these are somewhat more under my control. Today I almost bit it cycling on a crowded trail. I'd just passed a cyclist and a runner with another cyclist coming from the other direction, and a lady walking her big labrador ahead on the right going my way too. I gave an audible warning to pass the woman and her big dog but inexplicably she decided right there and then to make a u-turn across my path. It was fortunate that I had slowed enough before hand to miss hitting them. The woman with the dog seemed oblivious as to what had happened.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had headwinds to Georgetown and once again, the shelter of trees after that. I was slightly slower on the flats but oddly stronger and faster on the hills than the day before. My right knee had bothered me a bit in the morning and I felt some strain again going home. I was 41:12 at Maple Ave.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to C St., SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail and Ohio Dr. My family came and left a lot of food yesterday so today I'm heavy... Starting out, another guy climbing a hill caught up and asked about commuting with Max. I've been getting more frequent inquiries about it. The guy asking is expecting a kid of his own. I explained it's well worth it. In the brief time available to talk and ride it's hard to understand what part of the commute that people asking want to know about. I drop off both Max and his trailer at his day care faciltiy and pickup just the trailer on my way back (Peggy picks up Max before I get home). Having alternate commute methods is necessary so my backup plans are to drive to the metrorail station, ride just to the local metrorail station, use a bus and metrorail, or walk to the metrorail station. After separating from the guy inquiring, our paths crossed again. He unknowingly took a longer route into Bethesda so Max and I saw him again as we waited at a traffic light.

The ride into DC was nice. I had a good tailwind and the air was cooler than it usually is this time of year. I cruised 20-22mph down the hill and about 20-21mph on the flats. I started to tire approaching Georgetown. I slowed a bit the last few miles. I rode in with my laptop but it wasn't very obtrusive. I feel it more when climbing on the way home.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had headwinds going to Georgetown and almost bailed into Rock Creek. Expecting the headwinds to contine, things seemed to get easier once I hit the Capital Crescent Trail. I couldn't tell if the wind had changed or if the trees were just providing that much protection. I spinned well, slowing speed a few times to keep up the cadence. I had some more headwinds after crossing Massachusetts Ave. I was 41:52 at Maple Ave where I picked up the trailer.

C • Bike 3

From Northfield Rd., I did some errands around Bethesda, I rode both going and returning with some things in my hands so I was slow. I had a nice Father's Day greeting after sleeping in this day and I had been cleaning up the house before running to be ready for my parents and sisters coming by after lunch.