Training Log Archive: Nadim

I used the day to clean-up things around the house. In the evening, we saw friends for dinner. The bump in weight came after a Chipotle dinner.

With the change in weather making it wet for the last few days I was less motivated and was tired too. I think that having a little break after the competitions the previous 2 weekends would do me good. Besides I was feeling some aches and pains in my lower back--these are probably just residual things that are often felt when the weather gets rainy.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I had a lot of traffic stops.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.

Patuxent River Park, MD. Peggy, the kids and I flew back this morning so I made good use of the time. QOC had no course setter for an event that is to be held here on October 23rd, so I was a late volunteer. I'm presuming the club will find a meet director too. I checked out control locations and left streamers. I am setting a slightly shorter Billygoat style course, like I had the previous year, as well as 6 other courses. I left from Riverside Field. It was a cloudy day and had showered briefly on my drive to the park. The vegetation was abundant--appropriate for the season but not that difficult to get through. Grasses had been mowed low, including parts of the old Nike missile grounds. Streams were dry and marshes not so hard to avoid or to cross as needed. I ran between all controls and thought I was moving fairly well; perhaps I spent more time at each location than I have guessed or I just moved a lot more slowly. I was slightly off on 3 controls and sometimes I didn't realize it until leaving the location. I also moved a few control locations from my original plan. I still have some other control locations to checkout. It was much more humid than my weekend in New England was, but it was still nice compared to what the weather had been near DC for most of the summer. There weren't a lot of spider webs but at one point, I must have gone through one and picked-up a spider that was over an inch wide. It was trying to climb my neck when I noticed and brushed it off in a hurry.

Hanover, NH on The Green of the Dartmouth College campus. Warm-up for the 2016 N. American Sprint Championships.

North American Orienteering Sprint Championships on the Dartmouth Campus map in Hanover, NH. Like the other 2 races this weekend, I had rough starts. I went through the cemetery on leg #1 and dropped down too early. After figuring this out standing in a parking lot, I cut through some thick tree breaks on a short but steep embankment. I tumbled and hit my head. Shaking that off, I crossed another tree break and finally went to the control. I played it more safely going to #2 wide to the left on roads and the staircase. I went the long way around (left sides) to #5 & #6. I moved better until after #14. Instead of going back up the stairs, I went around the buildings and slowed a little hesitantly into the spectator control (#15). For #17, I was getting tired climbing but right on. For #18, I stayed high and like many, descended the staircase before going around the wall. Coming out of #18 in a blind curve I ran in front of a car which thankfully screeched to a stop. Overall, this was fun. I wasn't expecting to anyway, but with my error, I was well out of the running to place on the first leg.

Sprint - Green X - Splits