Training Log Archive: Nadim

45 situps. Though I did almost nothing today, I could tell that my legs were tired and needed a rest day.

Event: QOC Patapsco-Rockburn Branch
 

Rockburn Park, MD. Warm-up around the start area, and a jog to the remote start on Landing Rd.

QOC: Rockburn (and Patapsco Avalon). I started pacing myself, not sure how I'd hold-up after a lot of training the last couple of days. The unmapped green woods contributed to me running easy, not hard, through it early. Things were going okay through the first part of the course. I spiked all of the first 7 controls.

I saw and ran right past #8; I could see the earth bank that it was supposed to be on ahead. Not seeing the control where I thought it'd be on the earth bank, I went back to the stream and punched. It was only slightly off--about 10-15m and I don't count this as a miss for me.

Going to #9, I took the low route initially and was going to go that way to a trail. The unmapped green low slowed me so I after counting reentrants, I decided to cut a corner to the trail. The contours were not clearly lining-up for me. When I hit the trail, I crossed it, then attacked to a spur that I could see. Not finding the control, I did a counter-clockwise loop, returning to the trail but higher. I was wasting time so I decided to climbed to the hilltop north of #9. I thought things were making sense again but when I attacked to another spur, I didn't see the control. I again set out to go to the hilltop but along the way, I saw the other spur, higher. The control was behind a tree and I punched. I must have lost 6 minutes :(

I hit the next few controls okay. I paused at the stream just before #10 expecting to see it amongst rocks there but when people coming the other direction from above made noise, I saw the control up the hill. I cut across the field to #11 and spiked that well. Gary Smith was coming in from my right just after I saw it. I crossed more fields and forest, going fairly straight to #12. I spiked it, finding it behind the tree near the saddle.

I left #12 but came back to eat a Gu and have more water before leaving for good. I came right in to #13, seeing the bushy stuff before the control but I couldn't see a root stock there. The map only showed field and white woods so it was not easy to figure out what was going on. I passed the fields, knew I was too close to the out of bounds area, and came back. Some wandering in the small clearings took me behind the bush that I'd seen earlier and there tucked-in too tight was the mapped root stock. I think with the mapping that this feature probably shouldn't have been used; the edge of the clearing would have been more appropriate. I did however, count this as a miss.

I bounced off the trail bend going to #14, then ran across the forest not using the trails and a little right of the leg line. I used reentrants to keep close to the line, going to the top of a northerly pointing one to use that as an attack point. This worked well and I spiked #15. I went fairly straight to #16, spiking it. I went east out of #16 to get around a spur, then gradually dropped to the trail to get to the reentrant junction. I had to walk a lot of the last bit up to the small reentrant at #17. I used the trail to get to the second field before #18, then followed the man made stuff to the control. I used the trails to get the the fields; an older orienteer whom I will not name stopped me and asked for a location and I obliged while at the same time teasing that this was a no-no. I enjoyed the run across the field later to the control. It was rather green (and unmapped) on the straight routes to #20 and #21; I took trails spiking them. After crossing the creek leaving #21, I debated whether or not to use the trail. my bearing must have been off. I didn't hit it until the top of the hill. I left it soon after to cut across forest and spike the control.

I got across the road w/o waiting, then kept to trails mostly. I spiked #23 and #24 that way. I'd taken the road to the finish. When I got to the intersection, there was a decoration control flag to the left side of it so I ran there. There was no punch so I read the map more carefully and found it on the other side of the road; there was no flag, just the saw horse--that cost me 20-30 seconds. Had I known it would also cost me a place, I would have run harder getting there and been more careful.

I held up okay physically today but the errors were costly. It was good training for later.

C • Rootstock 2

QOC: Rockburn Park, MD. Peggy dropped John Baker and I off at different places north of Landing Rd. We picked up controls on the old Avalon map, then made our way back. Maryland parks are nice. I was able to drop off recycling from a water stop when I passed some ball fields. After finishing, Max was keen on showing me his new skills in the cycling skills area--a technical collection of mounds and sharp banked curves. He'd only fallen once where he hurt himself earlier--an elbow scrape.

Blue - Splits

Event: West Point A-meet
 

From Northfield Rd. to Heampstead Ave., back to Northfield Rd. then to Del Ray Ave. and back to Northfield Rd. I rode to Max's soccer game. Peggy and Max had gotten a head start. At the game one parent backed up from an approaching ball and tripped over my bike. After the game I rode home with them and went on to get some lunch at Cafe X. On the return trip, I noticed being unable to shift my rear derailer; probably the result of the parent at the soccer game who fell over it. It was a nice day out.

From Rte. 28 at Dufief Dr. south on the Muddy Branch Trail to the second trail head at Query Mill Rd., then back to a trail fork that went to Dufief Mill Rd., then back on the Muddy Branch Trail to Rte. 28. David Onkst ran with me on this nice 70 F day. The trail was pretty empty except for a cyclist and another runner. It was dry too. I saw a few new trail forks. David and I explored the little branch to Dufief Mill Rd. for the first time. It was kind of narrow but had some rock in it. The terrain was very open and pretty. The callus on my right foot was bothering me especially on the last mile.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max on his bike, then to 12th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was warmer, in the low 50s so I only had on a t-shirt. The winds seemed neutral but once past the Jefferson Memorial, I detected some winds from the NE. I passed a lot of other cyclists. The Chipotle burrito dinner was sticking to me.

From C St., SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd. in Bethesda, MD. It was busy getting out of D.C. I whipped around the Tidal Basin after som initial traffic, and I drafted off bus headed up Ohio Dr. along the river. Things were slow in Geoegetown. Once on the trail I set a decent pace. Slowing down to wait to pass, I got passed before I could speed up. A pace line formed behind me and eventually I caught the guy when going up the initial hill. Two more passed as I paced myself. I almost caught them before they turned off. I towed one more all the way to Falls Rd. My ride after picking up Max's bike was a nice warm-down.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. Max was off with Peggy on Bring Your Child to Work Day.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, onto The Mall, past the Washington Monument and down between the Reflecting pool and the Vietnam War Memorial to Lincoln Circle. to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., NW to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station. This was the same as my April 4th run. Today the winds were calm instead of pushing me along, and I finished in close to the same time. Mile splits were 7:18, 7:09, 7:18, 7:30, then much slower up the last big hill. Starting out, the first 100m felt really good. After that I was getting winded but the temperatures and seeing other runners kept me moving well. I had planned a longer run but Max set me on a mission to bring home dinner. The timing of that also motivated me to keep moving quickly.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I carried Chipotle dinners home in a hand bag.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd. with Max on his bike, then to 12th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was cold feeling, in the 40s so I wore a jacket. After leaving Max, I moved calmly down Arlington Rd. There were headwinds from the SSW and they continued to slow me the whole way. I got a little sweaty in-town.

From C St., SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd. in Bethesda, MD. It was windy! As I waited at a traffic light starting out, winds bouncing off the buildings pushed me enough to make me catch my standing balance. I mostly had tailwinds but there were swirling areas. I pushed a little to get back in time for Max's soccer practice. There was a good bit of bicycle and auto traffic. Even with the tailwinds, being heavy, I wasn't that swift.