Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Cedar Ln., the Rock Creek Trail, to the 11 Mile Mark, and back. I got a late start on the day, getting a project going with Max and having lunch. I also watched a movie with Samantha before she went out with Peggy to see the Nutcracker. It was getting dark during the run and oddly, I thought myself to be going faster as it got darker. Part of it was the general downslope on the return (along Rock Creek). I was a little tired from running more this week. It was probably my longest training run since October.

Event: QOC Cabin John
 

Cabin John Regional Park. From the playground area off Tuckerman Ln., I jogged around the parking and picnic areas with a winter coat on.

QOC: Cabin John Regional Park, MD. Michael Dickey did the heavy lifting taking on his first attempt at course setting. I had helped by consulting and making various map updates, so I was very familiar with things before going out. The first thing I'd noticed when I started doing map updates (Michael identified most of these), was how much greener the park had become. Especially in the lowlands, a plague of thorny/woody vines had sprouted, along with low bushes and deadfall. The rest of the race, I didn't feel like I was navigating so much as just running from place to place--this was due to having too much map memory and it wasn't a good feeling. I did also have to stop about 8 times to try to tie my shoes with my gloves on. I'd forgotten to tape them as I usually do and the laces were just too long for the thorny/bush terrain that kept pulling them apart.

S-1 - Gavin Wies was nearby getting ready to go out so he probably saw me fumbling with getting oriented. I knew the location of #1 in my head so From consulting, I'd already known what direction I'd need to go in. However, it took me about 20 seconds of fumbling to get the map oriented. I went left around the fence and into the field where the White course control was. I took trails to get near but wasn't sure how I should cross the creek. I went off trail toward it, kind of on line but it didn't look good--it was both green on the land in the area, and deep in the water. I backed out went further south and crossed near the tree trunk that spanned it. A woman was on the tree crossing so I ran across splashing a foot in the water, getting my toes a little wet. The cliff seemed high to me and there were two--I'd only mapped one. I got there a little before the woman even though I'd walked most of the way up the steep slope.

1-2 - Leaving #1, I climbed but was closer to the contour than straight. I came down on a deer trail more directly. A way in the stream bed looked open but to cross the stream dry, I had to skirt some green that I hadn't planned on. I had updated this point feature boulder after Michael had informed me it was mapped wrong previously--basically, I knew where to go from having been out there not long ago.

2-3 - I had debated staying low or going over the hill. I hadn't been along either when out earlier, except for the part under the power lines. I knew that was nastily overgrown (mapped updated for it), so I climbed. Fortunately, the green on the high route, near the fence for the private property off the power lines, was easily passable. I attacked from there.

3-4 - I stayed high by going left and coming down the ridge. I got to the bottom and could see the control, but it looked too slow to go through some deadfall. I went around only to get stuck in thorns a few feet from the control.

4-5 - I exited #4 by climbing through the deadfall--better than the thorns. I ran along the maintenance shed to the road.

5-6 - Road crossing; off the clock, but I didn't wait any more than needed.

6-7 - Around this point, I realized that I'd forgotten to tape my shoes. Sure enough, somewhere on this leg they came undone. I went up the road but thought about backing around south over the bridge to the road (too long). I got across without much trouble. I wasn't navigating that carefully (a bad habit) so I went toward an unmapped rootstock on the way, forgetting that the control was on a ditch.

7-8 - I stayed high on the west side of the stream mostly. It was greener on the east side than mapped and I went around it. I crossed the creek dry, but it took me a while to get to a spot due west of the control, where I could. The control was a little hidden between the deadfall but I still saw it from below.

8-9 - I dropped immediately and ran the valley trail until due east of the control. I hit the bed perfectly but didn't see it. I ran upstream a way then returned to see it tucked down. Michael told me after the race that he'd not had anything else in the right place to hang it on.

9-10 - I ran south and crossed on stones. Going up the reentrant along the ditch, I saw Francis H. and another person. The control was low and not very visible again but I knew about where it be based off of the bamboo that was a little past the depression.

10-11- I ran high, planning to stay out of the development grounds--technically not out of bounds from the way the map was portrayed but I thought it better to do. I did angle for the trail that comes out of those grounds so I had a few steps on the grass before getting on the trail. I dropped down as the terrain opened a little. I did get across dry but it felt slow hopping stones. I stayed on the road as long as possible and followed the edge of the marsh east to the control.

11-12, I went on the right of the hilltop, on trails. From the pavilion, I had it in my mind that I knew where the control was but not seeing it, I realized I was in the reentrant north of the control, not the ditch on the hillside. The funny thing is that I suggested to Michael Dickey that this leg might be too easy. I only lost a few seconds. Michael Stasiowski was coming to it from another direction.

12-13 - I got out and ahead of Michael S. while running down the hill to the trail. I was only on the trail until it seemed to start rising again. I ran the flat ground from there and hit the control well.

13-14 - I stopped at #13 to tie my show again--about 6-7 times by this point. Michael S. passed me but when he hit the hillside and started climbing I stayed left and low to get ahead.

14-15 I should have tied my show here, off the clock. It took me a while to realize which control I was going to after #15, even though I'd seen the course before.

15-16 - I ran the trail well left of the line, up to the White course control that I'd passed at the edge of the power lines earlier on the way to #1. Once across the power lines I ran across the white hillside to between the 2 trail intersections. From there I ran in.

16-17 - I mostly took trails for a way, passing Craig Sheldon when I was off trail and dropping to the creek. I got across the creek on new erosion control rock that'd been put in just above 2 reentrants. I stayed on the trail until just east of the control.

17-18 - I walked up the leaving #17, and cut a bit to the right to get above the green. There were several people going to and leaving the control but I was pretty much on track the whole way. A few people thought the ruin the control was on might be mis-mapped, but I don't think so. Michael Dickey had picked-up the control after the event and confirmed that the feature appeared to be in the correct location. The stream below does sometimes seem to have different bends, but I think that's just a perspective problem where things nearer look more pronounced than those farther away. The stream was mapped from aerial photos so at worst, the sands could have shifted around.

18-19 - I went to the required creek crossing and lost a little time to Lydia who'd started down before me and went a more direct route, still staying dry. I had been temped to go straighter but wasn't sure about it being dry. I hadn't read the notes before going out so it wasn't registering to me that the way I went was a required crossing either. Once across, I got on the trail, passed Lydia, and left the trail at the bend after the intersection. I hesitated a little on the attack.

19-20 - I started out but once on the trail, I stopped yet again to tie my shoes again. This time I took extra time and looped the right laces around the looped parts. It stayed a little better that way. I passed Lydia after getting across the parking lot and past the garden. I attacked from the top.

20-21 - I don't know if I was the most efficient on my route. With the trail on a index contour, I couldn't read it. I did however, get to the bridge and take the trail down, rather than go through the green on a direct route. In retrospect, going up to the apartment parking lot to the right would have been most efficient. I had to walk the climb to the saddle at the end of my route.

21-22 - I angled down on a deer trail and stayed low along the creek to the next major reentrant. I was able to keep a slow jog to just about the top of the next hill, running on a trail, and closing in on another person. After passing her, I saw a guy running off across the white woods. I didn't see where he'd left from but attacked without being very careful. I went right to it.

22-23 - I closed in on the other guy I'd seen near #22, but once across the trail I got a little confused. Without reading the map because I was bashing through vegetation, I was thinking I'd need to run between the 2 ballfields. I cut left toward the space between them. In the field where I could read the map, I realized I need to go around on the right side. of the eastern field and did. Because of this snafu, I was chasing the other guy again. I closed in after crossing the road, by taking a straighter line to the trail. In the powerlines, I stayed on the trail, to avoid getting too close and into the out-of-bounds area. The other guy left the trail and did what I chose not to. My choice was on memory, not from what was on the map. Going the way the other guy did was fine. He got ahead since I ran longer and made it to the control a little ahead of me.

23-F - I chose to go right, rather than straight or left along the train tracks. My way was longer but seemingly more open. As I got off the tracks and passed the train station, the other guy popped out just ahead. I didn't have much kick left so I stayed about the same distance behind him to finish.

We had a nice lunch at Corner Bakery, where Peggy had some coupons. The Hession's and a new first-time family whom I'd met when updating the map a few weeks back, had joined us. I was a bit scratched-up in my forearms and that stung for a while until I got washed-up.

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. in light rain.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down Independence Ave., to 17th St., along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial circle, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to P St., NW., to 20th St., NW., to the Dupont Circle Metro Station at Q St., NW. It was about freezing and dark when I got going. It was breezy but with a good amount of clothes on, I was not cold. I paced myself and was intending to go to Woodley Park, but I was running out of time--I had to get home in time to take Max to his basketball practice.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I only had on my running sweatsuit and gloves. I had to take my hat off to get my helmet on and my head was sweaty. I wasn't very cold riding but if I had been going further I would have been.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Wisconsin Ave., to Maple Ave. to Maryland Ave., to Jones Bridge Rd., to Connecticut Ave. to East-West Hwy. to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was around freezing starting out into strong headwinds, but I felt better than the last 2 runs. I didn't feel real cold but I did feel like the wind was slowing me down. I was distracted by the wind and darkness so I almost passed my old house on Rosedale Ave., without noticing--nice Christmas lights there and in the old neighborhood. I was intending to return on the Georgetown Branch Trail, but forgot again that the trail had been closed for the Purple Line light rail construction :(. I got a wind assist going up Connecticut Ave. but was slow on hills elsewhere. Mostly, I was keeping a steady pace.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. At first, I was a bit hot again after running, with my winter coat on over my sweats. This time however, I zipped-up. It was a weird feeling being hot on my torso and cold on my sweaty head. Riding into the stiff cold winds, as I neared home, I was getting cold all over.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Wisconsin Ave., to Norwood Park, to the Little Falls Trail, to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. into to the Bethesda Metro Station. I ran down part of Wisconsin Road, on the road since the sidewalk was closed. I felt I was running easy and slowish, but this was slightly faster than I thought it'd be.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a bit hot after running, with my winter coat on over my sweats but open.