Training Log Archive: Nadim

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park - Starting from Hoyles Mill Rd., I ran down to the bridge, and a little further before starting-in on the NW areas; north of the creek and west of the Hoyles Mill Rd. This is just across the creek and road from where QOC is soon to host an National Ranking Event (NRE). I'd been in this section only twice before. Once was on an initial scouting with Peggy, and the other time was for field checking after finishing the mapped areas used for the US Team Trials last spring. I didn't have a lot of time but used it well. I refined a large green area then covered areas along the creek. I was mostly in light and medium green forest but I did find areas with white forest. I found some more rock and was able to match-up ditches in light green areas. I finished by jogging back to the car at dusk.

Event: DVOA Fair Hill Mason-Dixon
 

DVOA: Mid-Atlantic Championships at Fair Hill Mason Dixon. Tom Overbaugh set the courses. I had fun but struggled with the climb. Even in the fields, I was having trouble running, but so did others.

S-1 - I wasn't very warmed-up but managed to jog up the trail. I could see the control from the trail and angled over to it.

1-2 - Back up to the trail, then down past the reentrant.

2-3 - Around the low vegetation on the left, then across the field. I got a little too high, perhaps distracted by people coming down from a different route.

3-4 - I didn't bother getting to the trail until I hit the forest. Turning right at the intersection I crossed the road and attacked. I was pretty close to on target but came in from the left (east) side.

4-5 - I used the ride to get to the field edge. As I did, I saw the road/trail route option. I figured I'd already gone to far to make it work, but also I was moving slow enough that any extra distance would be hard to make up time for. Crossing the field I was further right than intended, I went around the boomerang shaped tree cluster on the west side, then turned left. I'd gone this way because I saw the trail mapping was a ride or intermittent. As I eventually got to this trail, I saw it had been improved and the map didn't show it. I used trails to cross the creek and then saw the big boulder on my right. I basically ran/walked around the low vegetation to spike the control.

5-6 - I crossed the saddle the went into the forest on the left side of the large reentrant. Once across the creek I got on a trail and left it soon after at a bend to spike the control.

6-7 - I climbed to the trail, turned left on it and left at the next bend. I dropped dwon and didn't realize how high above the creek the control was. I walked up after stopping at the creek valley edge. I probably lost a minute or so.

7-8 - I used the trail and saw it from the trail bend.

8-9 - I hit the trail and ran on it. Having mis-read the fencing and taking it for a trail, I went ito the field, then had to come back to the same trail I had been on. 2 other guys were near the bridge as I got there. I was moving slowest but when the faster runners would stop, I'd catch-up to pass for a short way. The mapping was off in this area--it was scattered open but mapped mostly green. The trail had become intermittent. I missed an intersection so I popped out with one other guy onto the road further south than intended. I climbed the next trail up toward the field but when the guy ahead went into the field, I used the trail through the forest. It had less climb and was easier to run on. After the trail got to the field, I stayed in it for a little while, until I saw another clear opening back to the trail. After rounding the last green, I left the trail and could see the guy who'd been with me at the bridge but had taken the field route. We were even though he was running faster. I was on target but couldn't see the control on the hillside. In the hesitation, the other guy went ahead and punched first.

9-10 - I went straight and so did the other guy. A younger guy who'd also been at the bridge was lower and missed. I was just bellow but didn't.

10-11 - The guy who'd beaten me to #9 went for the trail. The other younger orienteer did too. I kept straight and hit the trail just before the stream. The other 2 went around but I cut through the light green running the whole way to basically punch right about when the other 2 faster runners did.

11-12 - Not only were the 2 guys still with me since the big bridge, but we'd caught 1 or 2 others. The lead guy started for the road. I decided I'd go straight and pulled the others along after they figured what I was doing. I got to where I could see the rootstocks but went around them, rather than crawl under the tree trunks. That let the same 2 guys punch just ahead of me.

12-13 - Straight. The other 2 guys were much faster climbing. One was on my left and one on my right. The youngest punched first. I was a little left but didn't lose any time, and punched 3rd.

13-14 - I had a brief thought of crossing the field. The other 2 guys seemed headed that way. Then I saw that going back down to the road was best. I pulled one of the other guys with me. Once on the road he took off. I did see that after the covered bridge he turned left on a trail along the creek. I went to open ground on the SW side of the pond. The other guy got hung-up in thickets so I was able to punch first.

14-15 - I went straight, using the wiggly trail, and managed to punch ahead of the other guy who'd been near me since near control #8.

15-F - I hesitated as I almost took the wrong trail. The other guy passed me for the last time. He finished well ahead since I was going slow and my right knee was hurting.

Overall, I did okay. I could have improved by seeing the best routes more quickly. I ran 6.5K and 227.5m climb for a course rated at 5.5K and 170m climb. I had pre-chosen not to run the relay. I'm just not in adequate shape to have done both courses without unnecessarily risking further injury.

Green - Splits

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, MD - Starting from Broken Oak Rd. Initially, I went down to the creek floodplain to check on areas that I had seen but wasn't sure I'd covered adequately. For the most part, I had gotten the mapping of those areas correct. As I passed other areas, a second pass let me refine the mapping and catch a few errors. I found and marked some good creek crossing points. The creek is crossable throughout the mapped area but some parts get deep enough to be uncomfortable. The water was not cold and I had wool socks. Crossing the creek got me to the edge of the large field in the NE of the map that was too green when it was warmer. There were lots of thorns at the edges of the field. Some could be pushed through whereas others were true fight. The nice thing was that there were corridors between the greens. I was able to map them adequately though I was a bit rushed in the extreme north where there is fencing for livestock/horses off the map--not a place people should need to go close to when orienteering. I finished crossing the ridge and then the creek again as it was getting dark. My right knee was hurting.

I ate dinner and saw the new Ghost Buster's movie with Peggy and Samantha afterward. In the theater, my right foot started hurting again right where the cellulitis had been worst.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Cordell Ave., to Wilson Ln. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was a cooler day (42 F) and I was rushed for time after work, by a dinner invitation that was coming-up. I ran a little faster, making-up the route as I ran. Like yesterday, my right knee and Achilles tendon were hurting and my left leg was tired before finishing, probably due to overcompensation.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Johnson Ave./Hempstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I felt that it was time to start trying to run again. It had been a wonderful sunny and warm day earlier. Just as I got started I felt the first rain sprinkles. It rained lightly the rest of the way. The last time I did running that wasn't orienteering was a warm-up for the Hudson Lowlander on 9/26/21. Before that the last true training run I did was 8/18/21. Even that run had been an anomaly since regular running basically stopped for me last June. The lack of training really shows. I'm also the heaviest I've ever been. I started with short choppy steps to ease into this and I wore my older heavier Nike's, that have more support. I really felt like I was crawling. before the end of the run, my left leg felt like it was getting more tired than my right leg. I think this is a compensation since I've had most of my recent troubles on my right leg and foot. My right knee and right Achilles tendon was also starting to hurt when finishing the last half mile.