Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. Over half way to work, I realized that I'd left my laptop back at home so back home I went.

From Northfield Rd. to Cordell Ave., for lunch, then back.

Event: QOC Patapsco Glen Artney
 

QOC: Glen Artney, MD. I was happy to get out into the woods. They were covered in about 5 inches of snow. I walked going up most hills but could run down them. The course set by Kim Jepsen was fun. I just made too many errors, partly from fatigue/lack of training. Thanks go to Valerie Meyer who kept an eye on Samantha while Peggy and I ran.

S-1 I had trouble getting into the map early on. Starting out with a big 6 minute error was no fun. I ran sort of straightish down to the wall bend getting to the creek then once there I got distracted by the control on the spring, across the second stream. I should have both looked at the map more, and checked the clue description.

1-2 - I ran straight until the road, then cut right and left a little, then down the reentrant to the rootstock.

2-3 - I was running straight but drifted to the right a little. I crossed the campground circle rather than using the road as intended. On the other side of the circle, I saw the spur and went right to the control.

3-4 - I went just a little to the right so as not to drop too far down. I hit the creek about where I'd planned but second guessing myself, I convinced myself that I had to go to the right more and around a bend before crossing the creek. I did this by going over some deadfall, and got up to a side stream before turning back for a loss of 2 minutes. Once on back to the creek crossing again, I went right to it.

4-5 - I climbed up the left side of the reentrant, got to the power lines and followed the trail back into the woods before crossing the power lines. At the trail bend, I cut back into the power lines, and went down the reentrant before crossing them. I angled into the woods but much of this amounted to following the right foot track to the control. I did however see it almost a minute before getting there.

5-6 I angled straight over, crossed the power lines and the road, then kept straight again to the control.

6-7 - I started straightish and thought I was reading things pretty well up to 1/3 of the way there. I thought I was to the right of the small ridge to the left of the leg line just past half way there but I became unsure. I recognized the curving stream but doubted that a little while later. I started feeling I'd followed the stream too long. Soon Jan Merka came across my path from right to left and I already had a hunch that I was too low. I cut up the hill and followed the track he was on to the control. I figure I'd lost almost 2 minutes.

7-8 - I ran down the track that I'd come up but had to cut left a the correct spot. After doing that and crossing the stream, I ran/walked up the reentrant to the top of the side stream, the cut over to the right to the top of the ridge. I read contours but also had a fair amount of foot tracks to lead me to the control.

8 - 9 - I went pretty much straight until getting to the trail. I cut right on the trail and took it to the road. Attacking from the intersection I spiked it and recognized location from contours from far off.

9 - 10 - I ran down the reentrant, crossed the larger stream at the bottom and cut right. Passing Jan Merka, I got to the control in my left. It turned out that Jan was on the Blue course.

10-11 - As I'd gotten #10, Jan and Benny (his dog) had passed me again. I passed them back and ran confidently down along the stream to the control which was hidden out of sight behind a contour.

11 -12 - I ran partway up the hill until it got steep. I could see the root stock 60m out.

12 - 13 - I contoured over left of the leg line, then aimed toward the campground road. From there I hit the trail since it pointed to the control so well.

13 - 14 - I climbed slowly and tried to stay to the right of the power lines unlike others who appeared to be heading to out-of-bounds terrain. At the road, I cut right for a little way, then cut left into the woods again where an elephant track was emerging. I went past the same fenced area that I had on the way out and then ran on a rough angle to the rootstock. An elephant trail was leading to it.

14 - 15 - Having had such a big error and having field-checked the area when hunting for #1, I ran confidently down the hill, past the spring and almost past #1 before crossing the creek. I'd seen the control from a long way out.

15 - F - I ran left a bit, made the slow walk up the steep part of the hill, and took a while to hit the trail. Not staying on it long, I cut off when I could see the contour in the field ahead. Only one other set of foot prints was anywhere close to where I cut across to the field. I ran about as well as I could albeit still slowly.

I was pretty slow across the course but did okay physically. My GPS says I climbed 330 meters, significantly more than the optimal climb set by Kim. My route was 4.91 miles or about 8K.

Green - Splits

Spinning and watching a show.

Shoveling some nice new snow; about 5 inches of it. Samantha helped a bit.

Spinning and watching a show.

Spinning and watching a show.