Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Tuckerman Rd., to Marcliff Rd., to Herbert Hoover Middle School. Max had an early soccer game that the rest of the family made it to. I slept in after a late night of drafting the Seneca Creek State Park map. I rode to catch them and got there just as they were getting ready to drive away! We went to breakfast after that. Most of the way was along Old Georgetown Rd. It was slightly uphill but with a slight tailwind too. The road was kind of bumpy too.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Falls Rd., to the Capital Crescent Trail, to the Little Falls Trail near the Dalecarlia Reservoir, to Massachusetts Ave., to the Capital Crescent Trail to Woodmont Ave. on a detour just before Bethesda Ave., to Elm St., to Clarendon Rd., to Hampden Ln., to Exeter Rd., to Battery Ln., to Park Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. After doing some afternoon gardening, Samantha showed continued enthusiasm to ride. Peggy had literally dusted off her bicycle from the construction work in our home and rode with us too. Max was with a friend. We cruised along nicely. I still need to make some adjustments to the trail-a-bike hitch and Samantha's seat but we did pretty well. Unlike other rides, I could feel Samantha pedaling this time. We made a stop for dinner in downtown Bethesda, then another for a playground at Caroline Freeland Park. We finished the ride somewhere before 9pm in the dusk.

My sister and I helped my mom by dismantling and moving some furniture.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I had some fast company as soon as I got onto the Capital Crescent Trail. A guy got on it there coming from another direction, just as I had. I thought to pass but wisely stayed behind him as the pace picked-up. It was much like I would have done on my own last year but I'm not at that point yet. As we went down the trail we passed others and soon had a pretty good pace line (with the one leader). Half a mile into the flats, another rider caught and passed us. At that point I was #3 and the guy in front of me didn't pick up the pace as our leader chased the faster rider. I eventually passed our #2 but it was too late to catch onto both of the riders in front. I put some effort into it but backed-off as we got into Georgetown. Oddly, because I kept to the street and our original pace leader went on the walkway along the river, I got ahead. I was passed by him again at the Kennedy Center. I kept up more effort with some headwinds (bringing in hotter weather) along the river on Ohio Dr. It felt nice to be riding faster but I was pretty tired at work afterward.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, with a detour at River Rd., to Butler Rd. I stopped-off to pickup more medicine for our Gray kitty who is still ailing. I rode alone mostly and had some tailwinds. When I was starting out I was worried that I'd get caught in a thunderstorm--I could see it raining across the river in Virginia but somehow I got around it.

From Northfield Rd., we went to Jefferson St., to Roosevelt St., to Garfield St., to McKinley St. to Heampstead Ave., to Johnson Ave., to Singleton Ave., to Bulls Run Pkwy., to Bradmoor Dr., to to Folkstone Rd. to Hartsdale Ave. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Northfield Rd. Samantha had asked about doing more cycling together (with her on her trail-a-bike behind me) and we didn't get a chance on Wednesday. I went with her and Max today and they were happy about it. We did a variation of a 4 mile run that I often do. I had to downshift pretty far to keep this at a comfortable when climbing. It was still in the mid 80s F.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. My alarm didn't go off as planned so I rushed around getting the kids to school and got going myself--a mental win for me since it's so easy in such situations to just put it off to another day. It was warmer today and in the 70s F by the time I was at work. I wasn't very energetic. The winds were mixed but more in front of me than behind. Aches and pains were not a factor.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was warm (upper 80s F?) and summer-like except for the low humidity. I enjoyed a tailwind. I felt like I kept up a pretty good pace though I slowed by the time I got to River Rd. There weren't many people riding and only one younger guy went past me; too fast to even try to stay with him.

From Northfield Rd. to Custer Rd., to Park St., to Battery Ln. to Battery Lane. Park, to Norfolk Ave. for dinner, then after dinner, back through Battery Lane. Park, to the Bethesda Trolley Trail along NIH, to Maple Ridge Rd.. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I connected the new REI trail-a-bike I'd gotten on Sunday, to my own and rode with Samantha to Bethesda for dinner. Max rode along side on his new bicycle. Samantha genuinely seemed to enjoy the ride--her first of this sort. She pedaled with me though I couldn't tell. I kept the speed slow enough so that Samantha could get used to it all. She asked about doing more riding tomorrow and Max wanted to do it too.

Since our annual camping trip plan fell apart due to lack of pre-planning and limited camping options with Samantha not used to trekking, I spent the day cleaning up and getting ready for a cookout. It was a busy day but nice to sort of focus at home.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area, MD. Earlier in the day, I'd done a lot of shopping again and had gotten a new REI trail-a-bike so that our family could all ride together. I got out late but used what time there was; it was getting pretty dark and I think I was officially out after sunset from the way my GPS display changed. I spent some time covering some easy lakes surrounded by scattered rough open trees. I did revisions to some rocky areas along the Smokey Glen Barbequers property edge. There was quite a lot of nice rock there and on some new grounds that I covered. It took me a fair amount of time trying to get it all right. I think I'd inadvertantly changed a setting on my already finicky GPS so that when downloaded, there were copies of tracks exactly on top of each other and a long continuous track of where I'd gone confusing things further. Still, it was really nice to be in these quite and quite open woods.