Training Log Archive: Nadim

45 situps in a hotel in Mawah, NJ. After errands in the morning, then driving up to New Jersey and eating dinner, there wasn't much time to do anything else, nor would it have been helpful for the Hudson Highlander.

From Northfield Rd. to Old Georgetown Rd. via Greenwich Park, to W. Cedar Ln. to Rockville Pike, to the Bethesda Trolley Trail to Maple Ave. to Old Georgetown Rd. to Huntington Pkwy. to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. I got out late again, around 10:45pm. There was a strong warm and humid breeze; probably in the upper 70s F.

45 situps. I had a busy day. After talking to our construction contractor into the evening, I fell asleep before I could get out for a short run.

From Northfield Rd., through Grenwhich Park to Old Georgetown Pike, to W. Cedar La. to the Elmhirst Trail, to Cedar La. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Beach Dr. to Grosvenor La. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Old Georgetown Rd. and to Northfield Rd. via Grenwich Park. I got out the door at about 10:30pm on a cooler night and a gibbous moon--oddly similar to my last run on this route on July 5th. I've gotten a few more miles under foot since then; tonight was about 10 degrees F cooler (~57 F) and I weigh about 6 pounds lighter. I guess that accounts for being two minutes faster. The moonlight helped me get past a few of the darker areas without having to slow much. I felt stronger on hills too.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. via the Georgetown Branch Trail with Max in his trailer, then after dropping them off I rode to the Bethesda Metro Station via the Air Rights Building tunnel. It was colder this morning and I wore a jacket.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Maple Ave. to pickup Max's trailer, then to Northfield Rd. via the Air Rights Building tunnel. It was warmer than anticipated. I was riding in the dark a bit.

From the Woodley Park Metro Station, south to the Rock Creek Trail, to Blagden Ave., unammed dirt trails on the west side of Rock Creek to Military Rd., across and uphill parallel to Military to the Western Ridge Trail, to Wise Ave. to Chestnut St., to Winett Rd. to Brennon La., to Thornapple St. to Underwood St. to Connecticut Ave. to Virgilla St. to Meadow Ln. to Oak Ln. to Leeland St. to Willow Ln. to 45th St. to Elm St. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Woodmont Ave. to the Bethesda Metro Station at Edgemoor La.

I wanted to get a longer run in and was thinking of approaching 2 hours but this was all that I had time for. I wasn't feeling all that up for the run initially. I'd been feeling tired during the day and my left knee was bothersome. I got going and once I got on the Rock Creek Trail I found two guys not far in front of me tempting me to go faster. Fortunately they turned-off. I passed a few other slower runners later with less effort. I was trying to keep it a steady pace. I really enjoyed the dirt trail portions of Rock Creek. The conditions were optimal with dry smooth and visible footing. Climbing along Military Rd. I slowed and struggled a little but I felt good once at the top. Approaching the T-intersection with the Western Ridge Trail there were once again a pair of runners who turned my direction. I found out later that they were Ethiopians. They could have been graduate students or perhaps a bit older. It was hard to understand them with their accents. I'd caught them on the downhilll, not trying to do more than run efficiently. I surprised and perhaps embarassed them. They picked-up the pace upon seeing me but we were mostly running the same speed. As we crossed several dips and climbs it became apparent that they put a lot less effort on climbs than I did. I started falling off the pace at the tops of the hills whereas they kept it steady. They kept me distracted and got me through the hills much faster than I otherwise would have and I was out of the woods just before it got too dark in them. Finishing-up on the streets of Chevy Chase, I felt I was slowing down. In the darkness, I got a bit mixed-up and ended up adding a hill and some more distance. I was pretty happy with this hilly run and have better confidence in my physical strength for the upcoming Highlander.

45 situps. I hadn't done these in a while. I had intended for a nice long run in the morning but I needed to sleep in. The day ended up being fairly domestic. I spent the rest of the morning and up until after 1pm finishing putting on waterproofing on our deck--this cleaning waterproofing job is something that I'd been working on for over a month and something I'd wanted to do since last winter. After some lunch I realized we needed an entree for our block party so I cooked that. It was soon time for the party itself and that was nice getting a chance to actually talk to our neighbors. My neck was sore for most of the day and some sciatica down my right leg was bothering me some too. Both areas felt better afterward.