Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC- Glen Artney
 

QOC: Glen Artney, MD. I was gettting ready to go out on the Blue course myself when Max told me he wanted to go out. I'd been mountain biking in this area once and I didn't remember it being very hilly compared to the south side of the Patapsco. This was the first orienteering meet on the new map that Ted made. We were warned of there being a lot of green on it but it seemed much more than expected and a hillier than I remembered it. The White course went down a long way before coming back up. Max navigated well to the first control. Anticipating being able to see the power lines shown on the map just past #2, we both ended up turning around at a parking lot. Max was doing okay though sometimes he'd get mixed up. Once out in the sun after climbing up again, he got hot and we walked most of the rest of the course. I talked with him most of the time to get him in practice of planning a leg but I kept silent on the 7th control. He was getting bored and got it in his mind to turn right at the next intersection. When we got to the wrong control, I remained silent and he figured out that he needed to go back to take a different fork. He did pretty well. I felt a bit tired from the day before.

QOC: Glen Artney, MD. Peggy still wasn't back but with Jan Merka keeping an eye out for Max, I took off up the road to #1. I'd already seen the steepness and thickness of the forest and rough open fields but it still struck me that running in the park would have been much better earlier in the season. I fortunately had some elephant paths to follow. Still, #1 was not very visible until I was right on it. I wanted to go on the left side of the pond to #2 but the vegetation looked nasty. I found that going around to the right didn't turn out to be much better. I took the road around going to #3 but I was so focused on the footing in the elephant trail that I overran #3.

I spiked #4 but AP shows me having an error. It was just thick. Somewhere on this leg or just before, I noticed a new pain. I don't think I stumbled. It just must have been time for something to snap. I'd had a good time running since January. The pain was on my right thigh along the inseam and going towards, but not to the knee--I think it is some sort of muscle pull. It restricted my range of motion but I felt I could still run if Ikept it slow.

The terrain to #5 was not very nice with steep and sometimes rocky hillsides but it was better than the way to #4. I spiked that control though I'm not sure if my route was efficient. Getting out of #5 was no fun. After the drop and steeper climb past the creek, I used trails. I was going slow enough that hitting the controls was not much of a problem. I did misread #9 by not seeing the second root stock on the map. I would have headed to the right root stock first had I read the map better there. I did get too low going to #10 and it took a minute extra to relocate. Despite spiking it, my route to #12 used the trails too much compared to other people's times. I didn' have confidence in the vegetation mapping to risk going across what was supposed to be white forest. Leaving #14, I wanted to go to the right but it looked too steep on the other side of the creek. I went left to spike #15 with a little hesitation at the hard to read ditches (I hadn't worn my orienteering glasses). I had a similar problem at #16 and #17--not reading the detail without eyeglasses cost me time. However, my memory is such that it did seem like there could have been a formline knoll mapped at #17. I hadn't realized that I'd started so late in the day (delayed by doing beginner instruction and shadowing Max). I also thought we had till 4pm to get out of the woods however pickup starts earlier these days. I spiked #18, back in the nasty vegetation and steep hillside, even going back to the location to verify it but the control had been picked-up. For this reason, I didn't have a legal finish; a mispunch result. By this point, I was ready to head in and didn't appreciate #19 taking me up and right back down to get to #20. I did drift too far right climbing over the ridge to #20 and got trapped in the thorny green stuff. Once finally got the trail, I went straight to the control. Getting out of the green leaving #20 for the road was not fun again and my right leg was keeping me slow. I jogged into the finish with just one other person left out on the courses.

I think using this area will be fun sometimes but needs to happen when the leaves are fully off and the grasses are mashed down. It was disappointing to have an injury but I didn't feel it was so bad that a rest day wouldn't help repair it.

Blue - Splits