Training Log Archive: Nadim

I spent the time visiting family, and fixing training wheels and pedals back onto Samantha's bicycle.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I had been raining hard the day before and it was damp on the roads.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I had headwinds.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was nice to have a tailwind most of the way but I'll probably pay for it going home. It was about 57 F starting out, and I carried my laptop. I got on the CCT just behind a guy and passed him before River Rd. He or someone else rode partly in my draft to Georgetown. I felt surprisingly good.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd. I was surprised to find out that the winds had switched again. I got a nice tailwind just about the whole way home.

From Northfield Rd. to Folkstone Ave., then back via Heampstead Rd. I brought Samantha's trail-a-bike along and we rode back together. She was happy to be riding.

From Northfield Rd. to Norfolk Ave. via Del Ray Ave. I ate lunch, then rode back home. It's neat that it's only 4 minutes by bicycle to Bethesda Triangle. It was a nice sunny day!

From Northfield Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Ave. to Johnson Ave,. to Heampstead Ave. to Folkstone Rd.., to Hartsdale Ave. I felt better than I thought I would but I was feeling heavy.

From Hartsdale Ave. to Northfield Rd. I jogged and mostly walked with Samantha.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I had intended to run earlier in the day but meetings prevented that.

Event: QOC Gunston Hall
 

QOC: Gunston Hall. It was a nice sunny spring-like day with the temperature near 60 starting out. I ran Blue. Unlike last weekend, I wasn't very energetic. I was probably tired from stepping up my workouts last week, and a good day of field checking yesterday. I hadn't run here before. Starting out the course was easy with runs through, then quick attacks off of the fields. It seemed like control #3 (near the walled-in George Mason family burial plots) was closer to the fields than expected. I thought to go around on trails to #4 but plunged-in straight. I read my way across okay but wasn't always entirely sure where I was with accuracy. Once again, I hadn't read the course notes so I didn't know the contours were only 2.5m. I hit #4 pretty well.

For #5, I went around the left side of the hill--it looked too steep and green. It probably cost me some time. I attacked off the spur of the second hill. At the first view of the water, I cut right but then a look as the shore told me I was in between the man made object (SW of the control) and the control. I corrected and sucked-up having to walk through the water where the tide had risen unexpectedly. Gary Smith told me and showed me a picture after the meet that the area was land again during control pickup. He hadn't known there would be a tide problem.

For #6, I started out up the trail but cut into the reentrant shortly after the trail climbed. I ran the left side of the reentrant until it seemed to be ending and went in.

For #7, I went straight. I stared closing in on Charles Carrick (I think). Every time I thought I'd catch him I realized the terrain was making us weave.

For #8, I found myself still chasing Charles. We weaved a lot. Eventually Charles started getting more to my left. I could see the knoll on my left coming up so I kept my bearing. When we popped out of the green, I looked left and saw a control or color. It looked too close to the knoll so I didn't turn immediately. Charles kept going. As I read more carefully I realized it was a ditch, and that the knoll was further past it. I ran to it as Alexis Merka was punching.

For #9, I paused right before the knoll. I was brain dead and wasn't sure why I was seeing it. After catching my breath, I ran over it to the control.

For #10, I started okay, but was just off bearing enough to come across the wrong reentrant. I guess I was still tired and didn't check my compass. I mistook it for the one leading to the control, and mistakenly turned south. Approaching the road I couldn't see the intersection so I knew I messed-up. As I corrected, I saw Carrick coming-in just behind me.

For #11. I ran straight and spiked it.

For #12. I ran straight and spiked it, with a slight correction to the right.

For #13, I started to climb and use trails, but I changed my mind, then went straight. I kept on my bearing looking for the second reentrant past the trail. I didn't realize that I'd hit it right at the bridge! I thought I was a little further north. I took the trail from there.

For #14 I went on trails/fields between the out of bounds areas and to the road. I gave thought to going around but didn't want to risk the dark green from that approach. Going further around seemed even more out of the way. As I dropped down into the big reentrant, I was feeling like I might have made the wrong choice. The actual dot knoll seemed closer to the edge of the hill than I'd expected it would.

Going to #15 on trails, I knew I'd made the wrong choice going to #14, and I told Carrick that as I passed him going the opposite direction. I took trails and the field to the end of the trail SW of #13. I read the reetnrants but wasn't sure what I was dropping down into until I hit the dot knoll. I also saw someone crossing my path ahead. As I got nearer, I saw that he was headed to the same control, and I spiked it.

I was glad that there wasn't a lot of up and down on this. I ran the hillside to the large reentrant, crossed the marsh and ran up it. As I got nearer to the guy I'd seen near #15, I realized it was Victor Lin. I slowly closed in. He (and I) knew where to go, but Victor stayed just ahead coming up the spur to control #16.

For #17, I got past Victor and worked my way around the large reentrant. I never got to the field and even ran parallel to it briefly. It was open and I could see the large reentrants better that way. I spiked it.

For #18, I got to the trail I'd taken going to #15. I went into the field and right past #19. Crossing the reentrant, I came in to #18 from above--It was only when I'd gotten past the last reentrant that I realized the control would be as low as it was.

For #19, I tried to reverse my route, only I lost the intermittent trail near the trail junction.

I tried to move my legs a bit more on the run in. The depressions made it awkward and I haven't been running much for a hard sprint.

I had fun today. I'd heard the terrain was worse than it turned out to be. The course was fine and it's not an easy place to set a course.

QOC: Gunston Hall. It was past the starting time but Peggy had gotten a map for Samantha to go out. Samantha had requested it, and had had fun going out with Heidi Onkst last weekend. Heidi is much more fun than I. I fumbled at the start since we hadn't really started from the start control that had been taken up. Samantha had trouble matching up symbols on the map, with what she was seeing. I had to help her orient the map and eventually just did it for her. In the big field going toward #7 (a lonely tree in the field), she hugged the forest edge. The terrain dipped just enough so that at her height, she couldn't see the tree when she got near it. It was late so she pretty much gave up after we corrected. I think she was still happy to have gone out.

Blue - Splits