Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Prince William Forest
 

Prince William Forest, VA. From Pine Grove toward South Fork Creek, for the start of QOC's event.

QOC: Prince William Forest, VA. I set out to finish at a decent pace. I didn't anticipate having as much trouble as I ended up having. Perhaps that was partly due to physical condition, and partly due to a few map issues.

For leg #1, I didn't get going so fast. I was searching for the start triangle for a while. After finally leaving, I set out to go around and use a road to avoid some climb. In retrospect, I should have gone straight. I abandoned a route going to the right after discovering that I'd have to climb up and down anyway. When I did get to the road, I left a little early running up through a reentrant that wasn't all that fast. Though I hit the control right on, I don't count this as a spike with the inefficient change in route.

I ran left to the road and attacked from the road intersection for #2. I had a little hesitation on the attack but I hit it just fine.

I ran a little to the left going to #3, to get around some light green forest.

For #4, I started out trying to run high, left of the line. I figured it'd be faster there. However, before the reentrant, I dropped low to follow the stream. After crossing side stream, I went up and straight in.

For #5, I dropped and angled up. This saved me some climb but I did have to back track a little to the control. It was hung pretty low as were many today.

For #6, I started doubling back toward #4. I stayed left of the line. I spiked the control coming up from the south with no exact attack point. I was reading the contours.

I went to the right leaving #6, to get around a reentrant. I cut left and handrailed a ditch toward the stream without being close to it. At the stream I crossed one way, while Kim Jepsen went the other. After the steep climb, I got moving again to spike control #7. I could see it from far away on a direct route.

I went straight toward #8, with a little left right hook at the end.

I went straight toward #9, with a little drift left. As I got to where I thought I should see the control, or the ditch and gully, I only could see the ditch. I paused thinking I'd made an error. Moving on, I could later see the gully. I spiked it but didn't like the hesitation in my performance.

I wasn't sure what to do on leg #10. I initally sought to be faster using the maintenance road 200m south. I don't know if this cost me time getting to the bridge or not. Once over the bridge, I hugged the creek and used trails. I was wishy-washy in not sticking with a plan. I didn't take the first trail climbing toward the control, since I'd only have to drop again. I started to go around on the trails near the creek and then realized I had to climb on that trail anyway. I ended-up hopping trails back to the one I avoided. I left that one from a bend, and ran straight across the stream. I recognized the notch of a contour near the stream, SW of #10, and kept going. I must have drifted left a bit. I was seeing deadfall on my right and took this to be the deadfall south of the control. As I followed the edge of it, it kept going much farther than expected. I got up well north of the control with still no end in the deadfall. Seeing some reentrants to the west I figured I'd gone too far and turned back. I probably mistook the reentrants I was seeing ahead to be ones closer to the control, so I plunged into the deadfall for a while. I decided to relocate going back toward the notch near the creek, when I saw enough of a break in the deadfall, to spot the field. I came into the control from almost due north. Someone else was coming in from the south. I think if the vegetation mapping had been more accurate here, I would have had a much smaller error.

I wasn't that happy about the lost time at #10. I left fast with the other guy planning his route, probably headed where I was. I ran straight. The light green along the way wasn't bad--it was appropriately mapped. I ran right between the water pits after crossing the road, signifying I was right on the line. A little while later there was another water feature--an unmapped pond. To get around some green, I adjusted left a bit, the a little right just at the creek. I crossed near a fallen tree and had to go around it. I could see the reentrant after climbing and rounding the fallen tree, but didn't see control #11 until I was right up on it. An apparent couple was just leaving.

I ran straight, almost catching the man and woman who came less straight, and spiked control #12.

Going straight again, my route crossed the man and woman's route. I came right up the spur to #13.

I felt good going straight to #14 and knew right where I was crossing a small reentrant 1/3 of the way there. I went a little left to get around the light green ahead and started to angle toward the old roadbed I had it in my mind that the control was in that roadbed. I couldn't see the feature on the map (afterward I needed to be sitting in good light with a magnifier to see the ditch). In my haste to get started leaving Pine Grove to get started with enough time to finish, I'd left my control description holder and I didn't take the time to unfold the map to find out what kind of feature the control was on. After running along the old roadbed, I must have passed the control. I could see that the center of the circle wasn't really on the roadbed so I started hunting. Eventually I came back enough to find control #14. I found it just after the man and woman whom I'd passed on the way to #12 :(.

I ran passing the man and woman again as they neared the creek. At that point I could see that they were navigating independently. I crossed before them and ran up to spike the control, #15--an odd feature the metal grate in the middle of nowhere was. I probably capped a well.

For #16, I dropped down the spur and ran the flat well. Picking up the trail, I left it a bit early, and followed the old trailbed to the mapped ditch.

For #17, I went straight initially, ignoring the mapping of the fight green. It really wasn't bad--more like light green if that. I followed a ditch until it ran out, and then I cut right. Not seeing what I expected, I realized there were 2 parallel wet ditches; one was almost under the leg line. I convinced myself that I stopped too early, and went on a far way to the next big reentrant. Seeing 2 streams there, I doubled back and hit it fine. If I'd just not gotten cocky earlier, and went along the hillside, I would have seen the stream and reentrant before the control and not had such a big error.

For #18, I ran straight again. The mapped fight green wasn't there any more. There was just a small bit before the trail and the creek, I cut right to avoid that and got over the bridge. I guess I attacked badly and ended up right of the pits. It took me a while to figure it out.

For #19, I used the trail but left it before the side stream bridge. I'd remapped this area in 2007 but that was for a sprint map--the unmapped deadfall didn't make it onto this map. My knowledge of the green didn't help me find the control. I just went around it to the right and kept a watch on my left. I saw the ditches before the control and was surprised that the control came up so soon. As I was leaving but was stopped planning my next leg, a younger guy who'd left #18 near when I did passed the control.

For the course today, I was happiest about this leg and #6 in spiking them. I ran straight toward #20, and without a lot to guage progress, I recognized the spur I needed to go around, to get into the right reentrant. I got there just after Amy Loudoun, who was coming at it from my left.

I had to walk up a lot of the steep climb to the tower, and control #21.

I had some energy left on the downhill finish--virtually the same run in as David Onkst had been used in the 2007 or 2005 championships held here.

I was stiff after finishing. Though was warm for most of the run, I cooled off quickly enough. I was happy to get something to drink, and to eat some chips. I hadn't taken a Gu on this run. My overall result wasn't that good but I got some good exercise that should help me later.

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. Besides the darkness, it was a little windy.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. It was getting cool and a north wind was blowing toward me.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Wisconsin Ave. to Norwood Dr., through Norwood Park on the trail to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to Woodmont Ave., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I didn't feel that well for this run but it was nice to get out after the rains.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. then to Woodmont Ave.,at Battery Ln, then back to Northfield Rd., Peggy, Samantha and I had an appointment after work.

From Wodmont Ave., at Battery Ln. to Northfield Rd.