Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I think I had some headwinds but it wasn't much until riding along the Potomac. I wasn't feeling that strong. I did push on occasion. This was supposed to be a day to relax my legs a little.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I was a little sore. Without trying much, I got to and out of Georgetown pretty well. I had been holding off one guy part of the way. On the CCT, I moved slower and got passed eventually by another guy. I drafted him until he slowed; when I passed, I dropped him. Three other guys eventually passed me. One in the last mile might have been the guy I'd seen behind me before Georgetown. I thought my overall time would be slower. I carried double clothes, and there were headwinds on the last few miles going into Bethesda.

QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park. I walked up the hill to the start of QOC's Platform Palooza event. It was a good warm-up. The skies were sunny, the temperatures were in the 70s F, and the humidity was low.

QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park. Conditions were much better than the previous events held here. This time Sam Listwak set the course, giving Jon a chance to run. I enjoyed the day though not everyone did. I knew what to expect. I tripped a lot and had to walk a lot. We didn't have long legs like the Red course did. My only real errors were being distracted by other controls.

S-1 - as it would be for much of the day, running was done in stops and starts. There's enough debris on the ground so as to make it difficult to get into a rhythm. I spiked this going straight.

1-2 - I was being cautious not to drift off on the wrong ditch and for my footing. I went straight and spiked it.

2-3 - I loosely followed the ditch and spiked it.

3-4 - After a step or 2 of going toward #1 again to use it as an attack point, I went straight. I did see #1 off to my right and another person converging from that direction. I spiked it.

4-5 - I went straight, dropped down a little bit to use the cairn midway, then attacked from there to spike it.

5-6 - I saw at least 2 of the charcoal platforms on my way down. Once across the stream, I contoured and was reading my way into #6 well. However, I got distracted and decided to checkout #11 which was visible below me. I lost time but tried to run a bit uphill to makeup for it. I got to #6 from #11 just fine.

6-7 - Starting straight, I cut right to get around the green. I used the mapped vegetation to follow it around and into the control.

7-8 - I went a little to the right of the leg line. Up high, I was on target but got distracted with a different course control on the stream. I thought it was early and off to the left but like at #6, I ran to it anyway, just to make sure. From there I went in well.

8-9 - I ran straight and was able to checkoff things along the way. I spiked it.

9-10 - Sam warned me about the unmapped chunky rocks on this leg. There was a cow path for part of the way. I spiked it.

10-11 - I was able to run much of this since it was going downhill. I checked off charcoal platforms and some of the big feature contours to zero in and spike it. It didn't seem to help much that I'd already been to #11 once. I came in a little lower than planned but close enough to still say I spiked it.

11-12 - This was the trickiest control of the course. I started straight but seeing the green ahead, I went around to the right where it was clearer. Reading the contours and looking for an opening, I found one and came up right at the control.

12-13 - I recall a similar leg from a previous year. I used the reentrant align myself after getting through the green, and then spiked it. I was able to run once in a while.

13-14 - This felt physically hard after the earlier part of the course. I crossed the stream near the lower bend and then hit the notch reentrant on the line. Passing right between the double rootstocks, I got to the next platform and then to the control, spiking it.

14-15 - I was a bit cautious going down. The unexpected green wall wasn't that bad. I stayed on my line and emerged to spike the control.

15-16 - After crossing the ditch I decided it wasn't worth staying on it. I kept straight, using a few contour features to zero in. I passed above the rootstock for easier running.

16-17 - I started throwing caution to the wind as I sometimes get excited toward the end of a course. I really had a good way left but it seemed like things were winding up. I drifted right a bit but slowed as I did. Upon seeing that I was too close to the reentrant, I corrected and had to climb slightly to the control. I still consider this a spike.

17-18 - There were a few unmapped ditches along the way. I ignored the first 1 or 2 before seeing the mapped one. Seeing the rootstock zeroed me in on the control on the platform behind it. As I was coming in, it sounded like someone was ahead leaving the control.

18-19 - After descending to the streams, I wasn't sure if I'd drifted to the left. I continued my bearing, finding a lot of streams and some marshiness. I kept going and spiked the control.

19-20 - I ran straight and soon saw David Onkst ahead, just before we got to the control.

20-21 - Dave initially led but we diverged. I was on the right and he on the left. I started to pull ahead and lost sight of Dave. Emerging in a field of grasses and mile-a-minute vine, I found an elephant track. Taking a right fork, I stepped in a hole but escaped still running and uninjured. I hit the roads and punched.

21-F - Straight, I tried to run a little faster but didn't really manage a sprint.

QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park, MD. I picked up controls that I'd already been to during the Blue course. From #147 to #134, I was a little sloppy, relying more on the vegetation than bearing; I tried to keep the thicker vegetation close on my left. That leg was straight down to a flatter area and not a leg that I'd raced. The flatter area had more un-mapped stuff in it and was thicker, so I had trouble. Using the streams, I did manage to find #135 first. From there it was straight to #134, then back to the car.

After finishing up, David Onkst and I had a chance to grab a bite to eat and talk, and we don't get to do that much. We'll get another chance when we go up to the Hudson Highlander in October.

Blue - Splits

Pohick Regional Park, VA. I helped at QOC's beginner event by doing beginner instruction. There were a lot of people trying to learn and a lot of regulars that I hadn't seen since last spring. Sid Sachs had brought some old memorabilia that he was looking to give away--things like the Wheaties box with Peter Gagarin featured on it for Orienteering, and the club's first copy of its original newsletter. Mike Ball came with his daughter and niece. Mike felt that they didn't get enough practice from the ROTC unit they are in and the more nearby events are infrequent. I unknowingly provided instruction to his niece. I felt worn out most of time and didn't do any courses myself.

Great Falls, MD. I needed to do some more updating of the map for the QOC event being held here in October. I made good progress today. I found some prominent features that I don't recall seeing previously. They weren't on the map before either. Vegetation has shifted here and there, and I tried to capture as much of that as I could too, in the time available. Walking around in Great Falls loosened up my legs which were feeling worn out earlier.

Event: BAOC: U.S. Nationals
 

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I was moving along pretty good but at the end, I again ran into more traffic.

From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Rock Creek Trail, to along the Georgetown Waterfront, to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to Canal Rd., NW, to Foxhall Rd., to 44th St. NW, to the Glover Archbold Trail, up to the Tenleytown Metro Station via Van Ness St. and Wisconsin Ave., then to the Friendship Heights Metro Station at the DC/MD border (Western Ave. & Wisconsin Ave.). The weather was nice; cooler and breezy. Once again, I didn't feel very strong. I felt some minor pain in my back too. I guess it's the increased mileage that my body is getting used to. Once in the forest, I ran steady. My weak strength starting out held up okay. I got out of the woods after sunset but there was plenty of light to see by. After Tenely Town, I picked-up the pace on the downhill. I ran with better form and tried to run more smoothly, pushing to the end. My calves were cramping when I did this. I ended up 7 seconds faster than the previous week.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I wanted to go faster but when I tried, both of my calves would start to cramp. I weighed out at 189 lbs.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I ran into more traffic.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave., to Norwood Park, to the Little Falls Trail, to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Battery Ln., to Exeter Rd., to Arlington Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. and into to the Bethesda Metro Station. There were several stops and starts on this route and I was glad for having them. I drank too much toward the end of the day at work so I partly picked this route for the reliable toiletries in Norwood Park. I kept hitting stoplights too. A little like the previous day, I felt like I was dragging. It was feeling like I was running longer than my GPS would tell me I'd gone. It was humid again, but at least it was cooler.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired and carried 2 backpacks of clothing.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From Takoma Park Metro Station, Carol St., to 4th St. to Aspen St. NW. to Sherill Dr. to Beach Dr. to the Pinehurst Trail, to Western Ave. to Cummings La. to Turner La. to Brookeville Rd. to Taylor St. to Connecticutt Ave. to Thornapple St. to Leeland St. to Woodmont Ave. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

It was 88 F starting out, with high humidity. I felt like I was running more quickly that times I did this earlier in the year, but ultimately I was a little slower. I found an outhouse in the park and that made things more comfortable. It started getting darker (7:30pm sunset) but it got brighter as I was finishing the last rooted section of forest trail running on the Pinehurst Trail--the sun was reflecting off the bottoms of thunderheads. It soon showered, but only enough to raise the humidity on the pavement. I ran within 4 blocks of the recent Washington Post stories about dogs in Chevy Chase making too much noise in a dog park. I was soaked from sweat by the time I got to Bethesda.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was tired starting out and my knees hurt a little, from the transition to cycling. It rained soon after I got inside. After cleaning up an eating, I started to lay down when like Peggy, I ran my right knee into a corner table (coffee table in our family room). It hurt and I bruised it. I was worried about it stiffening-up but I took a nap anyway.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I kept running into traffic.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I worked late and though I had my running gear, I went home and ate. Later I decided to take make this a rest day.