Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Greenbelt National Park
 

Greenbelt Park, MD. From the Sweetgum Parking lot, I ran in circles for just a little bit to warm-up.

QOC at Greenbelt Park, MD. Peggy set a fun course with a lot of short legs in the campground area. I didn't start so well but got better as I went. I stuck to trails more often than not and that usually serves one well in this park. However, my routes were not always efficient. I also did not run all that fast in the open areas, few as they are in this park. Running at a slower pace probably helped me avoid errors that I usually make when speeding along. My endurance held-up as it usually does on colder days. Familiarity with the park helped at times though Peggy got me to a few spots that I hadn't been to before. The most time I lost was probably at #1 and #7. Both losses were probably less than 2 minutes each. I knew I had gotten on the wrong somewhat parallel trail on the way to #1 but I had trouble crossing over while avoiding deadfall. For #7, I think that either the mapping was a little off or the control was placed a bit north of where it should have been.

Greenbelt Park, MD. I drove out to the Dogwood Loop parking lot and picked-up the controls most remote from the roads and trails. I navigated to these better than I had when racing but I was going slower too. With it being in the 20's F, it was nice having all the controls and epunch boxes being tied with slip knots and twig loops--they came untied very easily and I didn't once have to remove my gloves. As I returned to the van, I saw an old friend from PGRC--Gene Lehr was driving through.

Blue - Splits

Lake Needwood, MD. I pretty much completed field checking the west side of Lake Needwood. Perhaps one day I'll go up the Crab Branch area that connects to it but it's fairly narrow. Most of the day today was in greener areas. I did cover a large rough open area with some mappable trees. I plotted them from the aerial photos of the area and found that several of them had recently been cut. I suppose the park is trying to keep it open with smallish trees so that the the deer have plenty to eat. There were plenty of deer droppings there. There was construction in the lake bed along Needwood Dr.--this is probably the reason for the water being so low. It was a fairly cold though not breezy day for field checking--the day had a high of 26 F but was colder while I was out. I was dressed well so I felt fine.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. With my commuter bike still flat, but finally having a key for my new bicycle locker at the Bethesda Metro Station, I hopped on my road bike. I was able to use my Speedplay pedals with my work shoes and clothes. I had to keep it slow in places because the little bit of snow that fell the night before had frozen in spots on the street. Using the road bicycle is a lot nicer and with the new locker, I don't have to dismantle lighting. I can also drop my helmet and other cycling stufff there instead of dragging it through the metro system to work and back.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark It was kind of cold riding back. At one point a bag that I had in my pocket fell out. After that I had to carry it in my hand.

From Northfield Rd. Hampden Ln. to Wilson Ln. to Maiden Ln. to Radnor Rd. to Wilson Ln. to Whittier Blvd. to Woodhaven Blvd. to Bradley Blvd. to Fallen Oak Dr. to Valley Rd. to Ridge Rd. to McKinley St. to Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I had been lazy yesterday and didn't do anything. I felt more energetic this evening so I got some stuff done around the house and went out. It was much warmer than it had been and was in the upper 30's F. My legs still felt a bit sore from XC skiing last weekend. This route was a bit hillier than average. I had planned to cycle to the Bethesda Metro Station this morning but as I was getting ready I discovered a flat tire.

45 sit-ups.

Lake Needwood, MD. I finally found some time to resume working on the Lake Needwood map. I covered some of the greener and steeper sloped areas today (north central western side) but there were still plenty of nicer woods. I spent some time improving some of the cairns I found and that warmed me up (it was not far below freezing). The shoreline of the lake was as low as I'd ever seen it. I knew it was low but not how far until near the end of my field checking. Just for fun, I ran out planning to cross the whole thing about 300m north of the island. As I got more than half-way across the frozen and cracked mud, I discovered a stream about 15' across was flowing with water and carving a bed so I retreated. The bottom of the lake looked devoid of plant life. All I found were bunches of large snail shells and clams. Despite the cold, there was a small stench.