Training Log Archive: Nadim

Wolf Trap Valley Stream Park, VA. From Carpers Farm Way, I took the Cross County Trail (CCT) to the Dulles Access Rd. overpass and back. It was in the mid 40's and a bit breezy but the trail was pretty dry. I was trying to get a run in before dark. Way back in 1999 I had been looking for this passage but it wasn't really built then. I'd looked for it at both Rte. 7, and the W&OD Trail. I did glimpse this trail earlier from Rte. 7 but it's usually dark when I pass by there at highway speeds. The trail was just what I needed for today--softer dirt ground with virtually no hills. It went through a wide flat flood plain. Heading south, the trail does get paved for a short way. In the summertime the grasses are probably high but one would have been able to run off trail today.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Bethesda, MD, to Northfield Rd. in the dark.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Jones Bridge Rd., to Maryland Ave., to Rosedale Ave. I ran over to my old neighborhood and old friend's house for dinner and a movie. I was feeling pretty sluggish on this run. It was overall downhill.

From Rosedale Ave. to Maryland Ave., to Jones Bridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail to Maple Ridge Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. With it being after dinner, colder and generally a net gain, I was surprised to run back faster than I had run going out. The movie "Europa One" was fun and interesting.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Bethesda, MD, to Northfield Rd. in the dark.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, down The Mall along Independence Ave. and the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., to Connecticut Ave., to the Cleveland Park Metro Station. I took advantage of the nice weather (about 60 F and breezy when starting) and had a nice run. Just as I had gotten running, a guy about my height came by so naturally, I wanted to run faster. I felt good just about the whole first mile. After that, tiredness from the last 2 days quickly set in. I adapted however, and had a pretty good run. I decided I needed a little more than the usual bit up to the Woodley Park Metro Station. I was pretty fast relatively speaking, getting that far (34:21), which is speed I would have rather had the day before.

Hay Creek Park, PA. I warmed-up between the start and finish of DVOA's Fall Orienteering Festival.

DVOA's Fall Orienteering Festival at Hay Creek. This event used new and old parts of a map. I found the course and terrain to be quite physical though my feet hurt more from being banged-up on the day before.

I started well. Ali Crocker was running Blue and we both ran up the same trails toward different controls in the same area. I felt much better running than I had yesterday. I spiked the control.

Going to #2 I forewent the trail route to the left over the hill that offered easier navigation. Risking going through some green terrain when I'd seen some bad woods near the start, I was happy that I could run through the green by zig-zagging only a little bit. I came upon a hunter stand but wasn't sure it was mapped. I'd been climbing or contouring most of the way so I thought I might be left of the straight route. I let myself go downhill to the right a bit and soon saw Ali Crocker again just before I got to the first trail. I paused knowing that I should know pretty well where I popped out onto the trail before leaving it, however I made a hasty decision to go on. Something in the contours was telling me that I was okay. I might not have let the compass needle settle enough. I crossed the second thinking that I had to cross a reentrant to find the control on the other side, but still much lower. At the bottom of the reentrant, I realized that I was too low. I climbed out on the other side and ran up strongly to another control. It wasn't mine. I paused a longer while and hesitantly went off to my next guess. Fortunately, that one was correct. However, I lost 2:30 minutes and used a good bit of energy. It was a good recovery for as big an error as it was. I would have liked to go back and see why I made my error.

For #3, I aimed off to the right to get to the trail, bore left, and went in from a trail bend. I was a little slow finding the control but had no real time lost.

For #4, I ran the trail and left it to climb the knoll. I was planning to go around the knoll but it seemed to have white woods that looked better than the green rocky terrain to the left. I missed seeing the trail option further down the hill on a side trail. As I went down the ridge, I though I'd counted flat spurs pretty well but I pulled-up short anyway. I even backed up a little to check out some rocks that I don't think were mapped. Eventually I went on and found it. Another guy had been leaving before I got there but I wasn't sure which rock it was.

Leaving #4, I made the mistake of not going straight down to the right. I had planned to go straight down the ridge but that was getting green. I cut left instead to use what were relatively white woods. I hit the trail at good speed but had incurred extra distance. At the stream crossing, I thought about using the lower and flat trail but I was worried that I might miss the control. The high route offered a better attack. This was however, overkill for such an easy control. The extra climb was more than I thought it'd be too. I passed a young guy whom I'd seen at #4 and punched.

I hesitated leaving #5, almost going up at first. After that I ran the trail quickly trying to put some distance on the guy whom I'd just passed. The control was easy but I guess it was just to ensure we used the bridge.

As I crossed the bridge going toward #7, I didn't look at the water level. I also started veering to the right before going back to the road. I stayed ahead of the other guy whom I'd passed earlier but got passed by another faster runner. Going uphill, I kept moving but slowed enough to get passed again. It was an easy attack to the rock but a few others were also walking up to the control.

For #8, I planned to contour across but ended up climbing a bit. The terrain was pretty rocky and made slower by not so nice vegetation. Two guys followed me for a little while. I popped out on a major trail but I wasn't sure which one. Fortunately I could see an intersection below me and that let me know I was too high. I corrected angling down to the trail that led right to #8. The guy I'd seen since #4 was just ahead of me.

For #9, I ran straight. The younger guy was ahead of me doing the same for a while but he eventually dropped low. I thought I could get ahead of him. I saw some prominent boulders so I thought I was doing okay. I crossed a leaf covered ditch and wondered why it wasn't mapped--later I figured out that this was mapped as a trail. Soon I noticed that I was too high. Just afterward, I heard noise and looked back to see Ted Good closing in on me. Bummer. I'd had about a 12 minute head start. I dropped lower then hesitated at a reentrant that looked pretty boxy above me. I concluded where I was and angled a bit upward to the next reentrant. In the process I must have gone just over the control. I went on across several reentrants but they seemed more widely spaced than I expected. That was a sign that I was too high. I crossed an intermittent trail without knowing it. Ted turned around there. I did soon after and went to the control. That was a 6 minute error. The low route was easier and I should have taken it.

For #10, I went low along the lake and ran hard up the white reentrant. A fast runner was near and I had picked up the pace. I spiked the control but it wasn't hard.

For #11, I went low again, using the first trail I hit. I followed the trail below the dam and across the stream, still ahead of the other fast runner I'd seen at #10. I crossed the creek well and spiked the control.

For #12, I crossed the creek back to the road. The faster runner had decided on this route as I was guessing at which option was better, so I followed his lead. He pulled ahead on the road. I thought he was going too low and would have a steeper climb at the end. I left the road, crossed the creek and angled up the steep slope. It wasn't bad but not real fast either. The other guy might have come around the steep slope from past the control but if that was him, he didn't gain anything on my route.

For #13, I headed to the bridge. I feared a difficult and slow creek crossing. I used trails to the east of #13, and angled up too. It was a slow slog but others were doing it too. I probably lost 30 seconds by using the bridge.

For #14, I headed to the trail bend and crossed the intersection (going over the log). The climb after leaving the trail was slow. A younger guy was on my right but I kept my own bearing and passed him. Ahead, I could see that I was closing-in on Ted Good again (he happened to be very near cramping). Ted walked slower than I did but still got to the control before I did.

For #15, I ran trying to contour over to the trail but it was taking long. I eventually cut more to the right and uphill a little. Apparently this lost me some time. Once on the trail, I eventually saw Ted Good again but knew there was no way to catch him.

For the run-in, I gave it a good push.

Overall, this was a disappointing day for me. It started when I cracked the glass of my IPad when trying to put on my spiked o-shoes. I was doing this in the car on the way to the meet on a rolling road and the IPad fell over getting under my foot. The disappointing second leg took the wind out of me and I never really recovered. I need more steady training and I hope I can start doing that now.

Hay Creek - Day 2 Red - Splits