Training Log Archive: Nadim

Riverbend Park, VA. After visiting my parents, I stopped off at Riverbend. I was originally going to run up Difficult Run since I hadn't been there in a long while. With Peggy having explored what I call the crosstown trails in NW Washington D.C., I felt it'd be a good time to explore too. Riverbend having bathroom facilities helped me make the choice too. It was 66-68 F with a nice breeze during the run.

I set off from the visitor center near where QOC used to start meets before orienteering got banned from the park for no good reason. Heading upstream on the Heritage Trail, I quickly found some trail changes. I'd started to follow it long ago on mountain bike in 1999 but turned around when time and interest got short. The newer trail is blazed well in light green and in good repair. However it was designed oddly going up and down unnecessarily a lot. Many of the hills were steep and at places where there was no flat land along the Potomac river. After 3 miles, the trail bottomed out for a longer time as it crossed some private property. There were several multi-million dollar homes with fabulous looking decks and verandas there. Another mile or so was on a flat sewer or water pipeline road. I turned around at a trail footbridge that seemed near some clearings. Coming back, I pushed the pace a little. I felt that with my emphasis on distance and not getting injury for the last +2 months, that I've gotten away from running as fast as I need to to race. Some speed did return, though with the steep hills on the route, it wasn't so evident in my time. I twisted and turned and hopped pretty well for a while and that was a good feeling that I hadn't had while running in a while. I pushed in the last .75 miles even more but by then I had begun tiring. I did achieve a negative split on the overall return--it was 35:19 going out and about 34:33 returning.

Cabin John Regional Park, MD. With Max at a circus with a friend to celebrate his friend's birthday, I had a little time to try and cover another hill in the park. I knew this hill was somewhat green so I wanted to get it over with, before the leaves start covering up everything. The larger part of the remainder of the park has better woods so I'm hopeful that those parts will go well later. I found some nicer than expected woods but mostly light green, nonetheless. I didn't have much time and only found a few point features. I jogged-into and out of the areas I'd mapped earlier. I'd parked at the Tennis Center.

Event: QOC Occoquan
 

Occoquan Regional Park, VA. Warm-up for the inaugural QOC meet in this park. Most of this was going back and forth to the restroom. I was sluggish from the start and hoped that this jog would wake me out of it. It was sunny and getting warmer fast. We were waiting a bit before getting the meet underway for a celebration to start. The club was celebrating the birthday of one of our founding members--Sid Sachs. Sid was also the course setter for the day.

QOC: Occoquan, VA. For the first QOC meet in this smallish but rather steep park, Sid Sachs set a score-O. It was close to 70F starting out and it was still getting warmer. As Sid commonly did, this one was set with a point scheme that granted 2 points for every control gone to from a lower number to a higher number. Other controls gotten to were only awarded 1 point. Since this was a new park for just about everyone, it was hard to determine what the best strategy would be. There was also some concern in advance of starting, of Sid's frequent misplacement of controls. I set out to maximize points without really having analyzed the layout. The very first control climbed steeply along trails and I was nearly walking. I stopped at a White course control knowing it was on the wrong side of the trail but being just enough unsure what Sid might have done. The real control was just beyond. My next step was to test the woods. There were nasty thorns on the direct route and some steep hills. I could have gotten a late course control but I didn't have enough sense of my distance and time yet. I lost time crossing the thorny underbrush and climbing a hill before dropping all the way to the bottom. I cut across somewhat soon after that. The woods got better but I soon started realizing how poor the contours were. Sid had warned that the steepness crossing streams wasn't showing-up but there were whole deep reentrants that barely registered a wiggle. I got to #102 w/little trouble, by passing past #104. It was slow. It was steep. On the way to #103, I learned that the vegetation was not so well mapped either. Passing Don Davis, also a founding member of the club, he said (and I agreed) that the woods were great for orienteering if they had only been mapped--a general sentiment that I heard later from others too. On the way to #104 again, I was surprised to come across a control--#109. This was surprising because I didn't think my route was going anywhere near that. I went on like this, while struggling with the steep climbs. The contours were supposed to be 5m but they felt like 20ft. contours or even steeper. The navigation and steepness were both turning out to be very challenging and I think I did okay with the first only because I've done some mapping. Going to #108, I came off a road at a distinct field edge. I expected to see #109 along the way but never did. This worried me but I kept going and hit #108 well enough with just some trouble with unexpected thick vegetation on a ridge. I hunted around for #109 next and was in the area for a long while. I'd completely forgotten that I'd seen it earlier when going to #104. It was more near a saddle than a reentrant as I remember it. After over 5 minutes of fooling around, I ran into Ted Good, then he and I both went to #110. Ted used the road longer than I did and got there a few seconds ahead of me. I knew I'd have to head back if I was going to make it in the 75 minute time limit. When headed to #111, I saw Ted reverse path and head uphill--thinking that he mispunched, and then wondering if I did, I went on. Ted hadn't known about the point scheme and was just aiming to clear the course by getting #114. I hit #111, #112, then went to #116 since it was near by. From there I went in, wondering if I should try for #114. I decided against it, and passed Dasa Merka before struggling up the last climb to the finish. I had some extra time and might have gotten #115 before finishing but by this point, I was not thinking it'd be worthwhile. I got a decent workout for my body and mind and was glad to just eat some of Sid's cake.

45 situps. By the time I was ready to workout, I figured it'd be better to save it for tomorrow.

From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to The Rock Creek Trail, to along the Georgetown Waterfront, to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to the Glover Archbold Trail and out to the Tenleytown Metro Station via Van Ness St. and Wisconsin Ave. I was a bit worried starting out, dreading crashing energy like on my Tuesday run. However, it all worked out okay. Despite running through lots of tourists along the Mall (the cherry tree blossoms are all pink buds, ready to pop over the next couple of days), I was running 7:29 for the first 3 flattish miles. Climbing up on the dirt trail, I took it easier at first, expecting that the long climb would take it out of me. I slowed on some steep parts however, the longer I went, the better I felt about keeping a decent pace. The conditions were good--dry in the low 70s F, and a partly cloudy. At the top of the park, I picked-up the pace again to the metro station. I think I just need to continue to recover and regain my leg speed by doing moderate runs like this for a while.

After the run, I passed some blood in my urine--that was unexpected and it's been a while since I did that last. My shoulder right shoulder is getting worse--it throbs sometimes just sitting at my desk, and reaching into my pants pockets can be really painful sometimes. I have a prescription; the doctor thinks that I'm having bursitis but I suspect whatever I did in the fall to cause it is cartilage related. At least running isn't hurting it yet.

From Northfield Rd. I ran up to Custer Rd., to Wilson La., to Exeter Rd. to Glenbrook Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to the NIH grounds, to Maple Ridge Rd. to Georgetown Pike, to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. It took a while for me to digest enough dinner and stop playing with my tablet to go out and run. The run yesterday surprised me so I wasn't looking forward to hurting again. I felt okay starting out and tried to move faster than I have been. My legs just aren't very quick right now. Though faster than recent runs, this is still pretty slow for working at it. I guess it'll just take time. It was nice and in the mid-60s F.

From the Van Ness/UDC Metro Station in Washington, D.C. down Connecticutt Ave. to the Melvin-Hazen Trail, to the Rock Creek Trail to Broad Branch Rd., trails on the west side of the valley via Fort DeRussey to Military Rd., then up the Western Ridge Trail, to Wise Rd. to Chestnut Rd. to Winnett Rd. to Brennon Ln. to to Thornapple St. to Brookville Rd. to Thornapple St., to Leeland St. to 45th St. to Elm St. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Woodmont Ave. to North Ln. and to the Bethesda Metro Station in Maryland. I started out feeling okay though my right calf was still surprisingly sore/tight. I made good time to the valley of Rock Creek Park. Once I hit the first of the 5 large hills on the route, I knew that I wasn't feeling so energetic. My calf loosened up after about 2 miles. I hit a slow point on the steepest climb up to Fort DeRussey, getting there just as the sun was setting on the western horizon. I was either okay or slow on other hills but got out of the park before it was truely dark; a benefit of the daylight savings time shift last weekend. The rest of the route was pretty slow and a struggle--could I still be feeling the effect of the 50K? Perhaps the +70 F weather had something to do with it. The additional hills took more out of me. My right knee was not 100%, I needed a bathroom, and even my feet were complaining.

45 situps. I worked late and that threw my schedule off. I should have run at lunchtime.