Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Cedar Ln., on the Rock Creek Trail toward Grosvenor Rd. until the trail returned to the roadside. I'd taken the week off basically, since my right calf was still hurting. Each day it got better. I could barely feel it walking around this day so I decided to go out and try a short run on it. I picked the flat ground the the paved Rock Creek Trail. As I started, I felt okay. I increased the pace slightly and soon felt a little reminder pain. I slowed but again felt a bigger reminder that I'm not healed. At that point, I stopped.

On the Rock Creek Trail, back to Cedar Ln. After feeling myself still hurt, I walked back. I was able to do this without much concern, though I did feel the injury more than I'd been feeling it earlier in the day.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. There were headwinds.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. There were some pretty good headwinds. I worked a lot more than my time would suggest.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. There were headwinds and I didn't want to push too hard on my right calf.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I had a tailwind and I hit the intersections at good times to cross. I could feel my right calf a little from yesterday.

From 12th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. As I ran toward Main Ave., I was hopeful that my calf would be okay. I ran softly on it but it started hurting more about 1/4 mile or so out. I shortened my stride and slowed, then pushed on in a hopeful way toward the Tidal Basin. The air felt good but the run was looking bleak. I was remembering how pushing on, on a similar run from the office at the beginning of 2018, that I made it much worse. For while, it seemed to loosen as I warmed-up. As I started to go clockwise around the Tidal Basin, the prospect of the muddy spot kept me on the paved trail. By the time I was immediately south of the Jefferson Memorial (they'd adjusted and made a new bike lane off the walkway though a police car was parked in it) I knew I'd better abort the run. I looped around the the Jefferson Memorial on the water side, then to Main Ave., and 15th St., SW. I returned up Independence Ave., SW. feeling pretty slow, however another younger runner across the street wasn't moving much better.

I'd had this kind of calf problem, mostly on my right calf, in the past. As all things seem connected, it's been a precursor to back troubles. After similar trouble in 2018, but months later, I had my second back surgery.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I had headwinds but they didn't feel that bad. I did take it easier since my right calf was hurting.

QOC: Cabin John Regional Park. I ran the Red course, starting on the late side (after 2 trips to the bathroom), because I needed to do control pickup later. Advanced courses were run with no trails on the map (I'd made this map a few years back).

S-1 - I just didn't orient the map correctly starting out. Starting off in the wrong direction, it seemed like 10-15 seconds went by. After than I went past the amphitheater and administrative building right to it.

1-2 Down the tracks and off from a bend in the tracks when I could see the reentrant ahead. I already wasn't feeling that strong.

2-3 - I messed this up going straight initially, but dropping low enough that it seemed I should just drop further to the trail. Coming up, it seemed like the control wasn't on the right set of boulders, but I wasn't sure. AP says I lost 1:15 minutes.

3-4 - Down the trail to the road crossing - I moved carefully so as not to trip on the roots. I think the rain had started by this point.

4-5 - Road crossing, with the time supposed to have been removed - I waited for cars and took my time walking.

5-6 - I ran this mostly on memory. Had I read it better, I would have gone to the right set of rocks. The area was green and sloping so I didn't do much reading. I was just poking around high, when it was low. I probably lost 25 seconds though AP doesn't show any of it.

6-7 - I extricated myself from the green going backwards a bit. At this point, I was still avoiding the big puddles.

7-8 - Just up the hill and across the reentrant going straight. I could see it a long way off, but I wasn't strong enough to run the whole way through the low vegetation that's grown-up.

8-9 - I ran off to the right to avoid green and use the trails. I'm not sure if my route was efficient.

9-10 - I backtracked the trails to the pavilion, planning to use the road afterward. Partway down the road, I decided to save distance and climb by cutting across the low vegetation where it looked better. I still got slowed and never got as far as the trail along the highway. A young guy wearing something like a US Team o-top came up from the trail to the left and punched before me.

10-11 - I went straight initially. I could see the young guy who was at #10, off to my right, and pausing on the trail. I dropped toward the rock but the kid got there ahead of me.

11-12 - I dropped to the trail immediately while the kid had gone high. I stumbed on something at one point and had a slight right ankle twist. I was feeling this in my right calf, a little bit throughout the rest of the course. Later I could see him dropping to the trail too, but I was just ahead of him when he hit it. I figured he'd pass me and I offered to let him but we just kept running. I got there seconds ahead of him.

12-13 - The kid popped ahead of me on trail as we doubled-back. I ended up leaving the trail where he did, but I stayed more to the right where the vegetation looked better. It was better but took me across a marshy spot and it was farther than the kid ahead of me had gone. I ran along the creek a way where it was good running on the sands, then splashed across. The kid got there first of coarse, and was just getting back to the trail when I was leaving it to punch.

13-14 - Up the trail until I could see the control.

14-15 - I angled for the trail and could see the kid to my left below, pausing to figure out a way across a gully. I crossed small stream on the bridge and got ahead. Running up the reentrant, I was a bit off the the right and I moved slowly. The kid saw it before my and got there ahead of me.

15-16 - The kid started off going what seemed a little left. Then he cut right. I kept straight but soon realized we were off to the right. We corrected and the kid got there first.

16-17 - The kid took the trail around the first reentrant so I gained time by cutting across. I was going to drop earlier but the trail seduced me to stick it out. We both left the trail to get to the control at the bridge, with the kid still clearly ahead.

17-18 - This was the road crossing. A little tired, I walked it all and figured I wouldn't see the kid any more.

18-19 - I just stayed high going past the large rock cluster near the houses. Getting into the field was pretty easy today--not too many thorns. I crossed the hilltop in the power line ride and found a way in west of the large pylon.

19-20 - Up and over, I spiked it, skirting around the thicker stuff.

20-21 - I was tempted to cross the creek but at this point I was still avoiding puddles. That way also would have required getting through the unmapped green terrain that had grown-up over where the woods were mapped white. I cut right of straight until crossing the creek. I got on an animal trail that climbed diagonally. When descending the spur, I could see both the kid who'd passed me, and Dasa Merkova, ahead. After that, I stayed low like they had. The control seemed higher than I was expecting it, but placed correctly.

21-22 - I stayed low, taking the remnant of an old trail. This used to be better but had gotten overgrown near #21. Further ahead, water had filled it. It was too green to run along it so I decided to splash through most of it. I seemed to be losing time. I climbed across the big spur east of the control, then contoured across. I could see the control from far off, and then see Dasa descending to it. It was too green for me to run well. I had to actually drop lower than the control and climb back a little.

22-23 - I followed Dasa's basic route across the creek and gained ground. She kept straight at the field opening. I cut left going past the amphitheater. I kept running right up to the control as I could see Dasa coming over from my right.

23-24 - I stayed high, going to the top of the knoll before descending. It was actually a boulder, not a dot knoll as noted in the control description.

24-25 - Down to the trail and bridge, I went left around the hill. I kept on the trail, not sure which side of the reentrant it'd be - I was having trouble reading it but knew I had to go high enough to line up with the apartment building bend southward. Of course, the control was on the other side of the gully but it wasn't hard to cross just past the control.

25-26 - Straight over the saddle, but around on the left side of some unmapped deadfall.

26-27 - Down to the trail and bridge, past a happy mud splashing young orienteer and his mom. I think it'd started to sleet by this point. I stayed on the trail until I could see the control.

27-28 - Looking as the leg, I was thinking this would be the toughest leg. I should have doubled back to the trail since I knew it'd go close, but I ran up to the ballfield edge before getting back in the woods. Getting back to the trail from there was slow, but I did. I was somewhat surprised to see how close to the trail that the control was.

28-F - I stayed on the trail until a little before the cair, then dropped through lighter woods to the power line. The grasses had grown up on the far and low side to what looked like a very messy to impassable barrier. I kept on the trail to get around what had been mapped as the green edge of the barrier, then cut left. I crossed high and above the gully. It was surprisingly easy. I climbed up across the train tracks to the administrative parking lot near #1. From there, I reversed my route to the start/finish. The snow had let up but it was still raining.

I felt okay with slightly numb feet. My right calf didn't seem too hurt. I ran okay considering the weather and not having run the whole week before. According to my van, it was 34 F. after finishing My knees both felt okay.

QOC at Cabin John Regional Park, MD. Since I only had about 25 minutes and it didn't seem worth the trouble, I only changed out of my wet o-top. I left my other wet gear on and put rain gear on over them. I didn't even change out of my wet gloves, who's waterproofness appears to have expired. I hit the high controls along the train tracks first, then looped around clockwise. With 13 controls, I used 2 bags. By my 4th control, I had a stake to carry too. My next control, a while or yellow one, wasn't where I thought it'd be. I was still a little cold so I kept walking past the location to the next, then came back. I had to cross a wet gully (I slipped and got muddy) and other other side was cold marshy field. My feet were getting more numb but there was still no control. A little flustered, I misread the next one to be past the first control I'd picked-up. In fact it was the first one I'd picked-up. The next one was a water control. I dumped out most of 1 gallon picked-up 2 more, a trash bag, and another control stand. I struggled to carry it all and dropped stuff, getting a little frustrated. My arms got tired but I got a reprieve at the next control. I must have looked miserable as I finished. Don walked up to me from under the shelter to help.

I felt okay enough to do some drywall sanding after the event. That involved sanding on the ceiling. After that, my arm was tired and my back felt like it had achy tendon for a while. Standing up after watching a movie, I was surprised how much my right calf was hurting.

Red - Splits