Training Log Archive: Nadim

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd. to Montgomery Ave., via the Georgetown Branch Trail., then to the Bethesda Metro Station via the tunnel again. I had driven Max to school then realized I'd fogotten to take his lunch and blankets, etc... Once home I reasoned it would be quicker to ride and lockup my bike at the metro station. I'd avoided this earlier due to being unfamiliar with the station rack system and not knowing if there would be free space. Locking up worked out fine. My ride was very liesurely though I had to detour where roads were closed for construction. Max's bag kept me from shifting. The ride felt fine though I find myself limping a bit when walking today, from the run yesterday.

From Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. Going home from the station on bike was about one third the time it takes to walk and I was taking it easy in my work clothes.

Event: Hudson Highlander
 

Event: QOC: College Park
 

Harriman State Park, NY: Hudson Highlander on Surbridge Moutain. I actually ran the Lowlander event which was the first 15 controls of the premier Highlander event and also the same course from the Men's race of the 1993 World Orienteering Championships. While forest conditions were somewhat different 15 years later, it's truley amazing to comprehend the abilities of the world champion that year to finish 2.5K longer than I ran, on this technical map in a total of 86 minutes. I ran this planning only to try to finish without hurting myself more. I didn't know what to expect though running 8.9K last weekend gave me some confidence. I felt a bit winded early on. I was navigating at a rough level enough to know the vicinity of where I was at but not zeroing onto exact control locations very well. As the pace of the mob tempered, I found myself near Peter Gagarin as he made a decision to run a longer trail route to #5. Looking at a much greener straight route, it made sense so I went along with him and some others. It was a much more simple attack. I recognized the area from a previous Highlander or A-meet where we had a very similar control leg. Peter slowed up at a large distinct knoll in a reentrant before the control. I was happy to go ahead for a little and got to within 20m of the control before stopping myself. Peter and another guy then ran around the rock that was obstructing my view of the control and got there first. Peter had saved us around 5 minutes on the leg. As little as this leg was, it was one of my better moments for the day. I did lead us on the very short leg to #6 but found myself with others too much through the rest of the event. Peter, Pavalina Bratigam, Daniel Schaublin, the Saeger sisters and others were nearby often. I often chased whomever I thought was going the best way but was not fast enough to pass them and navigate. From my lack of running training I was surprised to even be able to keep up but they all were going a much further distance than I had planned and they were probably conserving energy. On some legs, I had trouble believing my compass bearing and wondered about hematite that I think JJ had mentioned long ago before.

I found myself losing track of where I was several times and clinging near others pulled me through. It wasn't anything to be proud of. My knee was starting to hurt more and I had already started to fall off the pace set by Peter and Daniel Schaublin when approaching #12. The Saeger sisters and a a troop of West Point cadets caught up just as I had gotten there. Going to #13, Peter seemed to go alone on a direct route. I chose to go in the direction of the crowd to the right, in hopes of being able to turn left on a trail. I was slow to get going and one of the last out. Daniel, the Saeger Sisters, the cadets and I believe Pavalina all went right with others so I tagged along again. They were pulling ahead so I concentrated more on running when I should have been reading. Unseen by me, Daniel and Pavalina cut left. I knew my bearing was taking me the wrong way but I kept trying to convince myself that we were going to hit the trail soon. I lost track of where we were and felt like I needed to stick with the pack. Eventually we came to a trail and the Saeger sisters stopped after following it for a short way. I still couldn't reconcile the trail I thought we were going to hit with the trail that we were on so I decided to break off leaving the group behind. Very soon, in one of those deflating moments that would have been worse had I not already known we were a long way off, I came to the road near the lake. I was no closer in distance to the control than when I started the leg. My only causes for joy were knowing where I was again and having mostly a long road run to get to the control. The road was paved and I remembered being able to run the same stretch at the end of a previous Highlander, passing Greg Balter and others on it and accelerating. This time the pavement was my undoing. After perhaps 800m, my knee couldn't take the hard ground any more. I had to start walking. I had intended to use the road further but reasoned that if I had to walk, it would be best to go straight. Back in the woods, my knee started feeling better. I was feeling better about navigating my way too but at the end I second guessed my first instinct for the rocks I saw, with a choice based more on a compass bearing. I ended up climbing too high and should have stuck with the rocks I saw. After correcting, Stefan Slutsky got there about the same time I did but he came in from a different direction. It was a +38 minute leg; I'd lost +25 minutes. Finishing up, I led Stephan who was faster on the steep downhill and crossing the rocky reentrant but slower on the more runnable terrain. I got to #14 first but attacking from the right along the water, I got to #15 just after him. I thought the Lowlander race ended there so I started walking back to the parking lot. I almost didn't punch the finish punch at the parking lot (since there was no control bag; just some stands) but someone told me that I needed to. After punching I noticed Kseniya Popova punching soon after.

It was nice to have been out in the terrain and know that my knee could hold up for this distance. I would have been more satisfied if I'd navigated on my own more. I'm sure I would have been much slower. I'll count this just as a good training day.

Mark Twain School and Athletic Park, Rockville, MD. Leaving from the school, I started a new section of field checking in Rock Creek Park. It was north of Avery Rd., south of Southlawn Dr., and west of the creek. I probably had been in this section more times in the dark than during the day. It was nice to see things in the full sunshine. The woods were almost entirely white open. Much of the terrain is steep but the upper and bottom parts are quite runnable. There were more features than I had expected though because they were often close to edges or in some large reentrants, they amount to mostly Orange level navigation. Because the woods were open, I covered a good bit of area. Some detailed areas remain for at least another day or two of field checking. It was nice to be outside with temperatures in the 50s and 60s F. My knee was hurting on the steeper slopes and when encountering twisting tension.

When I went out for the field checking, I was unsure if I'd get to run the lowlander version of the Hudson Highlander since we didn't have child care arrangements. Though this wasn't a rigorous effort I might have done less if I had known. It turns out that the Breton sisters will watch Max so I'm looking forward to another day outside.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave, to 15th St. to Constitution Ave. to the Rock Creek Pkwy., to Ohio Dr. along the Tidal Basin past the Jefferson Memorial, to Main Ave. to Maryland Ave. to 12th St. to 13th & C St. My knee was aching starting out and most of the way through but it eventually got better as I got slower. I ran on grass and dirt wherever possible. For some reason, I felt a strain in my right quadricept like a charlie horse. Perhaps it's due to favoring my left leg because of the knee pain. It was about 70F, sunny and breezy--nice!

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD to Montgomery Ave. via Bethesda Ave. and the Georgetown Branch Trail, to 13th St. SW, Washington, D.C. via the Georgetown Branch Trail and the Capital Crescent Trail. It was the coolest morning so far with temperatures in the lower 50s F. I hadn't ridden in for a while and with Max up past his bedtime last night we were a bit slow getting going. After dropping him off, I was just starting to get up to speed on the trails when an older commuter passed me. We judiciously traded pulls with me doing the longer pulls but him stepping in at the right moments (22mph down the grade and about +20mph on the flats). I didn't realize until later that he was on a track bike. I felt sluggish. Was atrophy setting in from not riding for a week or was it the yummy but large Pakistani dinner last night. Winds were mixed. I definately benefitted from them on Ohio Dr. My chain fell off near the end and there was a bit of traffic to negotiate slowly too. Both before and after, but more after, my knee was hurting.

From 13th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I started at near 6pm. The winds were not favorable so I thought and decided to ride through Rock Creek to go home. What swayed me was anticipation of the darker months ahead and being less likely to want to ride in that direction in the dark. I rode steadily, spinning more. Just before climbing out of the valley, another rider converged with my route. I led him for a little bit but didn't have it in me to climb faster today. I cut across Chevy Chase on the way home differently than I had in the past. I used Ridge Rd., the Military Rd. to Utah Ave. I used Northhampton St. and should have used Nevada Ave. next because I popped out S. of Chevy Chase Circle. With the twisting roads and only a setting sun to guide by, I had been thinking about 90 degrees off. The route turned out to be pleasant with rolling hills through nice quiet neighborhoods instead of the long gradual climbs that my most used routes home take me. After picking up Max's trailer (just under 55 minutes and just over 13 miles), I noted several cars yielding to me at intersections. It's happened many times before with the trailer but can be a bit confusing or awkward as I slow to stop and they wave me ahead. By the time I was home it was just about dark.

20 pushups. Another round of misinterpreted weather forecasts led me to foregoe cycling (it was wet in the morning). I brought running clothes to try another lunchtime run but got away from work too late. In the evening Peggy, Max and I went to my parent's Eid celebration dinner.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave, I ran down The Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Potomac River along Ohio Dr., to Buckeye Dr., to Ohio Dr. to Basin Dr. up to Maryland Ave. via the Portals complex, to 12th St. to C St. SW & 13th St. SW. I had thought about riding my bike to work today but the weather had been forecast for rain and I was up too late the night before again. I started out running at lunchtime and proceeded somewhat easy to keep the stress on my knee low. Most of the route was paved. I used the grass where convenient but also had on good shoes and thick socks. The weather was partly sunny and in the 70s--in other words great. Before going out, I didn't think I'd run but a little more than 2 miles. However, by the time I was nearing the Lincoln Memorial. I was tempted to cross the river for a double bridges route. I thought it better to not risk it. The loop to the edge of the Hains Point penninsula was a little longer than I thought it would be. As I rounded it I needed to use the bathroom so I started thinking and then feeling less about my knee.