Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Wheaton
 

QOC: Wheaton Regional Park. Starting from the train station area Dann Quinn set a nice White course. I went out with Max after having convinced him to go. He may have been motivated by knowing that Alexis Merka was going out too. I thought they were already gone when we got to the start but Dasa, Alexis and a friend were waiting around at the start. Max and I went ahead of them. I helped him orient the map--he knows what to do but physically, he has trouble with it with his smaller arms, hand and with the thumb compassa and epunch. He asked what the black X was so I told him. As we neared, and he got distracted the by the rebuild playground, he did refocus and first see the totem pole. Shouting out that it was a man made object, and knowing the direction, he soon after saw the control!--success #1. Leaving #1, Max got anxious because Alexis and her friend were coming up behind us. I made him stop at a trail intersection. Hinting 3 times that he should check and orient the map, he'd gotten fixated on going up a maintenace road toward a building because he'd seen it first and knew that we needed a trail. I let him make the mistake. When we got to a gate where he could go no more, he turned around and started chasing Alexis. He ran down the hill really fast. I ran at a normal pace as was falling behind. I had to slow him down at the bottom to read the map but he was already getting out of breath. With Alexis ahead, he couldn't focus much but realized the control was along the lakeshore. I made him describe how to get there and then let him go to chase Alexis and her friend. We didn't catch them but almost did. I similarly made him plan routes on the next 2 legs and we got ahead. However, we went a slightly longer way around than Alexis had on the second and we got to #5 seconds after them. On the next leg, Max was wrapped-up in chasing Alexis and her friend but he did recognize needing to go to the field. He didn't know what the black line on the map was so I explained it to be a fence. We got there behind Alexis and her friend. The area had been changed with a new fence protrusion and the kids just kept going around following it. Max planned the next leg better with me so when Alexis stopped at the parking lot intersection, Max knew to go to the right. Alexis took off behind and passed us, much to Dasa's chagrin. The went to the wrong corner of the parking lot but they all figured it out. On the 8th leg, Max and I went toward the field corner and got ahead of Alexis and her friend. We found the trailhead we needed. Max was impatient but did know enough about the control being on trail. We took off just after Alexis and her friend passed us. We got there right behind them. Going to the finish, the kids paused when the reached the tracks. Alexis got ahead as Max was about to make a slower route choice. Max changed his mind and somehow we got ahead. I made Max pause at the bend in the tracks at the field. Max saw Alexis following the tracks, and knew enough to cut across the field. We got ahead and drama ensued behind us. Max was happy, saw the finish and went on to punch. Dasa and I were telling Alexis to go on as she stopped in tears, complaining that she was out of breath. Dasa and I knew this was more from dissapointment than fatigue. Alexis' friend looked uncomfortable and I wondered if she'd be coming to another event. Eventually, however Alexis got moving and finished. She hadn't known that since she started behind us, that she could still beat us. She and her friend did.

After race, Dasa and I talked about whether or not it was better to space them out more. Going farther apart they might learn more, however, I argued that with them being bunched up, they felt the excitement of a race. Alexis felt much better about the whole thing after learning that her time beat Max's time, and Max was happy just to have beaten Alexis at the end. I think that learning for orienteering to be fun is the more important thing to establish first since that might help them be more inclined to go orienteering again.

QOC: Red Bean Run, Wheaton Regional Park, MD. The event title came from some energy food given out to participants. Dann Quinn set another interesting course in this park where we've raced so many times. Starting from the train area helped him get some different legs and control locations early on. I moved okay on the first leg but by the 3rd, I was already feeling tired. I think the early stages of a cold were taking a toll on me. I had some hesitations but was fairly clean through #4. I was a bit wide going to #5 but map inconsistency led to that. I had a slow route to #6 and #7. Going to #9 was where I made my first real mistake and I was draw off by a nearby control for that. I think the control on #10 was mishung on an unmapped rootstock. Going to #11, I made another error but it was slight and there might have been some map distortion involved. I made the worst error going to #13. That was partly due to fatigue. The last quarter of the race, I hooked-up with David Onkst. The distraction, out of date map, David having already run 5 miles from his home, and a mishung control kept us close right to the end. See the Split List for more description.

I had wanted to reduce my errors today. The best orienteers deal with the kind of map and control errors we had today, better than others. I took some safer routes today but my error rate was still high enough that I conclude to need more work on planning routes to do this. I have to find the right mix of being safe and running a shorter distance. I ran 9.2K on this 7.5K course. Former US Team member Eddie Bergeron finished in 49 minutes. Former Canadian team member, John Torrance finished in 56 minutes. Though both are significantly younger and faster, AttackPoint's calculations show Ted Good having only 47 seconds of error compared to my 5:20 minutes by AttackPoint calculations, or my own +7 minutes error estimate.

Red - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Charlcote Rd. to Hampden Ln. to Wilson Rd. to Honeywell Ln. to Durbin Rd. to Bradley Rd. to up and back to Bradley Blvd. on Vernon Pl., to Brite Dr. to Radnor Rd. to Bradley Blvd. to Aberdeen Rd. to Aberdeen Rd. to Northfield Rd. I was off work early so I got a chance to run before dinner. I enjoyed seeing more light displays.

From Northfield Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd. to Johnson Ave. to Heamsteadt Ave. to McKinley Ave. to Garfield St. to Roosevelt. Ave. to Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I finally pushed myself out the door rather late. I got moving well and felt good for a while. I was 7:30 for the first mile but I felt like I slowed afer that. It was an nice enough night. I had hoped to see more light displays but there were few. Perhaps people had already turned theirs off for the night.

Cabin John Park, MD. From the Westlake Dr. parking lot near the power lines, I covered most of the remaining areas around power lines and the parts between it and Tuckerman Rd. I found substantial features though none are still very difficult with so many roads and trails carving-up the land. One unmapped feature was a complete deer skeleton. The temperature was around 40 F most of the time. The first time I crossed the creek, I got my drafting paper wet. Fortunately the breeze and sunshine dried it out again. On my return crossing, I had planned to use the bridge in the power lines but I discovered that the concrete bridge had been washed away. Hopping rocks I only got one foot wet. It was nice to have the day off.

Event: QOC PWF Happyland
 

QOC: Prince William Forest at Happyland. This was at the Day 1 sight of the 2007 US Championships that I was meet director for and which I had vetted courses. I still enjoy the area though there is some green to get around. Chuck Ferguson was the course setter and he'd gotten us over the creek without needing the bridge. This was a concern voiced before the start but it turned out not to be that bad for me; just thick in around the creek. I was running well and had good concentration on the first loop. Starting the second, in the areas west of the campground I had troubles. This side of the map is flatter and has some things I'd like fixed/updated on the map. I got a stick poked in my eye partway through this loop and it broke-off with me unable to get the piece out. However, my worst troubles were just fatigue related loss of concentration on the 15th control. I lost about 8 minutes pulling up short and making a parallel error. The rest was okay. It was fun getting to this park which unlike most of our areas requires much more technical ability and has fewer or less obvious catching features. See the Split List. I also would have enjoyed it if I had the opportunity to run the Possum Trot this year.

Warm-up run with David Onkst at Happyland (Camp 5) in Prince William Forest, VA. I was still a bit sleepy so this helped wake me up.

Blue - Splits