Training Log Archive: Nadim

CNYO North American Championships-Long. I think taking some Advil in the morning helped keep my knee from aching too much. I was able to jog most of the way to the start. I enjoyed the running today though early on, I found that the small ups and downs and many wet sticks were wearing me out. In fact, I was tired and feeling sluggish through the first 11 controls. I made my first notable error at #3 by passing under it a bit and coming back. Going to #4, I lost my way but relocated at a trail crossing. Going to #6, I got passed by Andy Hall and a few other runners who were on RedY. I remember feeling heavy when I stepped on 3 different +3" diameter deadfall branches that broke under my weight--I thought it odd that with many others passing by, I was the one to step on and break these 3. When approaching #6, I was planning to cut across the marsh but when Andy and everyone else went around, I second guessed myself and went the way they did. Mark Cornish joined our crew on this leg too. Andy pulled up short on #7, then ran too low. The group split up with others finding the control and leaving. I think I found it before Andy since I'd seen him heading away a little before I found it. I took a poor route to #8, and on the next long leg to #11, I again decided against crossing the marsh. This cost me +2 minutes to others as I ran around on trails. I had ruled out crossing the marsh since the other marshy places I'd encountered on the course to that point were too slow to be useful. I caught up to Mark Cornish again before #12 and we exchanged some leads. Whenever I ran on roads, even the dirt ones, my knee bothered me. Vadim joined the hunt at around #15 and Mark dropped back with a different route choice than me as we were going to #16. I was moving slower and Vadim M. got ahead going to #17. He ran up the trail higher to pass #3 on the way there. I took a more direct line cutting in before him. It turned out that he missed and I spiked it. I finished ahead of him but well behind him in total time. At #17, I got to the control just before Tim Good who had missed and had found it coming from another direction. Bernie Breton joined in behind too. I pulled up short going to #18 and #19 but each time was able to correct and stay ahead of Bernie and Tim. My result today wasn't so great but I was glad to finish the weekend with a higher level of confidence in my knee and get some running training behind me. This was the first time that I had run consecutive days since the Letchworth A-meet last spring. I'm now better positioned for the Highlander "Light" (or Lowlander) next week though I did get a blood blister on my right big toe.

Red Y - Splits

CNYO North American Championships-Middle Distance. As feared after the sprint races yesterday, I was feeling the painful after affects of running upon my knee. I intended to jog over to the start line but had to stop several times. I ended up getting to the line by passing through the call up lines and going right to the front just as the start toner beeped and it was my turn.

For #1 I made my way slowly along and was behind some people on the single file elephant trail around the pond but I was glad that the first control was just over a rise--short and easy. The softer ground of the forest was much appreciated and I started to feel like I could run moderately. I was reading things well on the early controls and saw a lot of people including Mark Mace on the way to #3. I baubled #5 by rounding the left side of some green and cutting right toward the control but ending up too far to the right. Leaving that I opted to angle toward the marsh corner rather than take 2 sides of a triagle to dog leg back toward #4 and use the trail. My angle put me too far to the right and emerged at the marsh shore. It seemed that the quickest way to correct this was to cut across. It started okay but the stream I had to cross had a muddy bottom and I sunk. The water was up to my waist. Eventually I got across and on the trail to spike the rest of the way to #6. I made good speed toward #7 and soon found Bernie Breton. He seemed to come up from behind me but he had started earlier. I misread the control location and didn't use the clue so Bernie found the spur with the control while I lost time staring at a reentrant that had no control. This was the first of a few controls that I had mistaken up and down. Bernie and I passed Clint Morrison who, like many were disadvantaged by wet and foggy eyeglasses (it rained most of the time throughout this race). We leap-frogged the next few controls with fair accuracy. On the way to #10, Bernie and I split in the middle of the leg but rejoined in the marsh. I climbed too early and went too high thinking the control was on a hilltop rather than in a big reentrant. Bernie got a good lead on me as I figured it out. I lost sight of him. All of my cycling this summer paid off by giving me the strength to climb the hill to #11 at a good run--the climbing also seemed easier on my knee. Another person (Dave H.?) joined Bernie and I got to #11 just behind both. I pulled ahead going to #12 and felt confident reading the terrain again. I saw Mary Jones along the way. Leaving #11, I read things well half of the way but got too far right and again misread up and down. I skirted the right side of the green that I should have gone into and lead Bernie and Dave over two ridges. As we came back, Bernie found it. We leap frogged some more. Going to #15, I watched the right side of the marsh and expected to see the root stock. I came across one with a control too early and drew Bernie off his line which was more to the left. I had trouble understanding why everyone was to my left but eventually saw that they had a better line as we got to the control. Behind Bernie and Dave, I pushed a little to catch up. I did but it was too little too late. I passed Dave on the trail and closed on Bernie but he got to #16 first. There was a chance of catching him on the run in but I fumbled the punch at #16 and then didn't want to risk further pain in my knee by running hard. For a technical course, I was gladdened that I didn't make a huge error but mostly I was glad that I could run it after the pain I was feeling on the jog to the start.

Going back to the assembly area, I walked with Mary Jones and was limping much of the time. Our talk reminded me that I had some Ibuprofin that my surgeon had given me. I took it and within an hour I was feeling and walking much better. I had told Mary that I like to avoid taking pills for anything but it seemed reasonable in this circumstance since it prevents the swelling and inflamation that causes further injury and pain.

Red Y Middle Distance - Splits

Event: North American Championships
 

CNYO North American Championships-Preliminary. I started out the weekend pretty well. My goal was just to get through cleanly if not very quickly. I had a few baubles while entering and exiting controls but avoided any larger issues. Going into #4 I had come around from the right side and through the rough open I had read the edge of the field incorrectly. Some green areas near the edge of the mapped distinct boundary confused me so that I ended up too far right of the control. I missed the ride going to #11 but it sounded like that wasn't all that good any way. I felt slow and my splits show it in the open grassy areas. It was my lack of running training showing through. I still have to count this run as a positive one for me given that I'm just glad to be racing at an A-meet again.

CNYO North American Championships-Final. After waiting around in the afternoon rains, it was good to finally get going. I ran a fairly smooth race. Like the morning run, I was not very fast but overall I fairly good accuracy for me. Coming out of #4, I hesitated then ran around the long way. As I approached #5, I slowed, expecting to see the control sooner. From my conversations with Ted Good, Tim Good and Mike Eglinski, my route to the left was good. I was a bit unsure what to do at the map exchange area and didn't really flip the map I had until after punching. On the second look, I caught Phil Bricker as we climbed toward #12. I had a better line on it and ran into the reentrant rather than over the rim and down. Phil caught me soon after. I didn't feel that I had the running speed I needed to keep up on the road. He lead me through just about the rest of the way through the second loop. I didn't realize that he was finished until I started my 3rd loop. I left heading the wrong direction and was wandering as I aimed to enter the woods getting to #18. I stayed in the woods going to #19. I was slowing down the further that I went. On the leg to #21, I wanted to go to the left and come in from the road but the green looked thick there. I came in from the right, through the light green. There were a couple of things I would have liked changed about the map there. Some other people started to close in on me with the unfortunate route choice. I led them until one of them passed me going to #25. My visual inspection of the straight route led me to make the wrong decision to go around and through the parking lot. I reentered the dark conifer area a bit behind and then didn't go in far enough to see the spur. We both corrected quickly. The last few controls were steady, not like the furry of sprinting hard at the end. I was both tired and thinking it not worth pushing too hard and making my knee hurt more for tomorrow. As I lay in bed writing this, my knee is aching. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up tomorrow and on Sunday. I felt this was a pretty good race for me. Having a little moer speed (as in years past) would have been nice, but who couldn't say that?

Sprint Red/Blue Final - Splits

Sprint Red/Blue Preliminary - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD to Custer Rd. to Glendale Rd, to 12th St. SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail. Since Peggy had Max this morning, I got to sleep in a little and get to work about 50 minutes earlier. A lot of that time comes from not having to get Max ready for his day. The ride was about 1.3 miles shorter since I didn't have to go to his day care either. The trail was busier than I've seen it in a long while. I suppose this was due to riding in earlier. I passed a steady stream of people from Bethesda Ave. to Massachusetts Ave., while hardly getting a chance to be in the right lane. I wore a thin long sleeve t-shirt and shorts which felt a bit too cool with temperatures in the mid 50's F starting off but it was enough to have me sweating in D.C. Some of that came from leap-frogging another guy who seemed to be doing a fartlek workout. He would sprint past, then drop to 19-20mph again long enough until I would get far ahead. The winds were slower than yesterday but I still felt them.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I rode steadily and tried to spin more. I geared down eventually on the climb. I caught up with an older road rider and we split leads for a while with him eventually pulling away while another followed me. Without needing to pickup Max's trailer, I went on a more direct route home via Falls Rd. but I took one wrong turn making it a little longer than needed. I felt the continued NE winds. While well below some years past, my total cycling mileage this year is the most since 2004--a result that has much to do with my knee injury and making up for it by cycling instead of running.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD to Montgomery Ave. via Bethesda Ave. and the Georgetown Branch Trail, to 12th St. SW, Washington, D.C. via the Georgetown Branch Trail and the Capital Crescent Trail. I got back on my bike this morning. Yesterday I took Max to a doctor for a regular appointment so I did not ride in. Yesterday I also go my freewheel cassette, chain, and both tires replaced along with having a short tuning and cleaning session. It's alwasy funny how trepidation creeps in. Worries about the bicycle being ready, feeling cold, feeling tired, etc... are all amplified beyond reason when I have short breaks in commuting. Once out on the roads and trails it pretty much goes away and seems ridiculous. The strange NE winds kept up. Winds from this direction are usualy far in-between in D.C. and when they do come it's often stormy or cloudy. Lately they've been producing nice cooler, partly cloudy weather. The impact for the ride was a mix of head and tail winds.

From 12th St . SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. The winds from the NE continued so I had a mix of head and tailwinds again. I rode steadily and picked up one rider before the water treatment plant. We traded a little but I pulled most of the way to Bethesda. I was at Max's day care in about 38:28.