Training Log Archive: Nadim

US 2009 Orienteering Championships in Greenbush, WI. The Badger Orienteering Club produced some nice maps on Kettle Morraine terrain. It was fun and required me to keep paying attention the whole way. Even when I could run straight to a catching feature and drop reading some of the details, obstacles such as deep depressions or changes in vegetation along the way forced me to slow down, go around, and watch my compass bearing. I felt better than I didn running the previous day. I think it was partly because of the improved weather (drier) and wearing VJ Integrators (with spikes). My feet were much more steady. I also used my backup compass since my usual one developed a largish troublesome bubble on the flight to Wisconsin. I made two significant errors and had many hestitations. My errors where at #8 and #14. On #8, I was very close on a formline ridge just east of the control. The mapping of the formline was so narrow that I didn't read it correctly and got confused by only seeing the much broader contours around it. That probably cost me 3-4 minutes. On #14, I misinterpreted how high up the control was and was not as careful with my bearing which took me to the left. That probably cost me 1.5 minutes. Many other people had either many more errors or more costly ones. I benefited by many M45 runners not being here for the competition and managed to place 3rd in the category. Sergey Velichco and Michael Eglinski were both ahead. Spike was about 20 seconds up and Sergey was 11.5 minutes up on me.

QOC had a pretty good day with Peggy winning F45, Heidi Onkst taking 3rd in F45, the injured Kris Beecroft taking 4th in F45 (while walking); and Francis Hogel won M60. I didn't hear how Marit Davis did. Don Davis mispunched, and the our injured club president Greg Lennon didn't have a good day. David Onkst ran really well. After recovering from a 20 minute error at #2, he still finished only 10 minutes behind me. It was unfortunate that for me to get 3rd in my age category, I had to edge out Ted Good by about 40 seconds. Ted had been injured himself not long ago and probably didn't get enough training in for this.

Red Day 1 US Champs - Splits

Event: US Individual Champs 2009
 

Badger Orienteering Club: Local Meet (model): Since Peggy and I were taking turns watching Max, I got to the start area with just 30 minutes before the course closed. I took off with my Salomons on in the light misty rain. Initially while running up the trail to #1, I wondered if I had already made a mistake. A trail bend was missing and I didn't understand the mappping of the green but I got to #1 with just a hesitation. Later, I felt I was navigating okay but my feet were slipping around a lot on the wet leaves, sticks and rocks. I caught-up with Serge Preobrazh(?) from the Miami Valley Orienteering Club (Ohio) and we ran pushing each other to the next several controls. Eventually we caught Greg Lennon but made a slight bauble in the process. Greg got to the next control first. Serge started getting ahead a bit but taking different routes to #11, I moved ahead and stayed there. By the time I'd gotten to #13, Badger Orienteering had already begun picking up controls and it wasn't there. I ran up and down the trail a bit to make sure I was in the right place, then ran on in. It was fun going out. I'd intended to do the 5km course but they'd run out of maps for that. I think the 4.4K course was just right. It gave me enough of a feel for what to expect on Saturday. I also had found it hard to move through the terrain so I'm glad that I didn't tire myself out.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. via the Georgetown Branch Trail with Max in his trailer, then after dropping them off I rode to the Bethesda Metro Station via the Air Rights Building tunnel. I was delayed a bit this morning again as more discussion with were needed with our renovators.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. After another evening that involved Home Depot, I had to go back to the metro station to pickup my bicycle. I ran easy while carrying my helmet and gloves. I have been having some pain in my left knee so it was probably best that I didn't run much recently.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Maple Ave. to pickup Max's trailer, then to Northfield Rd. via Bethesda Ave. It was late enough that the Air Rights Building tunnel was closed. I forgot to bring my rear light that I had removed when going to work in the morning but the I always have one mounted on the trailer. It was nice and comfortable outside.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. via the Georgetown Branch Trail with Max in his trailer, then after dropping them off I rode to the Bethesda Metro Station via the Air Rights Building tunnel. I had to hose off the thick construction dust on the trailer before going. Max didn't want us to bicycle today. It wasn't the cooler air or damp outsides of the trailer that he objected to. He felt there was nothing to hang his Spiderman action figure from while inside the trailer. He complained some more about wearing gloves and not being able to wag his head along the way but he was happy once we got to school since he had a picture of himself with pirate face paint to share. He planned to make it his Newsday item that he could tell his class about.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Maple Ave. to pickup Max's trailer, then to Northfield Rd. via the Air Rights Building tunnel. It was nice going home with some light in the sky. It was fairly warm too.

I initially was planning to go for a shorter and easier run today but getting ready to go home I learned that it was Pirate Night out. Max got a pony ride and his face painted at a restaraunt while being serenaded with banjo music. Motivation waned after coming home full but even up to 9:30pm I was thinking I'd go running. Worries about some parts of our home rennovations going awry tipped the motivation more and the thought of resting my left knee made the decision to take the day off. I worked on some photos till late and didnt't sleep well.

From the Glenmont Metro Station, Georgia Ave. north to the Matthew Henson Trail, to the Rock Creek Trail, to Cedar Ln. to Rockville Pike, to Commerce La. to the Bethesda Metro Station. I last ran this route on a much wamer and humid day on July 29th. I remember pacing myself then since I hadn't run the distance in a long while. Today I had no such worry. I actually got going too fast the first 1.5 miles. However, once I hit the Matthew Henson Trail, I toned it down. I had been anxious about starting right at the official sunset for the area. My watch had gotten left in my orienteering bag so I timed using the metro station clock in Glenbrook and the time in my van in the parking garage in Bethesda. I subtracted out some breaks for traffic lights. I felt I was cruising pretty well but I also knew I was slowing down by the time I hit Ken-Gar. The darkness slowed me in a few places too. For now I'm not as used to running in the dark as I used to be. The leaves being on the trees and some damp spots on the trail contributed to the difficulty. I guess I was lucky after all the recent rains with only 2-3 significant puddles to get around in the dark. I felt pretty strong overall but going up Rockville Pike, my left knee was hurting on the climb; one time a little sharply. I also passed some blood. I may have been overdoing it with the last 3 days of running. With it being a short week I wanted to make the most of it. I finished about 8 minutes faster than the last time so I guess I did.

Event: QOC South Fork
 

QOC: Prince William Forest, VA., Southfork. The DC area weather finally improved and the woods were comfortable. I enjoyed Sandy Filibrown and Valerie Meyer's courses but they were humbling. Sandy told me before I went out that she loves these woods. However, she also told me of Ken Walker's impression being that of a lot of green with debris to go over or around. She attributed the difference in opinions being that of relativity. Sandy's most recent run was in thicker woods in DVOA-land and Ken's was like mine--in the open fast Harriman State Park, NY.

Due to time, I didn't warm-up before starting out. My being used to more open woods was pretty evident on the first leg as I came off a spur and had trouble focusing on the map while pushing branches with pretty full leaves out of the way. I crossed a larger reentrant and pulled up short for a little bit of lost time. It sort of set the pattern for much of the rest of the course. I managed to be fairly clean on legs, #2, #3, and #4. I went around a reentrant and dropped into another far before I'd intended to but got to #5 okay. I spiked #6, #7, and #8. I was too wishy-washy deciding a route to #9 and executed it poorly. It was so poor, that when I got to a control, I punched, stopped for water and a Gu, and only then realized it was the wrong control. I took another 8 minutes relocating and getting to the right control. Sandy's/Valerie's setting had me rather hesitant on the final approach to #10 but I hit it well after running fast initially up the hill. The control circle had obscured a contour there that would have helped. Going to #11, I was feeling stronger. However I misread the control location somewhat. It was on a ridge and because of the parallel nature of curving contours on both sides, I'd interpreted the control to be on the slope. That cost me another 3 minutes or so. I knew it was risky to try to make up time but I tried anyway. The course after #11 was downward sloping but relatively flat so I picked-up the pace. The woods also seemed better. I had some less than direct routes but spiked #12, #13, #14, #15, and #16. It was just too little too late. I still felt this was good training. It highlighted some of the things that I need to do next week even though US Champs terrain in Wisconsin will be vastly different.

Blue - Splits