Training Log Archive: Nadim

QOC: Prince William Forest. I led a group of students in QOC's Training Weekend, through a White course. There were only three (since 2 from the day before didn't return) and I was mainly doing a map walk, to get them to match-up features with the map. We did route planning too. The kids were pretty good--they understood the map. The controls were often really more in the Yellow range. Some were off trail. Later. 2 kids did 2 maps of a 1-person relay. Both did well.

QOC: Prince William Forest. I picked-up a few controls from the training relay.

Event: QOC PWF Happyland
 

QOC: Prince William Forest Training Weekend. I only went out for the night-o. I had been hedging on doing the Long Advanced course, but was leaning toward the Short Advanced course. With slow traffic the whole way there, I settled comfortably for the Short Advanced course. Knowing the area and the likelihood of error with as much green as there was, I it made sense. I was confident going out at 8pm, that I'd be back in less than 2 hours and that I might be cutting it close on the longer course, with it being 3K longer. Though I messed-up at #3, my fears were unfounded.

However, starting out for #1, I started after Miles, whom I gave about a minute head-start. It was almost all a trail run to get across the creek and to the first control. I caught Miles just at the trail bend where one should leave it and get into the woods. I tried to get around where I saw it was thickest, but didn't really succeed. Once through the green, I had to hustle to beat Miles to the control.

Even on the way to #1, I was feeling like the contours were printed too lightly. It might have just been my eyes or the very bright light I was using making it hard to read. Going to #2, the difficulty seeing the contours was worse for me. I simplified by picking out the reentrant midway, and the spur just before the control. My bearing was pretty good, so I hit the control pretty nicely.

For #3, I crossed the stream and then the broad reentrant as I kept close to a bearing. Over the ridge, I was on target and I descended almost along the leg line. I ended up missing the control by being to the left of it--if anything, I had been concerned about being on the right of it. There was more green around than it appeared to have been mapped. I got well past the control, into a broad and whiter reentrant. Again it was hard for me to see the contours, and the 4-5 leg line obscured part of a reentrant line. Seeing others ahead and knowing I'd gone too far I cut down this broad reentrant. The guy who'd been following me turned with me. I was headed back toward #3, but we saw #4 and ran to it. From there it was easy to hit #3. From my GPS track, I lost 4:30 minutes.

I put some distance on the guy who'd been following me, by running back to #4 pretty well.

I ran straight off to #5. Again, it'd been hard to read the contours and even more so with the green. However upon crossing the stream, I realized I was above the stream junction, and I went right to the control from there. Some others were converging from on right but I got there first.

This was a cool leg with a lot of contour detail on the way to #6. Forced to simplify, I knew all I had to do was to reach the ridge and follow that down. The ridge was green on top so I went do the far side and then south to the control.

I was feeling more confident at this point, and the woods were more open going to #7. I ran fairly straight and put some distance on someone who was tailing me. However, it turned out that I was also in the process of being caught. I thought a guy whom I been dropping was catching me again, but after I got to the control, it turned out to be John Torrance. The leg wasn't that hard. I just had to hit the stream and cross the 3 small reentrants--I spiked it.

I ran straight again (still not really knowing it was John Torrance whom was running along nearby) toward #8. John had seemed to drift more left (south) than I had, but he was running faster. He corrected, as did I a tiny bit. I didn't see him punch but I saw him leaving. I guess we both spiked it.

I went the low route to #9. The marsh extended closer to the hill than it seemed to be mapped. I contoured around the last spur and into the reentrant with the control. Someone ahead was just leaving as I got there.

For #10, I paused to read the leg and the someone ahead pulled ahead. He was staying in the reentrant, but I decided I'd climb out for better running, and run along the edge of it. I hit the green south of the control, so I cut through it and into the reentrant. For a few seconds, I'd confused control #11 on the map with control #10--fortunately, the final attack was similar. Once I hit the reentrant I cut right. This was reinforced soon after by seeing the guy I'd seen at #9. We both saw the control shining through the green and went around to hit it pretty well. After getting there, I realized the other guy was Vido Alexsiev.

Going to #11, I passed Vido after the first reentrant. The green had been pushing us too far right and north. Both of us picked-up on this and turned at about the same time to cross the last reentrant. I saw the control first, probably since I had a brighter head lamp.

Going to #12, it was even greener than all of the other controls. I pushed around to the right, but it was much more to the right than the mapped green. Once nearing the stream, I knew to cut further left (south) and soon hit the control.

For leg #13, I felt pretty good. I got to the first reentrant a bit on the low side and was reading the control to be in the next. It seemed easier to drop a little, and cross the stream where it was flatter. I did that while Vido took a more direct route. Once I saw the reentrant, I climbed up, but the contours here didn't seem to fit well. Maybe the control circle is hiding a bit of another reentrant, and that was more extensive than is mapped. I climbed that reentrant. It was bigger than I expected and I could see Vido high above. Worse, there was no control in it. I could no longer see Vido from the top, so I thought to bail to the trail. As I was getting there, I saw the control on my left--I hadn't really lost much time but had added some climb. I probably lost 40 seconds.

I left #13 a little to the north and quickly got stuck in green. I began to think I might have run over the trail because it kept going and I was starting to descend. I backed out enough to see #13 again, and went south until I could get around the green and hit the trail. My GPS track shows I backed out just before I would have hit the trail. Once on the trail, I ran okay but I was tired from this run and the increased running this week. I walked up part of the hill after the dam.

Overall, this was a fair to good run for me. My baubles on #12 and #13 weren't so great and the error on #3 could have been reduced. It was a pretty fun course. Given the green terrain, Ken found some pretty nice woods

Prince William Forest. John Baker and I walked from Camp 5 (Happyland) to a remote field parking lot. There was a nice gibbous moon that was casting shadows. Earlier, when we were parking before our races, John and I could hear nearby machine gun fire that must have been practice in the Quantico Marine Base across the road from the park. It was a little unnerving.

Night - Short Advanced - Splits

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd., Charlcotte Rd. to Hampden Ln. to Wilson Ln., to Aberdeen Rd. to Aberdeen Pl./Garfield St., to Jefferson St., to Lincoln. St., to Grant St., to Northfield Rd. It felt good to be out. It was in the upper 30s F. with a nice breeze. I didn't think I was going as fast as I had.

Overland Park, KS. From 110th St., near Metcalf Ave., to Grandview Rd., to College Ave. to the Indian Creek Trail near Corporate Woods, east on the trail to 106th St., to Metcalf Ave., to 110th St. I was glad that my meetings finished early and I was able to get in a run before it got too dark. I had thought I'd run all of the Indian Creek Trail but now seem to recall that a segment of what I'd run today had been blocked off for construction earlier. Most of the route was pretty nice and it was in the low 60s/upper 50s F. Since this was after work, the office parks I ran through getting to the trail were about empty--mapable for a sprint even. The run on the trail was pretty nice in the quiet woods but got busier along some low rent housing and then a golf course. The last bit on Metcalf was the worst due to traffic, but at least it broke up the run where I needed it. My legs were getting tight in the calves.

Overland Park, KS. From Marty Ave. and 110th St.,to College Ave, along Metcalf Ave., to 119th St. and back. I didn't have a car so I walked out to do some shopping and get dinner. It got colder and a brisk wind to walk into going back.

Overland Park, KS. From College Ave. near Corporate Woods, west on the Indian Creek Trail and back. I ran after work with Mike Martinez. We took it easy. The sun was going dowrn as we ran and it was 55 F. It was pretty nice.