Training Log Archive: Nadim

Patapsco State Park, MD. Kim & Anne Jepsen hosted a nice event. It was cooler than the last few days had been. I was pretty tired from cycling this week. I think if I were less tired, I could have run through the invasive grasses and hidden deadfall a lot better. Going to #1, I was plodding along on the trail and I decided to cut of a little early to save distance. I hit the control hesitantly on my attack, but went to a rootstock instead of the small nearby boulder. I was still trying to get warmed-up and mustering strength on the longer leg to #2. Focusing on my physical weakness, I lost track of where I was after using trails and a ride. In a race, I probably would have headed straight to the road and came in from the bend like I had last winter. As it was I couldn't make sense of the contours for a while. I stopped and surmised my location off of the contours with not much else to confirm with and hit the control after the error. I would have dropped to the road for #3 in a race, but this being training, and me being weak, I decided to stay as high as I could. Had I read the high route better, I would have seen that there still was a lot of significant climb. I sort of attacked off or an abandoned trail bend and spiked it. I did okay after that but was slow either from hills or grasses. However, I did jump off the trail a reentrant too early for #11--it seemed early, but the trail bends and 2 ditches I saw reinforced jumping in early. The Jepsens set a nice physical and somewhat technical course with legs long enough to induce errors.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. With Max having been on a campout last night, I just did my usual cycling commute after dropping off Samantha. Rains are expected today but it was nice and dry this morning--still hot and humid. Unlike yesterday, there was virtually no wind; the wind may have been preventing thunderstorms on days earlier this week. I rode alone today and was slowing down a bit from Georgetown to the end.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I was watching the radar at the end of the day and timed my departure pretty well to escape the most of a line of thunderstorms. It felt nice out; not so hot, and easier to ride. There was some traffic to get around at first, but most of that had cleared out. The rain was light for a while, then stopped. I got through Georgetown and passed a guy who turned out to be older. He was right on me a ways out and after he passed me past the trestle bridge and going up the hill, I confirmed he had electric assistance. He'd drafted me sort of for 3 miles (off to the side since my wheel was probably kicking-up splatter). I caught him as we got to a spot with a couple of fallen trees--they completely blocked the way with no room to go on either side. Fortunately, others had beat an elephant path that we could walk through while only occasionally getting caught in vines. I moved okay and caught other riders thinking I was doing alright--maybe I was going slower or traffic had accounted for it. I slowed as I gradually caught a rider on the long straight stretch that I don't like so much before Massachusetts Ave. We later chatted but I felt I was struggling a bit to keep up, even though I'd caught him. The older cyclist with the electric bike caught us and we all broke-up along Falls Rd.

I've started linking pictures to my past log entries from our northwestern vacation.

C • Nice pics! 6

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. Max was tired again. Combined with the heat wave here, his mountain biking summer camp is taking a toll on him. It's likely to be worse today since he's camping out overnight at Patapsco. He wasn't clear whether his group would be riding with camping gear, or without it and gave contradictory reports. I'm hoping his camping gear will be ported to his camp site because he wasn't really packed to ride otherwise. It took us extra time getting him to his pickup spot this morning. After leaving him to the care of his counselors, I got going on the trail. It felt hotter and more humid (70%) than earlier in the week, but more like summer usually is around here. A high of 100 F is predicted by some, but I doubt it'll reach that. It was in the mid 80s F as I rode. Not long onto the CCT, I passed someone who began drafting me distantly. I was trying to not push much. At Fletcher's Boathouse, a different commuter passed me. I latched onto him for a good pull up to Georgetown. He slowed there and I moved on. I was again getting tired rounding the Jefferson Memorial, and riding into a wind along the Potomac before that.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Arlington Rd., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was in the mid 90s F with high humidity and an initial headwind when I started. I was slow getting to and through Georgetown. I got passed a mile out of there and didn't try to hang on. It seemed too hot for that and I haven't been riding enough the last 3 weeks to feel comfortable pushing it, with my sudden jump to daily commuting. I saw a few hardy runners and envied them being able to run well in the heat. I remember having been able to do it long ago. I also felt bad for Max who I imagined being hot and tired being out all day in mountain bicycling camp and sleeping out (it's 9:34pm writing this now and the temperature just dropped to 87 with 59% humidity). Cycling this week has been making me sleepier during the day. I looped home via Arlington Rd., to pickup and tow (in-hand) Max's road bike. It was nice to slow down for that. After finishing, my right leg felt the most dead.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max, then alone to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. Being tired, Max was moving slowly. I wasn't feeling that energetic either. Tailwinds helped but as I rounded the Jefferson Memorial and headed into the wind, tiredness caught up with me. I was in the upper 70s F starting out.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Battery Ln., Bethesda, MD. It was getting warm out. The further I went, the more the wind cooperated. I also got a nice pull from Georgetown to Fletcher's Boathouse. At the boathouse, the guy I'd been drafting off of pulled-over and waved me on. I kept up the effort, if not the speed. I did a fair job of spinning too.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max, then alone to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. Yesterday Max liked his summer camp day of mountain bike riding. He's back for more today though he forgot to wear his gloves and didn't get his camelback ready. My ride was okay. I rode alone I took it casually. It wasn't too hot starting out but I was slowing down the last few miles. I felt the headwind. I feel it dead in my calves and I'm fairly sleepy from it all.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was a little slow getting to Georgetown due to winds from a threatening thunderstorm. I was feeling weak from jumping into cycling this week after a break. I got passed first by an electric bike cyclist, and then another commuter. By the time I was out of Georgetown, I was a minute and a half slower than my time yesterday. The winds were oriented to the trail such that I had more of a tailwind later. Somewhere along the way I picked up a drafter who may have caught me. I got passed again but pulled the original drafter to Falls Rd., where I left the trail. One of the guys who'd caught me, and another were at the Bradley Blvd. traffic light. We chatted wondering about the storm and our chances of making it home without getting poured on--I was already drenched with sweat. The light wouldn't change so I moved on.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Ave., then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. After separately dropping Samantha off to a summer camp, I rode with Max to get him to his--it was a little like the old days when Max and I did this regularly except that we were in a rush to get there in time. The rest of the ride in to work was okay. It got off to a slow start in which I hit nearly every traffic light to Falls Rd. After that, the CCT was nice with the air still drier and feeling cool at times. I rode alone. There seemed to be a little bit of a headwind.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I got off to a slow start since there was construction on Ohio Dr., just off of Maine Ave. However after that I moved well with a tailwind. With this the first day commuting in 3 weeks, I wasn't feeling worn out so much. I accelerated pretty well when needed. I also kept the pace modest so that I could keep it up. I was passing a lot of people and got through Georgetown quickly. Not far past that, I got passed by a roadie. Checking my pace along the way, I felt like I was going faster than I really was. Earlier in the day, I was feeling pretty tired.

Greenway Trail: From Berryville Rd. north to the Rte. 28 Darnestown Rd. Rd. parking lot and back. It was a low humidity day with a breeze in the air, but the temperature was climbing after starting out in the low 80s F. I wore my heavier trail shoes. I hadn't run this far in a long while. I initially paced but kept my effort up going gradually uphill along Seneca Creek to the turnaround. I got a little dehydrated and slowed immediately on the return trip. I'll need to do more of these going to the fall season. It took me a pretty good effort to keep moving adequately the last few miles.

After taking Samantha to the pool in the afternoon, I towed Samantha on her trail-a-bike while Peggy and Max rode along. We went into Bethesda for dinner and dessert, then rode back in the dark.