Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Bowie
 

QOC at Fran Uhler Natural Area, Bowie, MD. The map was one of the first that I started training regularly on and was where I set my first courses. Being familiar made me a little overconfident at times but more often I had other troubles. I'd forgotten about the scale being 1:7,500. Things came up fast and it took me a while to get used to that. The vegetation had changed quite a lot from what was mapped--memory of vegetation helped at times but hurt me sometimes too. I don't recall seeing the new trails on the master map so I didn't copy them--my memory of them helped at times but others were completely new. Several of the mapped ones had gotten to such a state of disrepair that it really was hard to move along them; sometimes hard to follow them too. Finally, I wasn't very careful about drawing my course on the map. On the second control, I was expecting to find it on the low side of a reentrant when in fact it was just before a drop off in a depression--my control description for #2 had been folded over in a holder so that I could see others later in the course so I didn't have that aid. Fortunate for me, I had passed Kathleen Lennon on the way to #2 and she clued me in to my error. There were lots of excuses it seems. I ran okay but was disappointed at the slow pace and multiple small bobbles. My GPS says I covered 5.85 miles on the course; announced as 6.4K, I measure it to be 7.06K. I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor but wasn't that tired at the end.

C • Huge control descriptions 3

Bowie State University, MD. While Peggy was running, I walked part of the QOC White course with Max, Alex and Dasa Medag. They ran a surprising amount of this.

Bowie State University, MD. I jogged over from the university parking lot to the start and after the race, I jogged back again.

C • QuickRoute for GPS and O' maps 5

Red - Splits

Rockville, MD. From Mark Twain Elementary School & Park, I ran trails mostly through Rockville Civic Center Park to get tracks on my GPS for mapping. Though I'd mapped this area earlier, I want to make sure it lines up with the expansions around Lake Frank and Lake Needwood later. I felt okay. At one point in Rockville Civic Center Park a hedgehog chased me. it was wierd because these things don't usually even see people; they use scent a lot. It's never happened to me anywhere before. I wondered if he was rabid but he looked okay. I did have to accelerate but that's why we have ATP.

45 situps. I sort of let the day and evening get away from me as I worked on various projects. Eventually I got too tired for a short run as it got late.

From Rosedale Ave. to the Georgetown Branch Trail via Kentbury La., to Jones Bridge Rd. and back. I planned to go longer but would have been even later for dinner. This route also kept me out of the winds which were still going pretty strong at 29 F. I felt like I was moving faster and focused more on running form. Climbing the hill at the end I was pretty slow.

From 14th & Independence Ave., Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the trail along the Potomac River, to the Thompson Boathouse parking lot & the Rock Creek Trail, to the Woodley Park Metro Station. I started out feeling surprisingly okay but could soon feel the wind pushing back on me. It was around 30F and the winds were steadily blowing 20mph right at me. I noticed I got winded quickly; both the pun meaning and actually in my lungs. Oddly, my legs felt strong while the rest of me felt weak. I could only guess that I had some residual benefit of having run a week at higher altitudes but it couldn't have been much and I should have felt better in the lungs. The wind got worse along the river and my head started hurting. Finally in the relative shelter of the Rock Creek valley I ran better and I dragged myself up the hill at the end.

From the Medical Center Metro Station elevator, to Jones Bridge Rd. to Maryland Ave. to Rosedale Ave. My right calf and upper achilles protested a bit on my jog home. I felt tired.

After a day of traveling back to Bethesda, I rode the trainer. I figured it would give my left knee more rest. The knee does feel better but isn't quite 100% yet. My cadence was above 65.

Saguaro National Park (East), AZ. To start off the morning, Peggy, Max and I went out and back on a short hike off the Bajada Loop Rd. We went on the Valley View Overlook Trail. For a short hike it was quite nice. The desert around here looks better than most pampered gardens. Max enjoyed it though early in the hike, Peggy had an unfortunate brush with a Chainfruit Cholla cactus. The slight brush had gone through her insulated US Team windbreaker and into her arm. We got it out after a few painful moments. My left knee felt a bit awkward and sometimes hurt; like it was just a bit out of alignment. It was good to give it a rest. Later in the day we walked a bunch at the Desert Museum. It was a nice way to end the mini-vacation.