Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Muncaster Mill Rd., at the school house, I finally started field checking to add on the to the Lake Frank map. This is part of the greater Rock Creek, MD, map that I started around 2007 and which includes Lake Needwood, and the Rockville Civic Center. I hope to have new areas ready for the QOC Bumble in February. The small area I went over this day was feature rich with some scattered green bits to make it harder. I would have gotten out earlier in the day but I couldn't get the data I needed ready in time. There was significant amounts of rock and some parts with very open woods. I've been running through the area many times.

I had been working off-site the last 2 days.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

Event: QOC Great Falls
 

Great Falls Park, MD. I set out 4 more controls, the start, and 2 finishes. It was another nice sunny day. Starting out it was about 50 F. Probably the hardest part of this day was walking over (off the clock) from where I parked with both the box of electronic controls, and the box of unused flags. I got into the park early enough to not have to wait and got a spot almost midway out, but because the lot filled quickly, others waited up to 40 minutes just to get in later on. I felt stronger to day and when I did run, I ran smoothly with some spring in my step. Running was hard because of the rocky stuff under leaves on steep hills, but running on the towpath was good. I'd checked out most of the control locations before setting them yesterday, but when I was setting the finish at a trail intersection, I had to be extra careful. A trail the intermediate runners would use had gone into disuse, and another which was intermittent previously, had become more trod upon. There were 275 pre-registered runners, a sell out to our permit level, and of those it seems that all but 4 showed-up.

QOC: Great Falls Park, MD. I went out with Samantha on the Beginner course. There was a 700m walk with a 45m climb to the start. Samantha actually ran large parts of this. Most of the course after starting was downhill. Samantha started running out of steam about the midway point. She didn't ask a lot about how long until we finished, like she used to. At trail intersections, I initially helped her orient the map and she could then make the correct decision. She resisted this help initially but did it herself sometimes later. We walked a lot of the towpath where the course I'd set finished-up. Samantha paused for the great overlook of a rocky river side-route chasm, and some signs. She liked the mallards in the canal, and the mud turtle I pointed out which was sunning itself. Overall she had fun or was glad for her accomplishment finishing. Her friend Nicole Alexsieva went out with her parents shadowing later on, since they'd gotten into the park late.