Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Gunston Hall
 

QOC: Gunston Hall, VA. I'd planned to run Red earlier, thinking I might have been recovered enough to do it slowly. Warming up, I was still feeling some soreness where I'd pulled a groin to hamstring muscle. I decided to drop down to doing the Brown course. This was QOC's first official event since March. Social distancing protocols had loose but scheduled start windows. It was humid but not really hot, and some light rain fell during my run.

S-1 - I started behind another person running Brown. After waiting for him to get past the field and into the forest, I started, but quickly decided to use a trail route. When I got to the end of the trail, I cut right across the shallow part of a reentrant to a small ridge. The other guy who didn't use the trail was just getting to the area about when I did, but he turned back in the wrong direction. After a few more steps to the left on the ridge, I saw the control. I was not running fast. I was trying to be careful.

1-2 - I headed mostly straight toward #2. The vegetation was slow where it was flatter. I cut the right a little when getting closer to get to where I could run horizontally along the slope. I saw the rootstock and headed to it before seeing the control.

2-3 - I ran straight toward the field and across it. I was careful to reenter the woods to the left of the mapped bench. I spiked it but I wasn't running very fast.

3-4 - I ran straight initially and that got me to the crosswalk. I kept trying to head straight once across the road, but early on, I'd drifted to the left. Getting near, I went partly down a reentrant but didn't see the control ahead. I turned left before going down it and had to run around some green before I could go back down again. I was reading a spur to my left, but it was not the one near the control. At the bottom, I cut right going up the larger reentrant. The way was slow and I after a time, I had a hard time believing that I was that far off after passing one side reentrant; the one I'd seen earlier. I kept going and found it. I lost about 3:30 minutes.

4-5 - I went right of straight initially, then crossed the first reentrant. I saw the rootstock before confirming the control being on it.

5-6 - I went straight mostly, except at the larger reentrant where I saved climb moving to the right, then left. I saw a guy ahead of me leaving just before I got there.

6-7 - I tried going straight. The guy I'd seen at #7 was to my left and vegetation was pushing us that way a little. I saw the reentrant to my right so I corrected and was glad I'd recovered. I got confused for a second looking at the control code because in my head, I was thinking about the leg to #8. With the leaves on, the area was proving to be trickier than it looked, even though there were some nice woods there.

7-8 - I planned to run along the edge of the hillside but it was less defined initially than the contour appeared to make it. I kept going and made a point to go into the reentrant to approach the control from below.

8-9 - I did a lot of weaving to use the most runnable terrain. I put the reentrant near the end on my right to spike it.

9-10 - I got on the paved trail and crossed the road diagonally ending up at the far end of the crosswalk. I went straight in from there. The woods were great and relatively flat, but I drifted left a little. Once across the second road, I knew where I was but I paused a little to confirm. I was just running slowly.

10-11 - I doubled back and used the trail a little. I got into the edge of the field but came in again a little early. Following the drop-off, I saw #2 but actually went to it to confirm and use it as an attack point. This worked but again I was slow in the messier vegetation.

11-F - I figured that the trail helped me get to #1, so it'd be best to use it again. However, getting there was not so easy with the leaves on. I angled there to avoid thicker woods and eventually could run. I got to the trail just before hitting the field. I stopped to take a bearing and saw a control near registration that I thought was it. The finish control was at the tree, not the one I was seeing but my bearing got me there. I was just slow again and didn't want to risk an attempt at a sprint for fear of reinjury.

I was glad to finish uninjured. I was tired but not excessively; I felt guilty not running a longer course, however I think I made a wise decision.

Brown - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to Willow Ave. Peggy and I rode our bicycles to downtown Bethesda for lunch.

From Willow Ave., I rode with Peggy to a bicycle store on Bethesda Ave. Peggy headed home from there but I went on after picking up a replacement floor pump, to the hardware and variety stores on Arlington Ave.

From Arlington Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. With full backpack, I rode slowly home. I haven't been riding much but it was odd how weak I felt on the graded hills that I've been used to commuting on. My back was also feeling a little uncomfortable.

I just worked today and rested.

From Northfield Rd., up Custer Rd. almost to Harwood Rd. I felt like I hadn't done anything so I went to try to run after dinner. I was taking it easy and planning to just go out for a little over a mile. I got to the top of a gentle hill and suddenly felt pain in my upper thigh again. Starting out, I could tell that I hadn't healed all the way, but it didn't feel any worse than I had felt on Saturday when I jogged about a lot. On Saturday, my thigh had felt better the further I went so I thought I'd do okay for a single mile. Wrong again.

After re-aggrivating my injury, I stretched for a little bit, then immediately started walking. From Custer Rd., I made a parallel error walking down the dead end Harwood Rd. Some of the houses seemed rather more homely than I'd remembered them. As I got to the dead end I realized it; there was a public passage through the woods at one time but the brief trail there had gotten overgrown. I wasn't going to try it in the dark when injured. I reversed myself back up and down the hill. Walking, I could feel the pain. I didn't walk fast. I decided to take a slightly longer route back via Lambeth Rd., Mooland Ln., and Charlcotte Rd., to Northfield Rd., just for variety. It was just under 60 F, but being in shorts, it felt colder and my hands were chilled by the end at home.