Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Mason Neck
 

QOC: Mason Neck State Park, VA. I took a bit of a risk going out with my left calf already tweaked from yesterday, and earlier. The mapped parts of Mason Neck are mostly flat so that helped. The weather was changing fast. Warmth and sunshine from the morning had already gotten to cloudy with brief blustery showers. It was 60 F. Jon Torrance had updated the map with new contours and features--it helped.

S-1 - I ran along the road going toward #1, rather than running on it. I felt that was easier on my injured calf. Alexis Merka had gone out about 2 minutes ahead of me. I kept to a bearing when leaving the road, rather than from a feature (Heidi Onkst used the parking lot off to the right) I aimed off to the left a bit. I was briefly confused by trails. I crossed on before running along the other. I really wasn't getting that the control was so close to the trail bend in the reentrant until I'd gotten on the trail.

1-2 - I ran straight at first but the vegetation pushed me to the right. I crossed the road and looked for bends on the paved trail. Turning left on the trail, I got to a big bend, attacked and hit it.

2-3 - I ran straight but that seemed odd with the trail so close. Another older person was using the trail and going almost as fast. I paused once for distance check, then went on. I ended up left of the control but could see it. I did get significantly ahead of the older man who'd taken the paved trail.

3-4 - Going straight, I was trying to be careful. I had to bear left to get around some vegetation in my path. I thought I compensated after passing it but I still ended up to the left too much. I moved right and then further on to hit it with negligible time lost.

4-5 - After leaving #5, I saw Alexis Merka ahead. She paused at a reentrant so I gained ground and eventually passed her. I hit the control pretty well.

5-6 - I went straight making some minor adjustments along the way. On the plateau with the control, there were a couple root stocks and several people. The people clued me in to the correct feature.

6-7 - I ran straight and stayed pretty close to the line. The woods were open enough for me to see the ends of 2 ridges when crossing the flat area before them. The end of a ridge with a knoll helped. Once on the correct ridge, it was easy to cross the flattish, side reentrant to get to #7.

7-8 - I ran straight. After crossing the first reentrant, running up the spur and hitting the mapped deadfall assured me of my place and a need to bear right slightly to spike it.

8-9 - I tried to be cautious on this leg knowing the control to be in an area with very subtle contours that have caused many people troubles before. Vido Alexiev was ahead running in the direction I was. I think he'd come from a different control. I kept my bearing and read the early part well. Crossing the main reentrant, I got distracted or drawn to others. This got me to a rootstock for another course. I located the rootstock on the map, and spiked it from there. Vido came in from my right just afterward.

9-10 - I ran straight. The older man I'd seen back at #2 and #3 was running/walking parallel again, this time on my right. He wasn't going that much slower. At the paved trail, I had trouble discerning the bends (Tom Strat later told me he never trusted the bends there), so I went on and crossed the road. I didn't see the control. Feeling off to the right from what I'd seen of the paved trail, I turned left and saw it soon after.

10-11 - Going straight, the vegetation pushed me left a little. Nearing the first reentrant, I saw what looked like Ted Good going from my right to left. Closer examination proved it to be Tom Strat - I apologized for calling out Ted's name. Seeing Tom helped me realize that the reentrant on my left was not the one I wanted. I went on and hit the correct reentrant. I was too far to the left so I had to come back up along it to the right to get to the dot knoll.

11-12 - I went straight and got pushed left again. I was close enough to see it. Rick Oliver was at the control when I got there but he wasn't punching it. He usually runs Green so I wasn't sure what was up. I thought he might have gotten control codes mixed-up and that he'd realize it, and follow me out after seeing me leave. It tuned out he was running Red, but he had gotten the codes mixed-up; he was at the control he needed to punch.

12-13 - I ran straight, pausing a little to try to ascertain distance. I kept telling myself that most often when people (who can run a bearing) miss, it's because they haven't gone far enough. That worked well this time.

13-14 - I got onto the trail eventually. I didn't consider the road much because it seemed longer, but even if I had, the pavement is the kind of thing that's been making it hard for my calf to heal. From a trail bend at a side reentrant, I attacked. Shortly after crossing the ditch, I stepped into a leave filled hole. I didn't fall but lurched forward, stressing my back. I walked it off and hit the control at a jog.

14-15 - I went straight. A younger guy seemed to be running a bad parallel bearing; going toward the thorny marsh. I kept my bearing and hit it.

15-16 - I aimed in-between straight, and the shortest distance to the road. A young kid on the road sprinted to get ahead, then paused. I'm glad the run on the road was long enough to see #16 on the map; the circle for it, and the finish circles overlapped a little. I'd also seen the Go control hanging on the way in so I knew where to go. From the car, it seemed that the control was just hanging on a tree but there was disturbed ground from an old tree that must have fallen and gotten rotted away.

16-F - I threaded my way between thorns to the trail.

I enjoyed the course, the soft, flat ground, and the cool weather. The leaves were basically still not out so things were easier than they could have been. My strategy of running straight, while reading the rough contours to get close worked for today; otherwise a more careful attention and pace would have been more necessary. I was most glad about being able to run and not hurting myself much more--that and wishing happy birthday to Peggy.

Green - Splits

SVO: Oregon Ridge. Having felt better over the last week I gave the Green course a try. It was a +80 F day but that didn't bother me much. I wore shorts and gaitors. Mostly I was feeling out of shape, and injured. Going slowly, I thought I could be clean but I wasn't. Going slowly across the flatter areas of the Oregon Ridge plateau, it was easier to drift.

S-1 - I ran around on the grass to the left. I figured I'd cut through near or between the buildings but fencing seemed to block that off. I cut back on the road briefly to go around the playground, but my few steps on the road was where I re-hurt my left calf. I thought about stopping soon after that, to prevent worse injury from ensuing as it's happened a few times over the last winter. I kept going but needed to walk up hills. The left side of my lower back, as well as the left calf, hurt. Even that was hurting me (eventually it got a little better). Coming up through the reentrant, I saw the control from far away. I've never been able to identify the distinct tree that is mapped near this depression.

1-2 - I went straight but did drift left a bit. Nearing the last big reentrant before the control, I realized that I was left so I corrected and spiked the control on a curving climb.

2-3 - I contoured to the right but cut left on top. I left from a trail intersection. I was a little low near the control but corrected after seeing it 70 m away.

3-4 - I went straight but I was not recognizing the contours that well; maybe I should have used the trails a little. I started to think I was seeing a reentrant I wanted so I cut to cross it. I ended up on a broad spur. Coincidentally, there was a large rootstock at about the right height above the reentrant, and with a trunk pointed in the right direction. Finding it to be the wrong one, I tried to contour over but wasn't careful about how far I'd gotten. To be safe and quicker, I dropped to the trail, then came up.

4-5 - I started out bearing left of straight so I wouldn't have to cross the larger parts of 2 reentrants. Walking, I got further left than intended. I hit a trail-ride intersection. I got across the upper portion of the last reentrant confident of my bearing. I could see a fence corner to the left, and the house behind it. Looking down the reentrant, and lining up with the fence, I was in the right area but didn't see the control. I ran down it a little and still didn't see it. I looped back up, then down again, and finally saw it. I felt that the control was on a dot knoll, but probably on the lower of the 2 in the area, not the higher one where the control is shown on the map. I didn't stay long to be 100% sure of that, but I should have spiked it when I saw the fence corner initially.

5-6 - I went straight. Crossing a small dry dam confused me but later, Tom Nolan reminded me of the intermittent trails that I didn't see. I concluded that the small dam must have been where the trail crossed the reentrant. Getting through the mapped deadfall was really easier than I had thought it'd be. The logging that was done was selected rather than clear cut. I was able to get around the patchy branches that were left over pretty well. Coming over the last ridge, I realized I was off to the left a little. At the end, I curved up to the right slightly to get there.

6-7 - I went straight mostly. When I crossed the first trail, it wasn't bending in the direction expected so I kept straight though the scattered deadfall. Where it was flatter and past the second trail, I could run. I wasn't focusing on the pipeline ride and trail but I might have saved some time using them.

7-8 - I ran left of the trail initially. At one point I crossed a trail thinking it was the intermittent trail, but I wasn't entirely sure. It seemed too well worn. I went on my bearing partly because of not being sure. I got onto the next very briefly through to a bend, then went on bearing again. Reading the reentrants to my right and seeing the lake ahead, I thought I was good but I passed the control and hit the trail along the rim of the drop-off. I cut left a short way, the found the trail uphill a little on my left.

8-F - I jogged along the rim trail to the grasses (while avoiding tripping on the roots. I took the diagonal road and passed one guy before the end. I couldn't tell if the control on the tree where I stopped was the finish, or the shelter--it was the shelter. I think my official time was 1:22:?? but my watch had the right time--perhaps someone didn't do the math correctly.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I took it at a calm and steady pace but still managed to pass everyone. It was fairly nice out, in the upper 50s F, and with a moderate headwind.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had a tailwind most of the way. I had to stop along the way to give a walker directions to get over Chain Bridge. I was glad that I was able to ride without too much effort. I took a comfortable pace but my lower left back was aching sometimes.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Battery Ln.

From the Battery Ln. to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.