Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Beaver Dam Run
 

QOC: Quantico Marine Corps Base Beaverdam Area. Gavin Weise had set a nice Green course on this nice map--the site of the last Junior Nationals event. I wasn't sure if I could finish and not reinjur myself so I didn't bother trying Red or Blue.

S-1 - I went straight, not seeing the option to use the ride and trail to get to the road. I was getting pushed away from the trail by thicker vegetation so I kept going until hitting the road. I turned left/right but was a little hesitant. The little spur to my right looked more like a knoll, and the reentrant I was in seemed deeper than what the map showed. The control was hard to see from above but I was right on target the whole way.

1-2 - I planned to use the bridge and headed NE. That took me uphill a little. Hitting the little trail, I turned right and downhill to the road. It was probably faster to go down to it right away. Once across, I climbed the hill and eventually took a connector trail to the trail that was parallel in the forest. I wasn't feeling confident of my position so I didn't get off the trail until I could see that the road was nearing. I finally cut across to the next road, headed west. Leaving from a road bend and manmade marker, I attacked and hit the control. This was a long way around but it safely got me there and into reading the map better.

2-3 - I backtracked to the road I'd attacked from and instead of getting to the next intersection, I cut across to the smaller side trail nearer to the field, than the straight road. This let me read where I was better that I figured I would on the straight road. However, when I dropped down to the road, I was past where I wanted to be since I was where the bend began. I went into the forest, around some green, across the creek, then over to and up the reentrant. Had I kept me straight bearing up the reentrant, I should have hit the control, but I saw it in the next reentrant off to my right--that seemed lower than it should have been.

3-4 - Expecting that #3 was placed low, I thought to compensate. I probably over-did it. I hit the gully below the end of it. That should have clued me in that I was left, but I kept my bearing. Since I was lower, counting the reentrants was problematic. I actually did turn up the correct spur, however I thought it looked less knoll-like, and more spurish. I hadn't gone far enough. I turned away to continue my bearing and got across the flattish area. I saw Florin Tencariu and then Dennis Doherty. We were all lost and hunting so we knew we were in the wrong place. Coming back, I got to the stream, found a depression near it, and relocated. I went straight to the control from there. I'd lost about 6 minutes!

4-5 - I spiked #5 going straight, but I was hesitant.

5-6 - I got to the stream and crossed it. Reading the end of the spur, I slowed down and saw Dennis Doherty again. He'd been looking for a while and said the control should be right there. I confirmed it and then pointed it out.

6-7 - Dennis Doherty was on Green too. We ran parallel straight routes with me to the right initially. At the road, I went around some green that Dennis went through, so I got ahead. Eventually, I saw others and that confirmed my bearing was probably good. This was confirmed again at the the manmade object on the ridge and the stream bends. I paused before getting to the next stream and reading the map I saw that the control should be on the other side--doh! Dennis passed me and then he paused. Though he was closer, I saw the control first and headed to it. Dennis got there a second ahead of me.

7-8 - Dennis headed straight into the green. I went around and got across the stream first. I never saw him again. I reached the road near the bend to the south, and followed that to the trail that goes SW too. I left the trail at a manmade object and ran on bearing. I pause once more on the ridge just before the control. Another guy had gotten there just ahead of me.

8-9 - I ran straight but could tell that I was drifting right. I cut back and saw the younger guy that I'd seen at #8. He was moving left and right. Nearing the spur, he moved left, so I got there first. I think he was on the Blue course.

9-10 - I went straight but at the creek, I saw it was too deep to mess with--my son Max crossed around here but he was running the Brown course. I took the trail along the creek to the bridge, then went up the hill on the trail. I left the trail at the bend but tried to contour across the next reentrant a little. I over compensated and ended up at the larger reentrant to the left of the control. Recognizing this, I continued and hit the control soon after.

10-11 - I went right of straight. Initially it was to save climbing the steeper parts of the first reentrant, but then I used the flatter ridge as a pointer to the control. I saw the knoll to the left and it seemed a little farther from the control than I'd expected. There were several depressions in the area. A woman was just leaving the control as I'd gotten there.

11-12 - I ran quickly, passing the woman but either my bearing was off to the right, or #11 had been placed on the wrong ditch. I had to cut left near the end, but I did see the control.

12-F - I didn't read the leg well so I crossed the little fence twice before running around the hill.

This was a decent run, spoiled a little by my error at #4. However, I take away that I was able to run and navigated well most of the time in an area which can be pretty difficult.

Green - Splits

From Northfield Rd to Norfolk Ave. to pick-up lunch, then back. It was windy but at least it helped on the way back.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Park Ln. to Battery Ln. to Woodmont Ave. to Rockville Pike, to Jones Bridge Rd., to Beach Dr., to Kensington Pkwy. to Connecticut Ave., to Knowles Ave., to Beach Dr., to Grosvenor Ln., to Cheshire Dr., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Lone Oak Dr., to Fernwood Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Huntington Pkwy. to Northfield Rd. I went out for a quick spin after work and before it got dark. It was probably around 70 F. and still a little breezy. This turned out to be a nice route that I made-up as I went. I didn't have to stop for a lot of intersections. I didn't start my watch correctly while waiting at one traffic light, so my GPS tracking was off. I measured the route using maps, but estimated the time to add-on.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to Johnson Ave./Hempstead Ave. to Folkstone Rd. I started out feeling pretty good with just the slightest notion of my hamstring injury. I kept my stride somewhat short. While approaching 1.5 miles, and transitioning from downhill to a slight uphill grade, I started feeling familiar warning signs of reinjury so I stopped. It was downhill, but I had unknowingly increased my pace in the last half mile before stopping.

From Folkstone Rd., Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. Walking home I could feel that driving my left leg forward aggravates my injury.

It was mostly another wet day so I didn't workout.

Rainy day! It wasn't worth going out while recovering.

From Northfield Rd., to Huntington Ave., to Bradley Blvd., north on Seven Locks Rd., right on Tuckerman Rd., through the Tildon woods neighborhood, across Old Georgetown Rd. to get to Edson Ln., Rockville Pike to Strathmore Ln., and Beach Dr., in Rock Creek Park., onto the Rock Creek Trail after getting inside the beltway, on roads paralleling the trail to Candy Cane Village, onto Beach Dr./Jones Mill Rd., to Coquelin Terrace, to Jones Mil Rd., to Jones Bridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Maple Ridge Rd., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I wanted to get a ride in before the rain. It held off. I felt sore on the first climbs, but that got much better as I warmed up. I did feel some pain in my left quad once in a while. Overall, I felt I was riding pretty well. I was stronger than I thought I'd be. It was humid but comfortable outside, with a small breeze. After getting home, I weight-out at 191.5 lbs.