Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Fountainhead
 

Bull Run Marina, Fairfax, VA. From the marina parking lot, I headed out to go to the start of QOC's meet on the western peninsula of the Fountainhead map. Part-way there, I realized I'd forgotten my compass. I jogged back, then realized that a bathroom stop would be best. That was down the road on the other side. After that I ran to the start. It was 53 F and raining lightly. I walked up the steeper and longer hills so that I wouldn't get too tired. It seemed a long way there.

From the finish of QOC's meet on the western peninsula of the Fountainhead map to the Bull Run Marina, parking lot. It was still raining and I felt that for both reasons of potentially getting cold, and training for the upcoming DVOA mini-rogaine, that I should jog back. I ran most of the way; on all except the steepest and longest uphills. By the end of this I was really feeling how much weaker my right leg is. My heel arch area hurt just walking around afterward and that is the remaining pain that I feel in the mornings and on other longer runs since my back woes and operation last year.

QOC: Fountainhead West. I had difficulties. My result was bad again, but there were many good things for me to take back from this. The main issue I had was not reading carefully. This was hampered by the steady rain, foggy glasses and fatigue. Additionally, the layout of the course got me a few times with there being loops and classic leg numbering hazards. For instance, and for the worst error of the day, I ran from control #3 to #14. I was thinking I was going to control #4 which actually happened to be only 120m away, and which doubled as control #13. Control #14 on the other hand was about 900m away. I spiked that control and only then when checking the code, did I realize that I had gone correctly to the wrong control. With the long run to the start and a run back, I wondered whether or not I should give-up and just make my own course. With the rain and hills, I was worried about finishing before 3pm. I did the right thing sucking it up and navigating back to #4 I made an error coming back that cost me 2 minutes though AP shows my whole error on leg #4 for 20 minutes even. Other similar numbering hazards that got me again were with legs #6 and #9 being parallel close together and going in opposite directions--going to #9 I passed #9 and climbed most of the way toward an upside down #6. That got me muttering to myself. I also had made the error of heading toward #5 when I was going to #15. The leg line for #15 went through #5 so that going close to #5, I incurred extra climb which was not an efficient way of getting to #15. These are problems that were detectable and I missed them. I have had trouble with following the correct leg line since going to the Troll Cup earlier this year. However, today, others had trouble with following the course layout too, including at least one other who went to #14 when he should have gone to #4. There were many DNFs across most courses but that could have been due to the rain and distance getting to the courses, as much as the layout problems.

On leg #1, I thought to take it safe and get into reading the map. While on the run out to the start, I wasn't entirely sure where I was since the beginning of the trail run wasn't on my printed map. I was surprised when we'd gotten to the actual start since the trails didn't seem to make much sense with what I was seeing. The fog on my eye glasses actually made things more difficult than it was helping. I cleared them off just before starting but they were fogged right away. I went down the trail to the right, across the reentrant, and I was looking for the mapped trail intersection. I didn't see it so I went on up the other side before realizing I was making an error. I corrected by going down to the reentrant and attacking over the ridge that I then had to climb.

On leg #2, I went straightish. I caught some others who were also going this way. I crossed the first 2 reentrants where they merged. As I was going up the other side, I saw Ted Good headed my way. He seemed to be going away from the control so I asked him if he was running Blue. Hew was. We continued to cross paths. I corrected a bit and so did he. With Ted on my left and higher, I saw the control down on my right and went right to it. Perhaps going around on the trail would have been faster but I did hit the control well.

On the way to #3, I went straight. I was still having trouble seeing through the foggy eyeglasses. Initially I saw Ted again but we diverged. He kept left. Had I been seeing better, I would have done that too--I'd been course setter here in 2015 so I knew the ridge pretty well. I got too low and started seeing more reentrants than expected. I corrected going higher and went one reentrant past where I thought it'd be to hit the control well. I was just too hesitant and slow running on the hillside through small reentrants.

As mentioned already, I went to #4 via #14. That was done going straight. Though I lost contact for a while, I picked-up where I was well enough crossing the last big reentrant. I also read the reentrant south of #14 well to not go down it. I was there in 9:13. My trip back was easier since I was able to use side reentrants for running in and stay right on track up until the 2 cairns west of #3. From there however, I missed going too high and passing #4. I got to a cairn in between #12 and #4--a control site I'd used for the 2015 US Ultralong Champs, so I knew how to recover. For #4, I turned a control that should have taken me a minute into a 21 minute leg :(

As I'd been coming into #4, Vido was leaving. He'd been re-attacking #4 too. He left before I got there and drank. Encouraged by his going straight instead of a bit more to the right to come down to #5, I did too. I read my way across well. I ended up hooking into the control from the larger reentrant to the south. As I was getting there, I could see Vido climbing away toward #6.

For #6, I climbed too but I was not strong. I ran on the hillside to reduce climb, and I crossed the first big reentrant eventually. I kept climbing, reading reentrants to my left. Seeing some other runners, I picked-up speed going downhill. I passed Don Fish. I descended down the final ditch to spike the control.

For #7, I descended a little too much at first but did get over to the right so I wouldn't have to cross the marshy part of the stream going into the inlet. I went a little more straight from there but did have to cut further to the right than expected at the end.

For #8, I was pretty slow climbing (already about 2k further into the run than others on Blue). A woman was climbing in the reentrant on my left. I spiked it.

For #9, as mentioned earlier, I was anticipating going further, having read an upside down 6 as a 9. I climbed at least 3 contours past #9 before realizing this and coming back.

For #10, I climbed the same hill I had earlier and used the saddle SW of #6. I attacked from high and spiked it unseen as I was coming over the curve of the ridge.

For #11, I went straight but lost contact. At the trail crossing I wasn't sure I was on target but I went on and hit it after some hesitation.

For #12, I started out to confidently run the ridge but got cocky with familiarity. I didn't check off features as it was getting hard for me to read again. I drifted off to the left too soon, getting on the wrong side of a reentrant well north of #12. I knew it was wrong because I was too close to the water (still high up) I ran around it to the next reentrant and then realized how far off I'd been. The rest was easy but I'd lost more than the 34 seconds that AP says I had.

I hit #4/#13 well on this short leg, though I drifted a bit to the right.

After a water break, I set out to replicate my earlier run to #14. I had a similar result but was moving slower. I also had avoided the deadfall by staying lower to the left. I again recognized my position in the last big reentrant before the trail and control by the steepness of the climb out. This let me correct to the right just enough. I crossed the ridge coming due west into the control.

For #15, I didn't pause long enough to read the full leg. I saw #5 and thought it was #15. At least I started out going to the right to avoid the worst of the first 2 reentrants. I dropped down into the big reentrant system south of #5 and realized my error. I thought about staying low from there but I'd run the west side of the peninsula before when scouting for US Ultralong Champs control sites, and I knew some of it was too steeply sloped to stay low. I went just south of #5 and didn't even bother to look over toward it as I kept climbing. I went straight across the next big reentrant and across the top of the next small reentrant south of #15. This let me have a nice little drop running into #15, albeit a spike from a poor route choice.

For #16, I ran pretty much straight. I got a little left at the end but kept cutting over that direction. Dan Tam Do got there a little bit before I did.

For #17, I again went fairly straight. I followed the reentrant pointing to the control at the end. I also saw Dan Quinn and Tom Wells ahead. I closed-in and passed Tom, and almost caught Dan Quinn.

Dan Quinn and I have had many sprint finishes to controls and finishes before. He was reading the map as a told him there's one more, and I took off. I moved well at first but stuck closer in the reentrant than he did. Before long, I needed to walk, and Dan had enough left to keep running longer. He finished several seconds ahead of me.

What was good about this race was that when I was headed to a control, I got there with few errors, including some relatively technical controls. I felt that my endurance and running had improved too. I ran through the whole race except where it was really steep--given my weight which won't seem to go away just yet, that was pretty good for where I'm at physically. I still need to work on taking the time for proper the leg planning--a beginner/intermediate skill that I skipped over long ago. I hope my eyes don't keep getting worse. The foggy glasses really made this harder for me.

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. Today is Bike to Work Day and it was the best day for riding in several weeks! It was around 60 F, nice and sunny with almost no wind. I went to the pit stop in Bethesda to sign my registration, and pickup my t-shirt and towel but I didn't stick around to grab more schwag. I already had my work laptop to carry under my backpack and the laptop was a heavier one on loan while my regular one gets fixed. I cruised down the trail which was being used heavily by both cyclists and pedestrians. One older rider who was riding slowly side by side with someone got upset when I passed and the guy drafting off of me yelled back for him to stay to the right. However, most people were very pleasant and enjoying the day. I was less tired than earlier in the week, but still my quads were weak. I'm looking forward to the ride home.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was nice going home. There were some tailwinds but I still was breaking the air when I rode. The traffic in Georgetown was about the worst that I've seen when bicycling. Gridlocked with cars, cyclist were riding on the yellow line between the center lanes of opposing traffic. I made it home in pretty good time considering that. I never got passed probably because I was riding that much better though it was still a little surprising.

From Northfield Rd., to the intersection of Norflolk Ave. and Del Ray Ave. via Battery Ln. Park, the back more directly. I was teleworking today and went to town for lunch.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to to Singleton Dr. to Bulls Run Pkwy., to the trail along the school to Bradmore Dr. to Folkstone Rd. to Hartsdale Ave. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. It was overcast, and in the low 60s F. I'm still tired from Sunday and Monday. I took it easy starting out but I was feeling not so good before the first mile. I hit that at about 8:30. I lumbered along feeling weak and sometimes sleepy. I was about 17 minutes at the second mile. I've felt the sleepiness earlier this year during runs. I guess it's more about being out of shape than actual sleepiness. I did have some trouble getting to sleep last night.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was 48 F starting out but the rain and forecasts for rain had finally stopped! I had some headwinds though overall, the NW winds should have been aiding me. I didn't feel very strong and was probably tired from the long run yesterday. On the CCT, I wisely stayed behind a guy whom I'd just caught. He took off very soon afterward. Passing others, I had another person draft on me all the way to Georgetown but one other guy passed us.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had some headwinds but was surprised to find more often than not, that I was riding with the winds. I was weak and several cyclists passed. I passed others but kept my effort steady. There was a little bit of initial traffic on roads in D.C., though it wasn't bad overall. The trail got busier near Bethesda too.