Training Log Archive: Nadim

45 situps. After doing some painting in our house, there wasn't much time for anything else.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park and back using the trail-a-bike to drop off Max.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. After dropping off Max, I switched over to my road bike. As I was leaving my neighbor Jim Hurley came out with his bike so I waited a bit and we road together. We had some detours and traffic but basically road the same pace and switched-off leading. Jim was trying out his new Specialized road bike with a nice Garmin computer. I was still a bit weak on hills and into the SW headwind at times. Jim stopped in Georgetown at a bike store on Water St. owned by another nearby neighbor.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Light rain was falling when I started but this was finished before I got to Lincoln Circle. There were very few people out riding. It was humid. I kept a good pace but slowed feeling more out of breath and tired approaching Massachusetts Ave. and beyond.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park and back on the trail-a-bike to drop off Max. Though I didn't feel much stronger, my improved time would indicate that my strenghth is returning.

The last few days back at work were almost backtracking recovery progress with more congestion in my lungs, and a feel of less oxygen getting to my muscles--I've been getting out of breath even walking up small inclines and stairs. Both of my legs cramped last night like they had worked hard the day before. When out and about over the weekend, it forced me to clear my lungs. I've still got another week of medicine to go through.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. It's not full yet but in both running up the metro escalator stairs, and riding home, I could definately feel my strenghth returning.

From Northfield Rd. to Elm St. at Wisconsin Ave., and back. I went out to see a late movie. Fun!

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park and back on the trail-a-bike to drop off Max. I'm still weak from being sick.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. The metro trains were slow due to mechanical troubles on my train--it kept starting and stopping. Next it skipped my stop.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Edgemore Ln., Bethesda, MD. I rode my road bike back to Bethesda. I had been unable to ride it home on Thursday when I had gotten too sick. I was still rather weak but only got passed twice. It was a nice calm ride in fair weather.

Meadowood Park, Mason Neck, VA. After other runners had gone for a while, I set out to pickup controls for Peggy's SSS training exercise which focused on ascending or descending a slope to a control. I was right on target for the first 10 but some map issues, misinterpreting, and a misplaced control caused trouble for most of the rest. The main issue was that I was just too weak. I did stop on the way to #5 on the long course to check Dan Do's short course map and make sure I wouldn't pickup her controls too early. I think I helped her heading out a bit from the bridge too. The ground cover/forest in this park was the best of the weekend; a little damp but pretty nice for summer in the DC area. The temperature in the forest wasn't so bad either. I was pretty worn out by the end in the open field where Peggy and Max were waiting.

More time in the Pirate's Cove Pool, in Pohick Bay Regional Park, with Peggy and Max. We chased and squirted each other, then Max went off to continue doing loops in the water and slide.

We saw Cars 2 later. I enjoyed it as well as a cold drink in an air conditioned theater.

Pohick Bay Regional Park, VA. After a rain stormy night in our tent and a quick breakfast, Peggy went to setup controls for a Monday training session. Max and I went on a hike in which I went down memory lane a bit. In high school, I had been part of an self-organized week long running camp and had camped in very close to the same spot. We would run in the morning and run in the evening, with time for the pool and other things.

Max and I hiked down one of the trails that we had used to come back to camp on in our morning runs some 33 years back. More recently when orienteering in the park, I didn't cross this area much and I didn't expend the energy to try to figure out where I'd been earlier. Some trails had changed. Memories came to me pretty quickly as we started down the trail and saw two women running up it. I could recall at a fork that I had come up the fork on the right which was now dead ended for it being too steep a slope. Max and reached Pohick Bay and saw a beautiful looking river with marsh plants and blue herons swooping past low over the water. Max was tired so he thought most of this hike was boring except when we played chasm of doom at bridges. This was like the Monty Python and Holy Grail skit where I'd get to ask him questions before he could pass. I soon had to switch the game around so that he'd have to get an answer correct before getting swung aside. We eventually got to the park docks while going around a patch of private property--in the 1970's, this area wans't marked as being closed off and we had a shorter path. Max ran out of energy climbing uphill back to the upper lot. I gave him a lift partway and this made it an effort for me. He weighs about 50lbs. now.

Pohick Bay Regional Park, VA. Time splashing and stroking while Max ran circles up and down the Pirate's Cove slide. I got some real arm work done.

Mason Neck State Park, VA. The Summer Short Series training today had been a score-O event designed by Tom Strat. Tom had made the map of this park. Those familiar with it know it for it's flatness. Tom wanted to improve the map somewhat by sending us to the mapped root stocks. We found more mappable ones than were mapped and at least one mapped one which shouldn't have been mapped because it didn't exist. When I got started, I was sent north of the main park road, not my preference. This was my first real try at running since getting sick. I proved immediately to be weaker than normal when I got out of breath right away. Attacking off the road, I missed the first control and took some time getting back together for it. This lost me time but I hit controls better afterward. I probably lost about 7 minutes on the first one, and only 2 minutes for the rest of the controls. It was humid and I sweat a lot. Thunderstomrs were threatening at the end.

After the long sticky day and a nice cooler dinner at a nearby restaraunt, rains fell. Peggy was worried about dire forecasts for falling trees and I'd since the ground tarp for the tent had gotten separated from the tent sack before we came, we decided to bag the camping for the night. This dissapointed Max but he was rather tired as it was. I anticipated a better night sleeping but I awoke with a nasal drip that caused me to erupt with a hacking cough and kept me awake for a while.