Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Great Falls
 

Great Falls National Park, MD. Warm-up from the tavern area north through the parking lot and back a few times. I did this in my winter coat. It was sunny, just under 30 F, with blustery winds. I'd forgotten a couple of things in the car so I had to go back and forth more than planned.

QOC: Great Falls, MD. Sam Listwak set twisting course using the controls we'd run over the last 4 years. I'd set most of the controls in the first 3 years that the park service started requiring and limiting our use of the park so extensively. Because the approaches to most of the courses was different, the navigation was still interesting. Because I was sometimes over-running my navigation, I made a few errors. Most of the errors were in the first third of the race, and before I settled down. Overall, I didn't do bad. My left knee did hurt a little after the run but that might have been because of running harder down the hill at the end.

I got off to a good start on a leg that I'd set when I last set the courses here. I learned after finishing that most people were using the left trail to climb up into the park. I used the right one, and followed a reentrant most of the way to the control. I was glad that running a little bit and sleeping better the last 2 nights helped to energize me.

I was a little sloppy going to #2. I came out a little to the left so after crossing the trail, I was on the left side of the long knoll in the middle of #1 and #2. I corrected but probably lost a little time before spiking the rest of the leg to the control.

Going to #3, I was again sloppy with my bearing. I either was having trouble getting used to wearing gloves and a headband or just running too fast. I ran straight at the control but weaved a little to find better running. Crossing the trail, I was not sure exactly where I was but I kept going anyway. The contours in the area ahead are very subtle and often confusing. I thought that I ducked under the control (to the right) a little bit before coming back higher than the control. I missed again, hitting the trail below #6. In actuality, I had missed to the left, above the control before cutting left to the trail. I turned around and finally found it. This was about a 3:30 minute error.

Going to #4 I thought to contour to save climb. This took me left more than expected. I kept in pretty good contact with the map but I lost time climbing more than needed and having to cut back to the right. Dan Do and a few others had just been to the control.

I left #4 going fairly straight and catching other runners. A 100m out, I saw the control. I briefly lost it again but basically spiked #5.

I stayed high along the ridge, rather than trying to attack straight at #6. Cutting left I closed-in on another orienteer who punched just before I did.

I headed back down toward the trail. Somehow, I got it in my head that I was heading toward #10 instead of #7. I turned right at a trail intersection and was due south of #10 before realizing what I was doing. I cut left to attack #7 from just north of due east about 400m from #7. I read my way across. Having updated the map around the area and set the control location in a past year, I navigated well and didn't lose much time--perhaps about 40 seconds.

I angled down to the trail to get to #8. At a trail bend it was hard to see the intermittent trail intersection. A guy ahead of me had passed it but when I ran up it rustling leaves, he turned to follow me. Crossing the last reentrant, I angled up the hill to the control.

I ran straight toward #9 and thought I was doing well. At one point, I thought I'd come across a point feature and adjusted my attack. I ended up left and low in the wrong set of depressions. I corrected, leading at least 2 others to the control. I probably lost about 25 seconds.

For #10, I ran up the hill but angled a bit to save climb. Ken Walker Jr. passed me going a straighter and higher way. I walked up the steep part of the hill to the knoll after crossing the reentrant but because I had a pretty good line, I wasn't far behind Ken when he got to the control.

For #11, I ran to the trail intersection as Ken was pulling away. Ken didn't use the trail much. I kept on it until near the bend where I'd jumped off when correcting my error on the way to #7. Several people were punching and I could see Ken do so before I finally got there.

Going to #12, I ran loosely. Climbing through the light green 200m before the control, I stumbled and fell. I did this a few times today but didn't get hurt (unlike poor Jon Torrance who broke his wrist somewhere on the course). Another guy was closing in on the control as I was too but he was closer and got there first.

I rushed out of #12, leaving the other guy. I ran (and walked when it got steep) left of straight, first to the set of rocks across the trail. Staying high from there, I kept a fairly straight route to #13; it was just a bit left and I ran through the only bit of green. I adjusted as I was crossing the flatish spur and past a new unmapped fallen tree/rootstock. I spiked control #13 just before I saw Ryan Stasiowski coming over from the SW, probably having used the trail.

Going to #14, I ran a bit to the left. I crossed the stream and followed a ditch over the next hill. Ryan passed me as I slowed to a walk on the climb. I went left enough to just touch the trail before contouring over the last part to the next trail. Ryan attacked ahead but I confirmed the reentrant before going in myself.

When I headed to #15, I contoured over somewhat. I could see Ryan below going a longer distance before correcting back toward #15. He still got to #15 before I did but I closed on him a bit.

Going to #16, I slowed down a bit. The cumulative climb was taking it out of me. I kept a good bearing and after crossing the trail, and when I paused, I saw that Ryan was on a bad bearing into the wrong reentrant. I also saw the control not exactly on my bearing but I went toward it anyway. Seconds later, I heard rustling leaves behind me. I got to the control just before Eddie Bergeron did.

I was a little slow eating a Gu before heading out for #17. Eddie zoomed ahead and I saw Ryan on the trail trying to figure out his position. It helped a little that Eddie was ahead to give away the control.

I took off straight and lost sight of Eddie for a while when going to #18. My bearing was true and I punched.

Some others were headed toward #19. Eddie was long gone. I noted my position when crossing the trail, and I kept a shallow reentrant to my left. From the top, I saw the shape of the hill below sticking out to the left so I used that to help spike the control.

Going to #20, I saw the spur across the reentrant. I misread the map, and expected the control to be at the end of the spur. I contoured a bit to the right to save climb but pretty soon, Eddie was coming up behind me to my left. I cut left expecting the control to be there but when neither Eddie nor I saw it, we climbed to the right contour. I probably lost about 15 seconds.

Leaving #20 to get to #21, I chased Eddie going straight and across atrail. With it mostly downhill, Eddie easily pulled ahead and was soon out of sight. I rounded a hill and dropped to the trail to use it for a while. I cut up at a bend and after cresting, I cut right more to the control.

For #22, I was a bit disappointed to be climbing again with the course nearly over, but it was a nice and tricky leg. Again, my familiarity with the park and course features helped. I got there not long after another guy had.

For #23, I contoured, going straight. I passed an older orienteer. After crossing the trail, I passed another and spiked the control.

For #24, I ran straight. Half-way there, I paused to verify the distance I'd traveled. I spiked the control, not seeing it until I rounded the rootstock.

For the finish, I ran almost straight but I did get on the trail. I was expecting the finish to be at the bottom as in years passed but hadn't read the map closely enough. I passed a small family group before bounding down. Because I wasn't expecting the finish until the bottom, I ran right past the finish. I circled back up, losing about 5-8 seconds.

Adv-Long - Splits

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.