Training Log Archive: Nadim

West Point Range, NY. From Round Pond Rd., I walked to the start of West Point's Long event. I walked and talked with Florence Tann most of the way.

West Point National Ranking Event, West Point, NY, on the Black Rock Forest map--Day 2. I ran the Green-X Long course. I was told that I'd like this course much better than the one from the day before. I wasn't so sure about it for the first few controls, but I did like it overall.

S-1 - I stayed on the trails all of the way to the top of the escarpment, then cut over to spike the control. As soon as climbed and also as I left the trail, I pretty much had to walk--the terrain was too green for me to do otherwise. I was able to get ahead of Rob Field who'd gone up the escarpment off-trail.

1-2 - I picked my way through the green and paid attention more to what I could see of the vegetation, than the mapping of it. Reading the cliffs, I was better. I spiked the control--Joe Barrett passed me just a little bit before getting to the control. He was walking at times but certainly going faster than me.

2-3 - Angling to the trail, I stayed on it as it headed away from the control to the south. I left from the 2nd bend, picked my way through the green and attacked from due south. I got a little distracted by another competitor to my left as I closed-in but that took me to a small mapped marsh and rock, that was on the map SW of the control circle.

3-4 - I headed east across a reentrant and hit the trail. Following it to the next, I turned left and got passed by Mori. Mori left the trail right where I'd planned to, from a bend north of the east end of Jim's Pond. I passed 2 others on the way down the rocks and kept going straight up the next ridge and down the other side to the control. I felt I was reading the map well. It helped that I was going slowly.

4-5 - It was a little harder reading the map dog-legging back to #5. I mistook a prominent cliff and how high I was up a reentrant. After climbing some of the hill, I cut further south and east to get past a large fallen tree. I should have been concerned when I didn't see 3 colinear boulders but I saw some green forest which I took to be the mapped green SW of the control. It was unmapped green and I ended up about 60m east of the control. I looped a cliff before coming back. I was having trouble much of the day reading the contours on this map--the printing seemed too light. It was visible when over green on the map but not here. I hadn't realized from the beginning of this leg that the control was on top of the hill--it was the easiest control on the map and Iost over 5 minutes.

5-6 - I went SW, to get around the marsh. I lost contact as I headed west but finding myself in the rocks on the direct path of the leg, I followed up broad spur. I would have spiked it from there but I got distracted by a control in a reentrant to my left. I went to check it out when I should have known better. It was a lack of confidence. I probably lost +30 seconds.

6-7 - Just before getting to #6, I had closed in on a young guy that had started just before I had. He'd caught-up when I made my error at #5. With the downhill of this leg, I gained on him again, even though I went a bit to the right; to contour more. Another young guy passed me before I spotted the cliff far ahead. The 2nd guy went high around the cliff to the right. I had read the control description and committed to dropping low, on the left side. I got there right after the first young guy and just before the second.

7-8 - I moved ahead while the younger men paused to read. They were both to my right, and higher. I contoured into the reentrant and almost got there ahead of both, even though both were moving much faster.

8-9 - The two other orienteers came out of the control as if they were going more straight. I saw that that direction would take me over a cliff so I moved more to the left. I picked my way between cliffs and even moved down the rocky terrain faster than them. I think they ignored the rocks and got hung up in them more than me. I snaked a way through a little to the right where there were fewer rocks. I was surprised that my right knee wasn't hurting through this (later was different). On the flatter ground I was still ahead even up to the point of reaching the trail. I cut up a little later than optimal. The faster of the two other guys may have seen what I was doing. He cut the distance and got there just before me.

9-F - I moved better on the trail but there was no chance for me to catch the first guy. I got passed by the second guy midway on the leg but he didn't get very far ahead. He was the guy who'd started just before me so I knew that my course time was faster than his.

It was fun with the map being less rocky than the day before and overall less steep. Unfortunately, my son Max had to sit out this day-he'd turned his ankle the day before.

Long - Green-X - Splits

Event: West Point Annual National Ranking Event
 

West Point National Ranking Event, West Point, NY, on the Round Pond map--Day 1. I ran the Green-X Middle course.

S-1 - I started well, contouring, then spiking the control from above.

1-2 - I stayed and even climbed higher. It looked like I might drop too far going low but really, that was the better way to go. Once across the wet bare rock, I dropped and spiked the control.

2-3 - I climbed slowly and contoured the last part past a big boulder before getting to the correct one. Diana Aleksieva passed me just before I got there.

3-4 - I came out of the control a bit to the left. I had to climb at the end so I lost a little time.

4-5 - I went fairly straight. Alex Merka and another orienteer were nearby. I think I gained on them since their bearings were off.

5-6 - Alex, Matt Smith and another orienteer all passed me but were off to the right. I think I got to the control first, having spiked it.

6-7 - I chose, perhaps incorrectly, to go to the shorter distance to the right. I reasoned that it was rocky even when the map said it wasn't, and I was moving too slowly to add distance. Alex and another person went left aroud the hill. Matt passed me. Alex seemed to come out ahead on the other side, but she may just have been moving faster. It helped that several people were in the area, but I still had to find the rock myself.

7-8 - I slowly picked my way down the hillside. I was glad that others had worn a way down through the green.

8-9 - I went a little left of straight across, when leaving the road. Once in more open terrain, I cut right and spiked the control. Others were converging.

9-10 - I decided against using the road but that was a mistake. I kept pausing as I tried to pinpoint my position. I was feeling I'd gone too far when i had much more to go. I punched an incorrect control and kept going to eventually find it. I lost time though I didn't go much out of the way.

10-11 - I decided to go around the marsh on the left side. Visual inspection seemed to show it being shorter that way though this was not so clear from the mapped green. I got to the rocks (finding another control?) then went on a bit more wanderly to get to the correct control.

11-12 - I started good and confidently. I saw a set of big cliffs ahead and decided the control was there. It was the wrong set of cliffs. I wasn't checking my compass. Getting to these incorrect cliffs was slow since I had to cross deadfall. After rounding the cliffs I came back and got to the control. I could see that Max was not far behind. He'd been doing well but at the point I saw him, he'd already sprained his ankle badly. I just thought he was walking slowly due to being below and still climbing the hill.

12-13 - I eventually got above cliffs and could see ahead. I passed one control and saw where people were going towards another. I read that mine was further to my right but in fact I was passing my control. I came back after finding nothing and lost over a minute.

13-14 - I went straight and found it pretty well.

14-15 - I found myself in the green longer than expected. I cut right to get out and found the control.

15-16 - Straight.

16-17 - I was slow getting down the steep rocky hillside. I got on the trail but jumped off it. I misread the map by confusing the mapped trail for cliffs. It looked like it was ending so I went into more rocks before it hit a green area. The rest was easy. I went around the mapped green, and spiked the control after losing time on the rocks.

17-18 - I got on the trail again. Some people cut up very early. I did a little later but should have stayed on the trail even longer.

18-F - I wasn't moving that fast--too out of shape and with tired legs/knees.

We drove Max to an urgent care facility for his sprained ankle. It had swollen to baseball size initially. The closest one Peggy found was in Kiryas Joel, NY. Several huge 7 story walk up staired buildings on hilly ground there struck me as different. The culture there was even more so. It was a Hasidic Jew enclave. There were lots of children seemed dressed up and were playing in the streets. Mothers watching them wore head cover and were dressed similar to each other. I felt out of place. While we waited for Max to get medical help, Peggy read about the area--there was unexpected high poverty and it turned out to be the lowest median age local in the USA. After Max was done (they didn't have an x-ray technician there at the time), I went to get the car and saw the men of the area wearing some really big round hats with their suits--can't remember seeing the hats before. I was getting stared at because I was in after running tights. I felt like I was in a different country but it was interesting.

West Point National Ranking Event, West Point, NY, on the Trophy Point (campus) map--Day 1. I ran the Green-X Sprint course.

S-1 - I started very badly. The scale initially got me.--transitioning from 1-10K to 1:4K. I decided to go on the left side of the wall but confused the road mappings. Maybe the leg line covering some of the road, and not having a good bearing was a part of it. I went past what was #2 and kept going almost to #3 before turning back. I got confused with the road mappings too, with there being being two tones. I think that even the parking areas should have been mapped for auto traffic. Eventually I went down the stairs to get to #1 and lost 2 minutes :(

1-2 - I reversed my way to #1, by going up the stairs. I was glad the my knees didn't hurt too much with this. My new running shoes felt pretty good.

2-3 - I stayed low.

3-4 - I took the low road to the bigger one, then stayed along the bigger road to avoid further confusion. Julie Kiem punched as I closed-in.

4-5 - I gained on Julie and ran straight across the grass.

5-6 - I went to the left along the big road, but I hesitated not being sure if the control was across the intersecting road ahead or not. It was not.

6-7 - I chose to the the right side of the large building because I couldn't quickly see a way through the walls on the left side like Victoria had. I passed Julie on stairs, still trying not to hurt my knees too much. I went through the canopy and cut right on the other side.

7-8 - I went on the right side but I did climb up the ramp instead of going around.

8- 9 - just staying in contact with the map, I moved well around the building.
I was reading the control to be a wall but it was a cliff and pretty easy.

9-10. I contoured leaving #9, then as soon as I hit the road, I could see the control.

10-11 - I went on the right side of the large building, past a parental family and up the stairs. I left the trail and went across the grass to another sidewalk. I went around the smaller building on the left side.

11-12 - I went on the right side of the building and onto the grass to the next small building.

12-13 - Straight.

13-F - Straight. My legs/knee hurt going down so I kept the pace easier there.

I did pretty well after my blow-up at #1. It would have been much more fun otherwise. The course was easier than the previous year.

Middle - Green-X - Splits

Sprint - Green - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to Grant St., to McKinley St., to the Old Georgetown Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Northbrook Ln., to Keystone Ave., to Southbrook Ln., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to Park Ln., to Landon Rd., to Moorland Ln. to Charlcote Rd., to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., Charlcote Rd., to Hampden Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Honeywell Ln., to McLean Dr., to Bradley Blvd., to Glenbrook Rd./Little Falls Pkwy., to the Little Falls Trail, to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Bethesda Ave., to Clarendon Rd., to Denton Rd., to Edgemoor Ln., to Exeter Rd., to Battery Ln. to Park Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd., It was a bit cool out but I got warmed-up anyway.