Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It's back to work again now that the federal government reached a temporary solution. My left knee was hurting a bit this morning so I didn't try running at lunch. It was a somewhat slow day with contract staff still out, and many questioning what priorities to focus on again. We could be out again in 3 weeks.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. There was a cold breeze. I felt sluggish even walking up the long stairs out of the station.

Event: QOC Patapsco Hilton
 

Taking it easy. Various aches and pains materialized and went away at different times during the day. I thought it best to just take the day off to get stronger. I saw Max play basketball and had lunch out with him, then I helped Samantha work on language skills.

MCRRC: Winter Trails. Today the group started at Riley's Lock and it was around 21 F. With brief stints on the C&O Towpath, the Seneca Greenway Trail (Tschiffely Mill Rd.), and Old River Rd., most of the out and back run was on the Seneca Bluffs Trail. The group was set to go up to Black Rock Mill Rd. and back, but I turned around at Rte. 28. Though I'd know about Seneca Bluffs Trail being built about 3 years ago, I hadn't run it previously. Setting out, I had kind of a goal of reaching Rte. 28, where I have run up to several times previously, on the Seneca Greenway Trail (on the other side of Seneca Creek). I guessed it'd be close to 7 miles going out; at the limits of what I should be running for now. At about 6 miles out and on a hill, I could see fields that I knew were on the other side of Rte. 28, so I pressed on.

The roads/trail getting to the Seneca Bluffs Trail were fairly flat. However the Seneca Bluffs Trail seemed to constantly change pitch over short and long stretches. The woods initially were the scrubby and thorny stuff that grows over farm fields. About 2 miles in, as the creek the trail parallels goes through some big and sharp bends, there were some nice stands of scattered hemlocks overlooking the waters. About 3 miles out there was a stream crossing--there were stones that I used for getting half way across dry, but the rest were submerged or icy. We'd been advised to stay off the stones since many had fallen and taken a full plunge before. The water was 15-20" deep and moving swiftly. At first it didn't feel bad but just before reaching the shore, the cold was sinking in--I was glad to keep moving to warm up again, and I did. I was sort of running with another guy who'd never run the Greenway Trail Marathon before, but was training for it. We chatted for the next mile or two before he stopped to drink, and I stopped to relieve myself. We got started separately after that so I was alone getting to Rte. 28. At 6.26 miles out, and committed to getting to Rte. 28, there was a long line of flat rock cliffs--perhaps the bluffs the trail was named for. It stretched for over a 1/4 mile which is very unusual for rock features in this area. I started catching a group that had passed when I and the other guy I was running with had stopped, but I came up short, at Rte. 28. Going back, I felt I was going slower immediately despite it being more downhill (I was running upstream on the way out). I saw more as I moved along but it wasn't long into the return before I started walking up the steeper hills. My joints were getting tender as I ran and my left knee started to hurt the most. Loosening my arms by circling them around behind me helped. I liked the views--the woods tended to be more open on the upper half nearest Rte. 28 and many times the trail was right along other bluffs--dirt drop-offs close to 100 ft. over the creek with great views. I kind of dragged myself in to finish-up and one younger guy who'd probably run the whole route to Black Rock Mill (16-17 miles roundtrip), passed, me on Tschiffely Mill Rd. I guess my run today qualifies for overdoing it. Peggy had been kindly waiting in the car for an hour. I found ice on me as I changed clothes in the car. My wet toes were white--I hadn't noticed that I wasn't feeling them. We had breakfast in Potomac.

From Northfield Rd Bethesda, MD., to Old Georgetown Rd. via Greenwich Park, to Johnson Ave. to Heamsteadt Ave. to McKinley Ave. to Garfield St. to Roosevelt. Ave. to Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I felt tired again.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Park Ln. to Exeter Rd. to Edgemoor Ln., to Hampden Ln. to Moorland Ln. to Wilson Ln. to Hampden Ln., to Charlcotte Rd., to Northfield Rd. With increased mileage but not enough time to adapt, I could have taken the day off. I decided to just go out for a shorter and easy run. It was getting colder all day and in the mid-40s F when I got going. I didn't wear gloves but a wind had made my hands cold most of the way. I felt sluggish and tired much of the time.

From Cedar Ln., I took paved the Rock Creek Trail to the I-495 underpass, and back. I started feeling okay for the first 7 tenths of a mile again but that faded. Still on the way out some runners had merged onto the trail ahead of me. I caught and passed a man but after pacing at about the same speed for a while, the woman broke off ahead. On the return, I was already a bit tired when I could see 2 women running in my direction. The two split-up by one going faster. I caught the slower one but it didn't happen without some effort. I was pretty sweaty and winded when finished. It was 46 F today--another +20 F day. Temperatures are expected to rise almost as much tomorrow.

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to Singleton Dr. to Bulls Run Pkwy., to the trail along the middle school to Bradmore Dr. to Folkstone Rd. to Hartsdale Ave. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. It was in the upper 20 F outside. There was ice causing me to walk a few spots, and a dog who wanted to follow and play had me stopping in Greenwich Park too. I felt okay after the first quarter mile, but after the first mile, it felt like I was just plodding. I had no fluidity. The ground was a bit hard from the cold but mostly it's my weight. During the day before this run, I was a bit sluggish too. The GPS elevation data recorded is totally off--the 2 dimensional track looks okay, but it had me starting miles in the sky. The first mile marker was 2 minutes early.