Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., to Custer Rd., to Huntington Pkwy. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail to Rockville Pike, to Woodmont Ave., to Battery Ln. to Wilson Ln. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was damp out and in the mid-40s F. I was tired from not sleeping enough and a little from the Georgia Navigator Cup races. I took it easy and the first mile seemed a long way despite being downhill. Eventually, I picked-up the pace getting home. I needed a bathroom.

FDR State Park, GA. Walking to the Day 2 Classic orienteering course starts of the Georgia Navigator Cup.

Georgia Navigator Cup & 2023 OUSA Junior Nationals in FDR State Park and at Lake Frankline. Day 2 Classic.

S-1 - A little left to cross the stream in a good place, then straight up to the ditch with the control. I went up the ditch just a short way from there. The control was so low that it seemed to be touching the ground and wasn't visible on the approach until I was in the ditch.

1-2 - I tried going straight but got too far left. I realized this when crossing the ridge with the saddle but didn't correct enough for it. Once a the stream that hte control was on, I turned back but I found many small unmapped streams there. when running through the low bamboo.

2-3 - Straight. I saw Mike Eglinski going through the saddle just behind me but he was headed to #7. Going through the left side of the reentrant near the control, I passed a guy probably in my age group. I went in-between the gullies at the end.

3-4 - After climbing to the spur I intended to contour more of this when crossing the reentrant, but didn't execute that very well. I dropped down to the stream and was confused after crossing it, when seeing a root stock much closer than expected. I cut left presuming I was higher and that got me in-between the 2 reentrants. The contours on the map didn't seem very sharp here. The reentrants seemed deeper but that may have been a result of the steepness (6 contours in a little over 100m). I got into the wrong reentrant but corrected close to the top. A young man was in the left reentrant but I saw a young woman crossing to the right and that helped.

4-5 - I climbed initially and eventually hit the intermittent trail east of a light green area. I had wanted to hit the higher one. From the angle of the trail I was on, I'd presumed that I'd crossed the one I was actually on without seeing it, as was common for the smaller trails and rides in the part this weekend. The trail wasn't making sense and seemed to bend incorrectly. The younger guy I'd seen going to #5 was catching-up. I figured I'd better bail to the more distinct lower trail and actually hit it. However, I still wasn't making sense of the trail bends. At a trail bend that I thought was much closer to the control, I attacked and found small reentrants that dropped at an angle different from the one with the control. I couldn't believe that I was still 300m from the control so I paused trying to figure it out. I was unsuccesful until going further west. I hit a seemingly well formed trail in a reentrant that was mapped as a small trail. I climbed the reentrant to another trail and confirmed that I was still 3 contours and 90m from the control. I think I lost 5 minutes on this leg but AttackPoint shows no error. That's probably because so many other people had trouble with this leg.

5-6 - I went pretty straight but did move a little higher when vegetation thickened ahead of me.

6-7 - I went straight at first, then used the trail when I hit it. It was hard making sense of the trail bends since some small onesseemed to not show-up on the map. I cautiously dropped to the small building in the clearing. From there I ignored trails and went straight on bearing. I was a little shakey knowing where I was even after crossing the larger spurs, until I got to the saddle that I'd seen Mike Eglinski at when I was going to #2. From there I read the way pretty well. I came-in a little south of the line and saw the ditch SW of the control, using it to attack from.

7-8 - I went straight. My son Max was chasing someone else, seemingly coming from #8, and headed to #7. They were moving much faster. I think I got to #8 just before they did.

8-9 - I started straight but looking ahead, the light green on the leg line looked much thicker and extended more north of where it was mapped. Max was ahead and seemed to go through it. The other kid had gone south. I went around it to the north. I lost time to Max but would have anyway since he was moving much faster. I corrected for my jog to the north gradually and knew where to go without Max being ahead of me.

9-10 - I angled a little left of straight to make the downhill more gradual. Once across the creek and hItting the trail, I took it to the road. I left the road when it felt right rather than seeing the manmade feature that my GPS track shows me leaving from. I spiked the control but had to do some walking.

10-11 - Around the green to the trail, then to the road, then to the grassy trail.

11-F - I felt more energetic than the day before. I pushed harder going up the chute and didn't get caught by anyone this time.

I finished first for the day for M60+, but didn't finish far enough ahead to catch Clint Morse or Rick Bresman for the overall 2-day race.

GREENX - Splits

FDR State Park, GA. Walking to the start of the Georgia Navigator Cup Day 1 Classic orienteering race. It was a nice sunny and warmer day.

Georgia Navigator Cup & 2023 OUSA Junior Nationals in FDR State Park and at Lake Franklin. Day 1 Classic.

S-1 - I left the road where I should have but once in the forest, the contours didn't look right. I must have been reading the wrong part of the map. I though I needed to be on the spur so I went higher to the right and stopped at a ditch. After a pause I went right to it.

1-2 - Almost straight until I got around the bend, then I thought I'd contour but may have climbed a little still.

2-3 - Straight initially, then to the right to get above the steepest part of the gully. Once across, I resumed by bearing and confirmed where I was at the top by the stony ground. Going down, I encountered 2 light green vegetation areas but didn't see them on the map. I turned left after passing one, when I should have looked a littel to the right. After going south I started getting close to the trail so I came back up on the trail until seeing a shallow reentrant.

3-4 - I felt I wasn't reading the map well enough so I took the trail. I tired climbing over the spur and may have walked a little. I cut left to get above most of the ditches. I recognized the rootstock and split ditch. I went fairly straight from there and spiked it. I could see the gully to go to before seeing the control.

4-5 - I went a little left of straight, and sighted a mapped rootstock in the big reentrant to my right. I attacked from there and saw Peggy going the other direction.

5-6 - I climbed the spur and got onto the ridge for a little I mistook a rise and widening of the ridge for the spur before the reentrant. That dropped me down too early. Realizing it, I had to climb over the broad spur between reentrants, then climbed more up the reentrant with the control. I was chasing another guy up toward the end.

6-7 - I went straight. The guy I'd seen leading me into #6 had gone off line to the right, and higher. I got to the control before he did.

7-8 - I went left of straight to reduce climb and spiked it.

8-9 - It would be nice to do this one over. I overestimated the climb crossing the reentrant with the stream before the road, so I climbed left of the line, going up the spur from #8. This took me much higher than needed and I walked a lot of it. Once across and near the top of the big reentrant, I headed more south to the road but when I came upon what seemed to be a gully, I crossed it and went more left to avoid vegetation. I should never have crossed it and instead followed it down to the road. Once on the road, I moved well and recovered and planned. Leaving from the bend I descended but the guy I'd seen at #6 and #7 came in from my right and descended faster (I was being careful since I can hardly afford a fall). The other guy turned right on the trail. I went straight, but I let myself get distracted once across the stream, by a control that wasn't mine. I could clearly see it was a cairn but having made enough mistakes, I wanted to be sure and went over to it. I also had uncertainty since there were no cairns shown in the area--it turned out to have been a "cairn cluster" and I didn't like the use of the boulder cluster symbol for a cairn cluster. After that I went straight but before I got to the control, the guy I'd seen heading for the trail earlier came in a little bit ahead of me. He was running faster but if I hadn't checked out the control on the cairn earlier, I would have been ahead of him again.

9-10 - I went through the rocks and gradually climbed, still chasing the guy I'd seen since #6. Before getting to #10, we both paused at what seemed to be a shallow unmapped reentrant prior to the actual. The other guy stayed ahead of me, and I saw Peggy leaving the area.

10-11 - Peggy and the other guy went along the ditch and gully, but I crossed it to put more of an angle down to a creek crossing. When I crossed, I hit the trail and stayed on it until it bent to cross the stream. I went through the deadfall from there, straight to the control.

11-12 - I stayed to the right side of the green and then used the road. Still feeling shaky, I paused at a White course control along the road, before going further to the field edge.

12-13 - A junior paused at the Go control behind me, then sprinted past me.

I made too many errors and one poor route choice on a long leg today. For M60+, Clint Morse was 5 minutes ahead and Rick Bressman was about 1:50 ahead of me.

GREENX - Splits

Event: Georgia Navigator Cup & 2023 OUSA Junior Nationals
 

Georgia Navigator Cup & 2023 OUSA Junior Nationals in FDR State Park and at Lake Delano. Middle Distance. With damp and breezy 40 F air, it was colder than I wanted. With delays in getting our rental car, I just barely missed my start. I only had to wait about 10-15 minutes but I didn't bring my jacket.

S-1 I left the trail at the first bend and went around the right edge of the light green--it was fairly distinct. I kept going straight from there to spike it. I had started more haphazard than I should have but calmed down when I saw the light green vegetation.

1-2 - In retrospect, the trail was the better option. I went straight. 4-5 inch rocks on the hillside under the leaves slowed me, as did the climb. I walked a bit. I could see the control from far off and spiked it.

2-3 - Straight. Going over the distinct spur about 3/4 of the way out gave me confidence to try to run faster.

4-5 - Straight, but I was moving slowly because I couldn't see the control fully.

5-6 - Straight. I kept in mind to cross 2 streams. It wasn't obvious from line of sight that there would be 2, but I went with what the map showed.
As I closed-in, several other people were converging from different directions.

6-7 - Straight, but I hesitated before crossing the first reentrant because I couldn't see the control. I soon realized it was in the next and smaller reentrant. Others (man and woman) whom I seemed to pass at #6 realized it at about the same time but got there first.

7-8 - Straight.

8-9 - I followed the ditch. The other runners at #6 and #7 were faster climbing and pulled further ahead of me. At the top I went through the notch and turned left as both had already passed the notch and headed to #9.

9-10 - Straight and right on the line. The contours gave me confidence to use the downhill to run faster.

10-11 - I saw Max on the leg. I went straight and spiked it.

11-12 - I started seeing one of the persons I'd seen going to #7 again. I used the hillside to keep straight.

12-13 - Straight but I hesitated. By this time I should have known not to expect to see the controls. Most were inches above the ground and this one in a pit wasn't visible until I was on it. I spiked it.

13-14 - It was such a short leg that I'd been conditioned to pointing and shooting. When I hit the stream and was surprised as was most everyone else about how deep it was, Clint Morse caught my surprise with his camera. I went right a step or 2, then back to the left looking for a suitable crossing. I didn't want to risk a big drop with my plagued back problems. I went back to the right, still not seeing the bridge option, and found something I thought I could do that wasn't a straight drop down +10 feet. I had to use the slidey butt technique, then launch myself with my butt still on the near vertical dirt. I was happy to clear the stream and land on sand since I wanted dry shoes for tomorrow. From there I went around the left side of the knoll to the control.

14-15 - Straight, or just to the right a little. I was about to spike it when a woman came in from the trail and gave it away.

15-F - The woman who got to #15 before me went on the trail. I went straight and hit the bridge pretty well. I wasn't moving that fast but I got there ahead of her. I wasn't up for a hard sprint to finish up.

I was surprised to learn that I finished 13 seconds ahead of Rick Bressman (he gave me a nice congratulatory fist bump) and also that Clint Morse and Spike had made uncharacteristic errors too. All of them had solidly beaten me to every control except those where they made errors. I was surprised to win the M60+ age group. I didn't expect to get anything this weekend since I'm running so slowly and I'm still getting up to speed from a disastrous and injuried running year in 2022.

GREEN - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Wilson Ln. to Glenbrook Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Arlington Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd. to the Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was 57 F when I started.