Training Log Archive: Nadim

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. I did more field checking in the northern part of the park. I got to the park later than planned. I stayed up too late the night before, partly to get ready. I forgot to bring bug spray again and when I started out, I had forgotten to wear my glasses. I returned to the car after an hour and in so doing, I checked some of the areas that I hadn't set out to check. Ultimately, it still needed checking so this was okay. The park was damp in the morning from the hard rains the night before. Mosquitoes got me early but it was cooler and breezy. Later no bugs bothered me. In a somewhat technical area, I found more cliffs--I might have mistaken these for ones that I'd gotten before and are similar. Much of the terrain that I covered today was of the less pleasant variety--lots of vine-like low vegetation. It was amazing how the stuff so prevalent in some areas suddenly stops as I crossed into clear open forest. I'm almost done with the areas north of the lake.

Scotts Run Nature Preserve. Tom Strat setup the QOC Summer Short Series training today. First up was a short cell phone-o. Scotts run is a small but hilly forested park with mostly nice forest. We used an old (+20 year?) map printed at 1:15,000. I ran first as Peggy guided me. I hit the first control pretty well but got slightly below the second when attacking a reentrant from a trail intersection. Peggy and I primarily exchanged compass bearings such as N, NW, S, SE, etc. (as I ran, I didn't have a map to look at) so when I missed, it took a few minutes to get back on track. On the way to the 3rd control, a trail that was not on the old map, did not trip us up. I hit the 4th control just fine. I was tired and didn't run very fast.



When I called directions for Peggy, she did pretty well. Initially, I might have saved her some climb out of the start but the attack from a trail bend made it easy to hit the control. Peggy missed the second control in a way very similar to the way I missed my second control. It was so similar that I thought it actually was my second control. She recovered quickly and hit the rest of the controls to finish in 20:05. It was pretty fun.

Scotts Run Nature Preserve, VA. For the second part of the SSS training, Tom setup a contour training exercise. We had a map with controls marked on it. We were to try to memorize the leg and hit a control while following a contour. Many of the routes were wildly U-shaped, not what one would actually do in a competition but it did give us some good training. I hit the first 7 controls just about right on or within a contour. I did look at the map fairly often though. Something happened at the 8th control. No one found it. Most of the climb was probably incurred somewhere around #8 as several people were hunting unsuccessfully (there was some climb on the jog back after the 12th controls too with Ted and David). The contours also seemed to be wrong when going to the 10th control. Ted Good and I found ourselves following a line much further out a spur than what we thought the map would have us do out of #9. I was fairly low getting to #11. Ted was high there, and David Onkst had come-in lower than me. It was a bit too green the last few controls for this type of training on the last several controls but the exercise was still fun.

From Northfield Rd. to Madison Rd., with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was damp on the ground; humid in the air. As I towed Max's bicycle back, one driver offered to carry it for me in the back of his pickup truck. Going to the metro station, I lugged my laptop and a backpack. This made me feel a bit sweaty in my work clothes. I figured I need to run and there was too much chance of rain to day to ride-in all the way to work.

From Northfield Rd., I rode into town to get dinner for Peggy and I. Max had an outdoor laser tag birthday party at Greenwich Park that was muddy but didn't get rained-out. I was pretty tired and worn-out most of the day.

From Northfield Rd. to Madison Rd., with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. Getting to the CCT, I got stuck behind a truck that slowed and accelerated with things in the road. It felt hot behind the truck but cool when I finally got around it at Arlington Rd. I thought I was moving close to the speed I had been doing yesterday. I caught a guy who accelerated, then I drafted off of him for a few miles down the grade. Neither of us had fenders so water on the trail would splatter up. After a goose with goslings stood it's ground in the middle of the trail and we slowed, we rode side-by-side mostly and chatted about other wildlife on the trail. There were more headwinds along the river but I'd caught another guy who works at the Smithsonian museums and moved along okay. I felt like I had to work much hard this morning but still was slower.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd. Leaving work, I wasn't feeling that energetic. Cornering was a little off and going down. Ohio Dr., with some wind aid, I wasn't that fast. By the time I was on the other side of Georgetown, I realized I had a slow leak on my rear tire and would hav to fix it. This was unfortunate with a thunderstorm on the way, and just enough time to make it to the Long Day's Night (QOC's Fall A Meet) planning meeting. After a tube change, I got going again in about 15 minutes. I was however, slower with an under inflated tire. Later toward the end, I concluded that the slowness was more than the tire, it was cumulative fatigue.

From Northfield Rd. to Madison Rd., with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. On the way with Max this morining, he talked about doing running training, going around the block across the street; he thought 4 times would be enough. This was surprising since he hadn't taken to training much before. I think it had to do with making the classic soccer team, or with field day. I told him that if he wanted to do that to start with just 1 time around the block, and to work upward slowly. On the way to work the timing was such that I rode the first half mile or so with my neighbor who also commutes into DC. Out of the blue he remarked about Max's running ability saying that he alway sees Max runnng, and that he looks like a fast runner.

Afterward, I took off at my usual effort but was going a little faster than usual. I was doing 23-25mph down the grade. I caught and drafted off another rider for a little while, then he took a turn. We picked-up a 3rd guy in a line. Another guy passed the 3 of us but we caught and passed him back eventually. Near Georgetown, the 3rd rider took over. We were hitting 22-25mph on the flats. We split from there but one of the guys rode a parallel route on the roads past the Kennedy Center and I got behind without catching up till near the Jefferson Memorial. It started to rain after that. All-in-all, it was fast riding this morning. I hope it didn't wear me out like the hard ride last week did.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd. The winds were mixed. Initially on the way to Georgetown, I was feeling the fast ride in the morning. My legs were burning and I wasn't moving that fast. After Georgetown, I'd warmed-up and perhaps was more sheltered from the wind. It was enough to give me steady 18mph climbing through Dalecarlia, then 16-17mph to Falls Rd. It was also rather humid from earlier rain.

From Northfield Rd. to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I didn't sleep well last night despite going to bed late and a nice rain in the wee hours. The rain stopped by morning but with it wet, I decided not to have Max ride into school today; it's his last week for 3rd grade and he has field day events all day. On my ride, it was in the upper 70s F but the humidity was higher than that. There were plenty of other cyclists. I was riding well down the grade and drafted off of one for a while before passing. I almost caught another fast rider but he rode the flats faster than I wanted to try to. There were moderate headwinds after Georgetown. My left knee was aching a little too.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd. I escaped work just before the gates of the courtyard where I lockup had clanged shut. Having to stop suddenly for 2 tourists on the other side, I almost fell over, but I was able to get my foot unclipped just in time. It was humid and warm. The winds were mixed--a tailwind most of the way to the Lincoln Memorial, then headwinds more than not. I felt a little tired and slowed before River Rd.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. I ran in the northern parts of this area, looking for side trails that I hadn't captured on GPS earlier. I found several. I also ran through the peony field where peony are, or at least were, cultivated. Some were still blooming. The "trails" through there were basically mowed grass and I wonder how much they change from season to season. I also ran up and down some short stairs getting GPS tracks of where they were. I was 70 F as I left the house to drive to the park and 78 F when I got there. I'm sure it was in the mid 80's when I was done running.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. I did more field checking in the northern part of the park. I forgot to bring bug spray; gnats buzzed into my eyes a bunch but there weren't too many mosquitoes; I found one tick. It was green in many areas and I think a lot of this would disappear in winter. However, I found plenty of good features. It was just slow getting around. There were long stretches of wide open forest too but these were often narrow and with few features. I found a good bit of rock and at least one way to get across the main creek.