Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Manassas
 

QOC: Stuart's Hill, Manassas, VA. Since I felt ready to start running again, I thought I'd go for the Blue course today. I hadn't run Blue in a while. I set out to run calmly and finish. Gavin designed the courses and for the park, I thought they were pretty good. Several of the first legs were a bit too easy for advanced courses but he got us taking some different attacks and many points we'd been to before.

S-1 - This was a straight forward leg. I just used the edges of the fields and tried to use visually open ground.

1-2 - This was mostly a long trail run. I attacked from the trail bend and ran around the bit of green that was hiding the control from being seen head on.

2-3 - Up the trail and in from the bend. I went over the hill and was looking for more of a reentrant.

3-4 - Just straight around the right side of the pond.

4-5 - I was getting tired and not moving so fast. I thought that going SE and around to the right in the fields might lose me time, so I cut in early, across the lighter parts of the deadfall. Seeing myself parallel the field, I knew I'd made a mistake. I eventually got to the ridge and took it to the control. I probably lost a minute.

5-6 - Straight at it, using the road to my right to keep me straight.

6-7 - I kept a fairly straight route, not crossing the ridge until after crossing the first field. I went pretty close to the start, and after crossing the creek I followed the ridge.

7-8 - I used the road and attacked off the reentrant. I've gone straight here plenty of times before but the deadfall needs to be updated better for the map to tell if it'd save time or not.

8-9 - Straight - I'm moving slowly so walking through the trees was a good option for me. I used the ditches at the end.

9-10 - I followed the edge of the green to work my way to the control. I found the semi-open ground to be slippery from the tussocks of grass or mud under them. I was closing in on Dan Quinn on this.

10-11 - Straight, but with an attempt to aim off a bit. I did see Dan Quinn as he was exiting but he seemed to be leaving in the wrong direction.

11-12 - I went straight, and used the reentrant to guide me in. I hesitated short of it and Diana Aleksiev paused to my left too. I found it further down the stream Diana had been standing on.

12-13 - I ran right by #15, but mainly was trying to stay above the worst of the deadfall below to my right. I passed the house and went straight from there, ignoring trails. As I was approaching, I saw Peggy almost into the fields.

13-14 - Right back past the house and into the woods from a field corner, following the cairns.

14-15 - I started straight but zig-zagged through the deadfall. It was good getting a look at the control earlier as that helped me zero-in.

15 - 16 - I ran aiming for the field but seeing Diana and Vido Aleksiev, I may have gotten distracted. I cut to the right too much w/o correcting. I eventually reached the marshy semi-open terrain before hitting the field. The map seems to have changed on the other side of the field. I was worried but came in from the trail and spiked this last part. Overall, I probably lost a minute.

16 - 17 - Straight, going cautiously on a good bearing.

17 - 18 - As I was leaving, Peggy came in from behind me. I was indecisive on my route at that point and not seeing her since #13, I thought she was ahead still. The distraction and need to beat my wife led to me rushing out of there toward a trail. I somehow thought I would hit the trails to the left, but I hit the one on the right. As I ran ahead of Peggy, things weren't matching-up. I ran slower than I would have. After passing some bridges I stopped hearing Peggy behind me and knew what I'd done at the same time. I cut back and into the woods along the creek. I could see Peggy ahead, with no way for me to catch her before #18.

18-19 - With Peggy ahead, I ran straight and harder. I passed her a little bit before the White control on the trail. The control location on this wasn't really valid--there are no distinct trees any more. I plunged into trees from the field edge and seeing the reentrant I cut rigth, finding it quickly.

19-20 - I dropped down to the creek and ran along it. I thought I was seeing the spur on the south (right) side of the creek, so I came up to the left from there. I found a reentrant, but not the control. I ran to the next one down and found it. It could be that I was reading the contours incorrectly here. The bend of the creek forms a contour looking like a spur.

20-21 - Going straight, I passed the lake on the left side, crossed the stream, and followed it up to the next dam.

21-22 - I started to back out and go across below the dam but the vegetation looked too bad. Reversing again and passing #21 again, I went up the right side of the stream. From there I was wandering a bit. The map had changed too much to be very useful. If the map showed the houses on the east side of the road, it would have helped. I eventually found a bigger block of green forest and the boulders, not the dot knoll shown on the map.

22-23 - I ran up around the marshy pond, then across the field. I didn't try to make a correction on my bearing for being north of the leg line, but I did drift left, where others were. Along the way, my recently injured right calf started to make itself known. I slowed a little. Once in the trees, I was surprised to see the pond/lake so close. I saw a control so I went to check it. Finding it to be a different one than what I was searching for, I went north and found the control. I passed Don Fish and his son's dog along the way. I probably lost 45 seconds.

23-F - Coming out of #23, I thought about going on the right (west) side. It seemed longer. It was a bit green getting to the left (east) side and I cut out early rather than risk going down where the woods were better, on the hope of finding a better way out. Once in the field, I was worried about my right calf. When the hillside was sloping to the right, i didn't feel pain. However, I kept my pace steady rather than push it in.

Blue - Splits

I went back and forth from Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. I got distracted by some more trash that I needed to put out before it was collected. Initially, I'd left my key in the door and when I first got to the station, I realized it and rode back. There was a little bit of a headwind going to the station and the temperatures were in the 50s. I was dressed for work and by the time I got done riding, I was hot enough to get a sweaty back.

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. I last ran this in December. It was near 80 F and I was about a minute slower today. There were lots of tourists out (especially at the Lincoln Memorial) and I had a few stops for traffic. During the run I just tried to make regular progress and I didn't want to push it for fear of breaking something else. I'll need to do a lot more running to be ready for the Billygoat, and I'm going to try to do it. My right calf felt okay during this run. My left calf started tightening up a little just before finishing. I stretched afterward and cooled off. A tailwind had kept me from feeling the breeze earlier.

C • running 1

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired from running. It was till warm. I had a tailwind and was riding in my running shorts but there was traffic.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was in the mid 50s F with some headwinds. After getting to the trestle bridge, I got more sheltered from the wind and I even drafted a bus on Ohio Dr. through most of West Potomac Park. I had done some stretching this morning and could feel tighter and more uncomfortable in my right calf. I'd stayed-up late finishing the posting of pictures taken from last weekend.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I left work late so initially there was less traffic. I got past a large group of tourists on bicycle after rounding the Jefferson Memorial. I was ahead of average time getting through Georgetown. Most of that was with a nice tailwind and it lasted most of the way afterward until reaching Dalecarlia. There, the curving of the Capital Crescent Trail took me into the wind until Falls Rd. My pace slowed to below normal but I finished feeling relatively strongly.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. There was a bit of a tailwind and only a little traffic. I aim to run today. We took Peggy out to dinner for her birthday yesterday, and it also rained in the morning.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave. to Norwood Ave. and Norwood Park, to Arlington Rd., to Kenwood Forest Ln. to Bradley Blvd., Fairfax Rd., to Clarendon Rd., to Hampden Ln. to Denton Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. to the Bethesda Metro Station. This is my first run in 6 weeks in which I didn't feel any calf pain when trying to run. Yay! I guess I'm not inured any more. My right leg did still feel weaker and my right quadriceps felt a little sore from the orienteering over the weekend. I'll try to stay cautious with the road running. It was a really nice and sunny 70 F day with a breeze--great for running. That motivated me to add on rather than come back on the Capital Crescent Trail. I had some start and stops getting through downtown Bethesda pedestrian and auto traffic, and my extension, though hillier, avoided that mess.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired from running and there were some headwinds, but the air was warm.

Quantico Marine Base, VA. For my warm-up, I walked to the start and was there in plenty of time. However just before they called me up, I realized that I'd left my compass back at the car--it had felt strange when I left and thought I was ready. I walked back and forth, and got a later start.

QOC Junior Nationals--Green Long Course, Quantico Marine Base, VA, on the Beaver Dam map. Generally I don't think of a 7.7K course as a long course. I usually run Red and Blue courses for local events. Being injured has affected that a lot more lately and I hardly did any running since March began. I was concerned about my endurance with 2 races yesterday and it being humid. Unlike yesterday, it did not feel as hot.

I got a good start on #1. I'm not sure if the route was efficient but I did it smoothly, running most of the way. For #2, I figured it best to go left around the green. I crossed Beaver Dam Creek only getting wet up to my knees at the most. Once across I was in the open ground. I looked at the contours, corrected my bearing, and spiked #2. I got there just before or after Kean Williams. Kean came into and left #2 a little awkwardly, so I got ahead pretty well. For #3, I kept a fairly straight route but a little to the right to save climb. This kept me right of the road area. I counted reentrants and actually paused before #3, even though I could see it--it seemed I might have been off to the right but I wasn't. For #4, I ran straight, and through the green near the stream. There was the makings of an animal trail but not a clear one. Emerging from the green, I ran the left side of the stream until it got too green again. I crossed the creek twice and attacked, spiking it. A Junior had come in just ahead of me, from my right. I kept moving well toward #5. Hitting the fencing, I crossed where it was easy and dropped into the reentrant to get to the control.

Leaving #5, I stayed high for a short while before dropping the flat area by the creek. I got on the trail until the rocky spur. There I crossed the creek on rocks and got through the green pretty easily--I hadn't really seen that there was a bridge just ahead. After climbing, I ran south of the trail that was parallel to me, and I crossed it when it bended. I saw Ken Walker Sr. make a change of direction there. At the end, I was hesitant, and I was not reading the contours well--I took up for down, but seeing a control point/man-made object to my left, I trusted my bearing and spiked it shortly after. A woman Junior was catching-up to me from behind, I crossed her path leaving #6. I ran well to #7 but hesitated on the way down the spur. It was just a little further than I'd thought. I figured the woman I'd seen at #6 would catch me, but she hadn't--perhaps she was running Red?

Going to #8 I took the trail but I was having trouble reconciling the map to my compass. I slowed and eventually left trails going up the spur south of #8. I'm not sure what happened along the way. From my GPS track, I'd gotten distracted by a control to my left, and ran out of my way to it. Realizing it was wrong, and seen the trail nearby, I corrected a bearing and spiked it from there; it almost seemed like I was going back where I'd come from, but this time I hit the control. Going to #9, I crossed the creek at the boulder but I was having a hard time focusing my eyes and wasn't sure if I was seeing a boulder on the map. It worked out okay and I didn't lose any time. I was still worried about people catching me as I ran off to #10. I held a pretty good bearing in this flat area. I was a little hesitant after the marshy area. I was running too fast toward #11. I was off to the right but fortunately realized it, and corrected at the end.

I did get caught running toward #12. It was the woman I'd seen at #6. I was thinking I was close to finishing as we left #12 and headed to the field. Soon I realized it was just the spectator control. The woman left the spectator control going to my left. I started to do that too, but decided staying in the field was better. I got on a trail taking me to the road, and I turned left on it. This was perhaps unnecessary. I just felt like I'd get closer for an attack and the streams were standing out as a good way to attack. I ran/walked up the spur to the control Leaving #14 I drifted to the right. I figured it was okay since I planned to follow the stream in--this may have cost me a little time since I hit the creek at a S bend and crossed it 3 times. I followed the hillside into the control. Leaving #15, I went right a bit since it was clearer. With mapped green ahead, I went left to get around it. I guess I got pushed too far right while still climbing. I crossed the road seeing a ride and used it to get to the field. I saw the Go control ahead and started running to it, forgetting about #16 at the field edged. I got 1/4 of the way there before realizing the error. I corrected going to the left (SW) and got #16. I saved a bit of strength getting to #17, and kept increasing intensity until finishing. It was another pretty good run for me but Andras Resvez got me by 3 seconds this day. He's running so much faster than me these days so I suppose it's an accomplishment for me to be that close. I thought Kim Jepsen would catch me this day too but Kim had troubles. Stephan Slutsky was true to form and finished 11 minutes ahead. I was 8th on the course. It was encouraging. Hopefully I'll be able to continue running training again and thus be able to improve my speed.

Day 2 - Long - Green - Splits