Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Quantico Hangman
 

QOC at Quantico Marine Base, VA, on the Hangman map. I ran Blue for the first time in a long while. It was shorter than the previous week at Harriman State Park, NY, so I figured it'd be okay. I was however, tired from doing the Red course on the hilly parts of Fountainhead Regional Park the previous day. It took me a while to get into the map. The leaves being on made it much harder than when I ran well here in 2017.

S-1 - I ran the all too obvious road run to the dot knolls SE of the control; I figured I didn't need to go further to the trail and I was right about that. I came in well but at the end, I read up and down incorrectly. Part of the problem was not having taken a clue description. I was looking for a reentrant rather than a spur. I was on the wrong side of the knoll until I figured it out. Another young and adventure-racing-looking guy had been there ahead of me but I found it first.

1-2 - I ran along the stream to the bend and kept going. I never saw the trail crossing but didn't worry about it. I again read up and down incorrectly. Following a long spur, I stopped at the end of it. I cut right across a reentrant, then went out further. The guy at #1 came along and clued me in to the control location. I think I got there just after him.

2-3 - I don't know what happened to the other guy. I got out ahead of him. I aimed-off and planned to run the hillside to get to the control. I aimed off too much and found a bit of reentrant early, not expecting it. I went up and didn't see it so I went further south, hesitantly. I was almost about to turn around, when I saw it further ahead.

3-4 - I was somewhat glad that this was like a repeat of the US Championship Day 2 Green course in 2017 (I won M55+ then). I'd made a mistake on the leg and it would have cost me the championship had I not been in the lead on Day 1. This time I executed it well. I used the trail and ride, then followed down the correct spur where I'd made an error before. At the bottom of the spur, I turned left to go around the next ridge. I perhaps played it too safe getting to the stream. A straighter route to the stream would have saved a little more time. Going around the ridge was efficient for me in the shape I'm in now--in 2017, I went over on adrenaline from making the error. After rounding the ridge, I attacked off a depression and spiked the control, despite some weaving through thorns.

4-5 - I knew this area could be tricky. I aimed off and climbed a contour but I apparently was too low. I even hit a piece of what I thought was mapped fence and went lower. What I didn't realize was that I was reading a ride on the map as fencing. The fence I saw was already past the control so I should have turned back when I saw it. On my slow return, I found the rootstock and depression to zero in. I lost about 4 minutes :(

5-6 - I crossed the stream and got into the reentrants still debating going straight or around. I went around on the trail and road, but I did cut the corner getting to the road. I attacked through the field and like everyone else who did that, found it to be much greener in the forest than was mapped in 2017. I spiked the control.

6-7 - Going up the spur, it was still greener than mapped. It did clear-up eventually but I cut across a reentrant to get to the control. In afterthought it was too easy on the top of the hill.

7-8 - I headed for the road, but I had planned to hit it at an angle instead of perpendicularly like I did. I was slow running the road. When I left on a bend at a reentrant, I found myself climbing when should have been descending. I realized I'd left the road early (Francis Hogel himself had done the same so the road bend might be a little off on the map). I spiked the control from there going down the correct reentrant, following the stream, and then up the hillside of another reentrant.

8-9 - I took to the trail. I walked some hills. I saw Vido who told me not to let him distract me. That was just before the trail intersection that I left from. I had thought about going further on the trail before attacking but it didn't make sense. As it was I had attacked off a bit. I corrected when I hit the holly trees, mapped light green on the map. I didn't lose any time and hit the control right on.

9-10 - As I left #9, I saw Diana Alexiev ahead (later Vido told me that he'd seen Diana 5 minutes before seeing me, so I gained ground on her error). I got to the left of her and passed. After crossing the creek I stopped at a gully. It was mapped as a ditch so I got confused. The hill behind it seemed like the hill on the map behind the control. I ran up and down the ditch. Diana caught-up and did the same. I realized my error when I saw a very small part of the feature mapped as a gully, and I went on with Diana not far behind. I hit the next gully low and came up with Diana still close.

10-11 - I was worried Diana would pass me--I was moving slowly already and she's been getting to be a stronger young runner who's beat me before. This was her first Blue course (and a technical one). I ran straight and spiked the control. It felt like I was leaving Diana behind.

11-12 - I ran straight again but was more careful reading the terrain. The guy I'd seen at #1 and #2 suddenly came up from behind on my left. I figured he'd been running Blue but I'm not sure. I saw the hill I needed and adjusted, leaving the other guy to spike it.

12-13 - I ran straight again. I was a bit to the left but adjusted near the hilltop to spike it.

13-F - Leaving #13, I saw to my fright, that Diana was not far behind me again! I decided to go to the ride but getting there was part of the problem. I ran the ridge as best as I could, without stopping. It meant weaving around deadfall. I did have to walk twice but I was moving okay. I thought I might have hit the ride at some point but lost it again. Soon enough I was at the field and close to the finish punch. Diana seemed to come in a few minutes behind.

Quantico Marine Base, VA, on the Hangman map. Two boys who ran the Orange course (and actually ran off away from their father) got lost. It was getting to the point where it'd be dark soon so several many of the old hands who were ready to eat, went instead, looking for the boys. They were found along a road well off the map by an orienteer leaving the event. I had finished checking half of the area assigned--Greg did a great job splitting-up the map. There must have been 8-10 people out looking. I mostly walked and did a lot of fine map reading while shouting out names about every minute. The woods I was in varied from wide open (most of the time) to light green. The contours in the area were subtle with mostly 1-2 contour hills. Hills were rounded too so it was good technical training for me just walking/jogging and reading everything. I was getting tired too. At the assembly area, I didn't initially have reception but just as I was going out, I could see that I did have it. I got a call from Heidi Onkst explaining they had found the kids as I was at just about the farthest away point that I was to be. We all ate dinner together afterward, and had a good time catching-up.

Blue - Splits

Event: QOC Fountainhead Central
 

Red - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was to be a nice day so even though I was tired from the day before, I made sure to get out. Starting out it was in the upper 50s F. I rode comfortably which meant slower. I got passed by one guy going just a little faster so I drafted off of him until Georgetown. I moved ahead there keeping a steady pace into my office building. There were minor headwinds along the water.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I'd worked late again so I started off in the dark. Getting through the 15th St. and Main Ave. traffic in the dark makes me a little nervous but didn't slow me down. I had my flashing helmet. It's not a full headlamp so I have to be careful about riding up on people without any lighting. I had a tailwind and it was very comfortable in the mid-60s F. Once through Georgetown, I kept steadily passing others. It was good to have someone in my sight almost all the way home. I did ride off the edge of the trail at one point--it was just for a second before I was able to ride back on smoothly. I hadn't seen a very subtle bend on what most would call a straightaway. Later a deer jumped out in front of me. Fortunately it ran forward, giving me enough time to use my brakes. Later, I saw another who was on the side of the trail staring and wondering. I'd shifted my helmet from flashing mode to steady light and that helped. One other rider passed me going up the hill, but he was cruising while pedaling his electric bicycle. This night was oddly different from others in that I felt I was riding in a tunnel much of the way.

From Riffleford Rd., I set out to place control streamers in Seneca State Park. I got a slow start with getting to the right locations even missing some controls. The bushy vegetation had grown up a lot, over the wet summer. Other places traditionally open were just as open. I'd planned to do all of the controls but I also got to a big area and soon realized it had changed a whole lot. I spent a lot of time re-mapping it. As I got away from remapping activity, my progress improved and I felt better despite being tired. I did run between controls when possible. It was a +70 F sunny day which was much better than being at work! I surprised one hunter in a blind and came across 2 more--I guess all of them were bow hunting. Two of them asked me if I'd seen any deer, and I hadn't on this day up to that time. Later I saw a few deer including a nice looking buck. Everytime I saw them they were running.