Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Patapsco McKeldin
 

Event: 36th Annual Billygoat Run
 

Billygoat, near Ashburnham, MA, on the Baldwin Hill map. I didn't really decide which event to run, the full Billygoat or the shorter Pygmy Goat, until the morning of the event. I figured I'd had enough troubles with injury and not getting in much training so that it was in doubt. The injuries kept at bay. Neither my calf, nor my right thigh bothered me. I was just heavy enough however, to be slow and needing to pace myself.

S-1 - I just didn't think much at the start. I had already figured that if we were heading west that I could use the trail that we walked-up on but ultimately, I charged straight into the woods like most other around me did. It was slower with fallen sticks/branches under the evergreens. It took me a long time to get up to where others that I would run with later were. I caught John Baker, then Peggy. I got into the control a bit ahead of Peggy by going around some green near the end.

1-2 - I traipsed down the hill much as I'd come up it. Isabel Bryant was nearby but both of us missed off to the right a little bit. Peggy came in behind and went left, leading us into the control.

2-3 - I moved slowly up the hill ahead of Peggy, and behind Isabel Bryant for a while on a trail. Jeff Saeger was nearby. Isabel went on the trail around a hill to the left, while I paused. Jeff plunged - in at the bend I'd stopped at. I felt he was good company in such areas so I came in behind him. Jeff kept pulling right and I was going more left. At a pond, I realized I was the one who was off-bearing. In the right area, A few others were hunting. I looked right and thought I was seeing things telling me I was above the control. Jeff went up higher as I went down and found nothing. I turned back uphill, and Peggy was near, probably punching ahead of me.

3-4 - I was kind of slowly moving up the hill but my goal was to finish so I kept doing what I was comfortable with. I passed Peggy, and saw Jeff S. ahead. I wasn't gaining on Jeff as far as I could tell. Eventually, I saw the rocks and went to them directly.

4-5 - I saw Jeff S. ahead only briefly before losing him. I kept expecting to hit the cliffs sooner than I did. Once below the cliffs, I went straight to the control. Peggy was still not far behind.

5-6 - I got onto the trail and followed it to the T-intersection, passing Jeff Shapiro along the way. Peggy was not far behind so when I paused, she was right there. We plunged down, crossed a stream on logs, and climbed. I was driving a bit to the left as Peggy pulled right. I used the trail and when I got to an appropriate point, I cut across. I spiked it.

6-7 - I was gaining on a guy as I ran for the trail. He jumped off it a bit early. I went further but was a little influenced by him. I passed near the wall intersection, came in to the left of the other runner, but to the right of the control. Stopping I looked to my left and had I moved a little further I would have seen it. I went north a little, saw Peggy come in and pause and go north too. I went up that way but realized where I was when I saw a reentrant near the stone wall. I turned and attacked and hit it. Peggy and the other runner were close behind.

7-8 - I climbed and ran to the south of the wall to reduce climb. The other guy from #7 ran a little closer to it and got ahead. Hitting the trail, there was no hesitation and we all hit the control well.

8-9 - I was a bit sloppy on this, going on bearing and losing sight of the guy from #8 and #7. I kept feeling like I should drop to the trail but the running was good enough. I came into the aid stop a bit before Peggy. I stayed a while eating a banana and drinking the Gatorade that I'd gotten. Peggy took off before me.

9-10 - I felt heavy from the eating and drinking but ran up the trail. It didn't occur to me to skip #10. I hadn't read ahead enough. I caught Peggy and closed-in on another guy. The trail didn't seem well mapped--there was more variation to the bends that the map showed. I was talking but still watching my bearing. My legs felt heavy. I tripped on a tree root. This startled me since I'd taken a bad fall doing a similar thing a few weeks earlier. In less than 30 seconds, I did it again, near where I should have attacked. I kept going and the other guy who was running w/us plowed down to the marsh. It didn't look right to me. Peggy went down too but after a few steps, I ran back down the trail. I saw some rocks but couldn't match it up w/the map, not believing that I was that far past the control. I went in and fumbled around before coming out again after several minutes. Going north, I saw Peggy on the trail and others (Brennan sisters) coming out too, after having punched. I ran in and found it.

10 - 11 - Going alone, I went on bearing initially but it was too steep, I angled more to the right and once over the worst of it, I made my way to the wall. I ran along it on the east side, then when the terrain got flat, I angled over, before the wall intersection was visible. I hit the reentrant on the leg line, and descended slowly, expecting to be able to see the control on my way down. I saw the knoll but had a hard time convincing myself that it was the correct one--it seemed too far away but it was the right one.

11-12 - I ran the low route along the flat ground and marshes, reading my way but not precisely. I did cut up to attack more directly. Soon I passed the Brennan sisters and Isabel Bryant. I saw Ken Walker Sr. somewhat leading them but kept going past. I stopped when I saw 2 stone walls ahead. Ken popped out from behind and recognized where we were before I did. He shouted out that it was 100m back. I moved fast and got there first.

12-13 - I ran fairly straight, dropping when I could see the stream, crossing the intermittent stream, then running along the main one to the control.

13-14 - I again went fairly straight ignoring the trail. I recognized the knoll and punched.

14-15 - I started to go to the left of the marsh but realized it'd be better to use the trail on the right. I paused a little early but basically spiked it.

15-16 - To be safe, I chose to attack off of the wall bend. It seemed to take a long while getting to the wall so I aimed off more to hit it. Once I did, I t took a while to find the bend; I wondered if I'd made a mistake. From the bend I read my way in. It was one rock beyond where I thought it'd be.

16-17 - I aimed off to the left but read my way there too. At the flat ground I went north a little, then saw the first knoll. Attacking off of it, I spiked the control.

17-19 - I decided long back to skip #18. I was moving too slowly through that greenish terrain earlier and the risk of a miss was high. Going due north, I eventually angled more east and up the hill. I don't recall seeing the trail before the lake but realized I was hitting the lake too broadly. I cut west (left) more to go around. It wasn't too bad but was slower than I'd hoped. After getting away from the lake, I had to force myself more east to hit the trail. I hit it near the bend south of the wall intersection so it was straightforward navigating from there.

19-20 - I walked and ran straight, reading the ponds too.

20-21 - I went straight at it, recognized where I was on the curving hillside, then saw a knoll. The first one wasn't mine but pausing on top of it and reading, I realized it was just to the west. The guy who'd been nearby at #7 and #8 was in the area too. My movement gave it away to him but I got there first.

21-22 - Straightish across the field, hitting the field at the end of the trail, I just ran around the water trying not to cramp too much.

22-23 - Once again around the water, but to the right initially.

23-F - Straight up the trails and around the fences, still trying not to cramp. I was happy to have finished. I was slow but that was expected given the difficulties I'd had with training in April.

Billygoat - Splits

At Stone Mill Elementary School, Gaithersburg, MD. I did laps around a grassy field as Max and his team played another team and won. It was a close game. The temperature was in the 70's F and it was a bit humid. I didn't feel all that strong running but I was able to run. I got a kink in my neck later on.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. My left knee was aching a bit.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. All of the pipe re-work cuts in the road combined with the potholes through the Edgemoor neighborhood are getting to be a pain in the butt.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was 57 F starting out; there was no wind but lots of moisture in the air from the rains over the last 12 hours. I was detoured onto the C&O Towpath again--it was less muddy than yesterday but still muddy. I got some help from a guy who had gotton on the trail around Massachusets Ave. and caught me at around the McArthur Blvd. tunnel. He moved us along at 25-26mph for a while, then slowed. I took over again, slower still, till we got detoured. I'd worn arm sleeves because of the coolness with the moisture in tha air and was a little more sweaty than I've been of late by the time I was done. Overall I felt stronger.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was a lot of traffic getting out D.C. and some headwinds going back. I was detoured onto the C&O Towpath again. It was in the 70s F. I sweat a lot more than I had in a long while.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was 53 F starting out, and there was a headwind from the east. I was detoured onto the C&O Towpath again. I had a late sushi dinner plus dessert last night and hit an all-time high for my weight this morning. I think this is mostly an anomoly but it will take me more effort to not take too much advantage of tasty foods. I rode steadily and kept passing people.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Bethesda, MD, to Northfield Rd. I was detoured onto the C&O Towpath again. This time it was damp, puddled, and slower from the noontime rain. I moved steadily. There were headwinds. I saw David Onkst who was on a run again. This time he was headed in toward D.C. We confirmed timing for our trip.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was a bit damp outside. I was tempted to ride all the way in but anticipating mud on the towpath put that to rest. My quadricepts felt sore--not used to riding a lot yet. On the metro escalator, it wasn't crowded so I launched into running down the stairs as I usually would. I'd forgotten about my calf and didn't feel it until after having sat through my ride on the train. When I walked, my calf was sore and feeling more re-injured from running down the stairs.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd., in the dark. I was trying to avoid the potholes. The air felt comfortable at about 57 F.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was 47 F starting out, and sunny--good weather for the removeable arm sleeves that I wore, plus an extra t-shirt. At the beginning, I realized I'd forgotten my helmet so I turned back--guess it was the short haircut I had yesterday that threw me off (Max was unhappy about his haircut which still left it long enough to call long). I had mixed winds but mostly a tailwind from the NW. I moved along well but felt strained at times. My quads were sore or tired. I seemed to have gotten caught from behind but instead of passing me, the guy drafted behind me. I got detoured onto the C&O Towpath again.

From C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Bethesda, MD, to Northfield Rd. I was detoured onto the C&O Towpath again. I'm getting good at avoiding the bumps with my 23mm tires, while passing other people. My quads were hurting initially. I guess they got better after warming up. I was sort of being chased by clouds and the first drop I felt was just before turning onto Northfield Rd.