Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC: Great Falls, MD
 

Great Falls, MD. Warm-up for the very cold QOC meet. It was in the low 30s F but the winds were 15-20mph with gusts up to 40mph. I needed the warm up to keep from getting too cold, more than properly warm-up my legs. Some adventure racers, Eddie Bergeron and David Onkst were ahead of me in line but Eddie and David let me go ahead of them so that it would help get me back in time for Peggy to go out too.

QOC: Great Falls, MD. Greg Lennon deserves a lot of thanks for getting QOC back into Great Falls National Park. With a change in management of the park service, QOC had been effectively kept out of racing on our best terrain for a couple of years.

Once I got going, the cold of the day didn't bother me. There was a very light snow dusting on the ground. The initial 2 legs from the bottom to near the top of the park warmed me up fast. The benefits of my cycling, even though I'm not doing much of that lately, were clearly evident on the climb too. Getting a decent sleep helped too but I was also motivated. On the way to #1 I caught one of two adventure racers who started ahead of me. Passing the other leaving #1, I got to #2 smoothly. With a bad initial bearing, I made a slight error going to #3 but corrected quickly. Eddie Bergeron nearly caught me at #4 but he actually passed me and the control as I spiked it. I was feeling the effects of the lack of training volume as I made my way to #6 but passed a few others including Dave Hauver. Leaving #6, I could see Eddie closing in on me again. He passed me on the way to #8. I was just behind and starting to fall more behind going to #9 however, Eddie went left up a reentrant and around a hill to #10. My straighter path closed the gap again but winded me enough that I was much slower going to #11 across some reentrants. I lost sight of him for a while going to #12 but as I caught my breath and navigated better, I saw a few more glimpses of him. Several times the rest of the way in, I had sensed that my navigation was getting sloppy. I slowed at these times and even paused once. This was a good thing to have done.

I suppose I did pretty well and was glad to be back at Great Falls. I had run 3.61 miles for the 5.4k course which is the fastest non-sprint course that I've done in a while.

C • So this was on the Maryland... 3

QOC: Great Falls, MD. While Peggy was doing her course, Max and I did a beginner course. Max had looked forward to doing this but I honestly didn't know if he was really going to do it. We started out with him a bit disinterested but when he saw the first control he ran to it. We got to the second, punched and saw Kris Beecroft with a friend and her friend's family. Kris gave Max reason for more motivation by telling him something to the effect of their group going to zoom ahead. Before I knew it, Max was running down the C&O towpath. I figured he'd stop a hundred meters later. We went a bit downhill past some lift locks but to my surprise, Max had ended up running most of over half a mile to the next few controls. He would sometimes look back to make sure that he was still ahead. Of course, I navigated for him. We played the part of reading the map together but I don't really think he understood much of what I was telling him about where on the map we were. Each time we'd stop to read, he'd sit down. It was too cold to really do much instruction. Just before we'd gotten to the point of heading steeply uphill, we could no longer see the group Kris was leading. Max relaxed a bit more with my encouragement and soon enough he'd slowed to a crawl. 7 contours and about 550m later, Kris's group was on our heels again. Max was particularly motivated not to get beaten by girls even though there was one boy and all of them were several years older. They caught us at the next control but each time, Max was ready to run again and moved with them or ahead of them. All of this was all the more surprising given that he was wearing an insulated ski bib and pants. Max started voicing his wonder of how much more to go until the car after. We were half way out (with no real opportunity to bail-out). I felt sorry for not having a chocolate Gu for him which had been some motivation on other outings. Going downhill and headed home, things picked up speed again. The boy from Kris' group was given the map and ran ahead. Max ran after him, falling once on the wooden erosion breaks. We stayed ahead of the "girls" and finished not too far behind the boy from their group. Max took this to mean that he'd won and was proud to tell others this afterward. This was the farthest course that Max had been on and it had one of the larger elevation changes. He was a real trooper and has a lot of potential if we can keep him motivated as well as teach him to read the map.

After the races, Peggy, Max and I had a nice luch with Kris, Eddie and Barb Bryant.

Advanced - Splits

45 situps. With Max's birthday party (his realy birthday was earlier) today, I was pretty busy and tired by the time it was over. We also did some shopping in the evening after Max's nap.

Lake Frank, Montgomery County, MD. I covered some of the area north of the lake and west of the visitor center. It was slow going since much of the work was distinguishing some rather complex vegetation. Some of that was for small clearings but a lot of the time I was separating shades of green. In an area that I didn't finish, I found parts of an old stone wall, unusual for the Washington, D.C. area. I also came across 3 permanent controls which were hung nearby but not really on some features. It was nice to have had the day off and finally get out again. Even so, much of the day was busy.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max, then to the Bethesda metro station via the Georgetown Branch Trail. I was running a bit behind getting going. Once on the road, I had a bit of a tailwind and another rider close behind. I was spinning well so despite towing the trailer, the other guy was just a bit slower. I hit most of the intersections optimally which helped lower the time.

From the Bethesda Metro station to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd. via the Georgetown Branch Trail. It was just starting a light rain when I was out.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave., SW to 17th St. SW, the looping around onto the Kutz Bridge., along the Tidal Basin to Main Ave., then along the waterfront near Water St. to the Titanic Memorial at P St. SW. Returning I retraced my steps along the waterfront to 12th St. SW. then I made a slight detour on Maryland Ave. SW so I could pickup lunch. I finished up with a slow jog to C St. SW while holding my lunch. I moved along pretty well through most of the run though I felt kind of like I was stuck in low gear. I was up late the night before. Max had woke up just as Peggy was leaving to go to work and crawled in bed with me. He kept me up for a while before both of us got back to sleep and then suddenly it was already past time to wake up.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was about 39F but dry and comfortable.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & Independence Ave, I ran down The Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Potomac River along Ohio Dr., to Buckeye Dr., to Ohio Dr. to Basin Dr. up to Maryland Ave. via the Portals complex, to 12th St. to C St. SW & 13th St. SW. I ran this route at the end of September, not long after starting to run again. It was much smoother this time. I felt good starting off but soon felt some tightness in my hamstrings; perhaps it was from the Turkey Chase. This went away but my pace slowed gradually too.

From the Bethesda Metro station to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd. via the Georgetown Branch Trail. I got a bit warm in my coat.

45 situps. With it being Max's birthday, the evening was taken up. He was happy with dinner out and presents. A Speed Racer car and truck was what he wanted and enjoyed the most but an Optimus Prime (Transformer) helmet and a luggage set with car stuff on it were enjoyed too. I'd intended on running at lunchtime but forgot to pack some shoes. The morning seemed too wet to ride.