Training Log Archive: Nadim

Prince William Forest, Turkey Run Ridge. Matt Smith set good courses for those who came. As we were driving-in a lot of new treefall from what looked like straight-line winds could be seen the whole way from the park entrance. There was even a road sign noting that the administration was still cleaning it up. This wasn't too bad for the courses we ran but there was enough unmapped deadfall that visual observation and route planning helped a lot. The deadfall was worse at the tops of hills and ridges so it was often beneficial to drop lower. I ran the shortest course though I had thought about adding-on, using a control from the longer course. The heat/humidity and moving slowly through the brush made me think better of it. I did not take water with me, and it might have helped.

S-45 - I ran the trail and left the trail from a bend. Some deadfall was in my way. Going on the right side of it ended up meaning that I had to cut back a little. Helen Dougherty was in the area.

45-37 - I ran high along ridge until crossing the trail, and then I angled down to the valley. I stayed away from the stream where there was less grass but I went into it in time to see the stream confluence. Going in-between the streams up a ridge, visibility was not optimal but I knew where I was from changes in steepness. Dennis Dougherty was coming down the ridge and asked if I'd seen the control. I told him it was still ahead and I went to it with him behind me.

37-32 - I wanted to stay more to the left but ended up cutting to the right because the map showed climb and vegetation ahead. Dennis passed me after I'd cut right but he was still to the left of me. I got up to the trail and ran along it briefly before cutting in and following the reentrant to the control.

32-40 - I went along the right side of the creek to the road, the through the fields. I went up the right fork a little bit until I could see the end of the mapped green vegetation. From there I mostly went straight and spiked it.

40-47 - After crossing the trail and stream, vegetation pushed me left and right but I was able to count the reentrants off to my right. When I got close to the correct reentrant, I angled left and uip to see the top of it, then came down it. I saw the control when I paused but running to it I lost it again. I stopped just beyond it and saw it hanging on a tree bow that partly obscured it from higher up the reentrant.

47-33 - I cut through the green bits, finding ways that were not bad. Hitting the trail, I decided it made sense to stay on the trails. The verge at the edges of the semi-open areas looked messy. There was even some dead brush along side of the trail that looked like it had been moved there after the big storm. I left from a bend, arriving between reentrants but not seeing the control. I interpreted correctly that the one to the left was too deep to be the one with the control.

33-804 - My initial thought was to use the trail but then I saw how much the trail descended. I crossed the reentrant system and got to the ridge. Since the higher parts of the ridge looked to have both mapped and unmapped deadfall, I went to the right where it was much clearer. After crossing a side reentrant I went back up to spike the control.

804-36 - I angled down to the trail, cut left at the end of the ridge on my left, used the next trail for a little way, then cut across and up the next ridge to the control.

36-F - I tried to keep running the whole way. There was less deadfall and the climb was gradual enough. I did have to stop briefly in places. After passing the amphitheater, I dropped to the trail. I had to run through the set of tents that an extended southeast Asian family was setting up, since they were putting up one tent on the trail. I was first to finish.