Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Cunningham Falls
 

From the shelter below the visitor center at Cunningham Falls State Park, MD, I hiked up to the start of QOC's Platformpalooza put on by Jon Torrance. Along the way, I passed Florence T. who had been out during the worst of the rain and hadn't found any controls. She was cold and tired. As I got to the start area with a search and rescue crew there hanging around in tents, David Onkst was arriving too. He restarted, having been distracted by Florence and others who were lost earlier. David went out, and I waited. A black teenage woman arrived and a man did too. The teen asked me where the start was. I felt sorry for her since for the Yellow course that she was on. It was all the way back where I'd started. this hike--near the registration shelter. I pointed out the way. After she began her walk back I was ready.

QOC: Platformpalooza! at Cunningham Falls State Park, MD (near Thurmont). With my late start, just a few minutes behind David Onkst, I knew it'd be hard to finish on-time by 3pm.

S-1 - I messed-up with distance estimation. I got confused by a change in steepness as I descended matching one on the map, an unmapped boulder off to my right as a mapped one, and a charcoal platform that I hit right on. I found a cairn that was there too but with my wet glasses and the dim light I couldn't tell that the cairn was right on the line (unbroken line). I did a loop, finding another charcoal platform in the process. A younger guy came through, before I figured it out. I set my bearing and spiked it from there. The younger guy dropped off to my right. David Onkst was at the control as I got there.

1-2 - I contoured, then crossed the reentrant. From there I went straight through the green. I corrected my bearing at a small but distinct reentrant a little past middway. David Onkst was initially lower than I but came in behind me. I emerged through the green to spike the control. I let out a small hoot.

2-3 - I contoured to the reentrant, passing octogenarian Susanne Izzo along the way. She was trying to say something and looking confused. I didn't hear what it was but I told her that #123 was behind me. From the reentrant, I followed a ditch higher until it ended. That put me about 325m away to the SW. I came in a little high but realized it despite my foggy glasses and actual fog forming. I dropped in time to see it!

3-4 - I went straight. There were several boulders along the way. The leg line covered them and there probably were some other unmapped boulders too. This all made me a little unsure about my approach, but I hit the control rather well.

4-5 - Initially went straight. With deadfall often hidden by ferns, and stony ground with and without ferns, and with a constant climb, I didn't do much running. As I hit the steeper slope before the change in contour angle, I climbed more steeply and to the right; aiming off. After getting above the steepest part, I saw a break in the green. It seemed early but I went up anyway. Once sure it wasn't the platform I was looking for, I went on through the green and spiked it. I was rather glad to have done that as this was pretty much in the midst of green on an otherwise mostly bland hillside.

5-6 - I decided that approaching from above would not be efficient so I set out to drop down and go around the green. I didn't really drop enough, but that was probably good. It wasn't super slow getting through the green and I was more confident in not having to turn so much. I found what looked like an extension of a trail and figured I was getting close--actually what I saw was an extension of an intermittent mapped stream but I couldn't read it that well with the fog and my glasses. Emerging from the green I realized I was above the reentrant I was looking for--again, breaking the control circle would have helped me see how high above the charcoal platform I was. I turned at the top of the reentrant and found the control quickly.

6-7 - I was sloppy on this. I intended to aim off, hit the trail and attack from a trail bend. I wasn't careful reading along the way, though I think I did seen the cairn under the leg line. I kept pushing myself to the right/south so that I'd hit the trail. As I found the green, I was tempted to run along it in hopes of hitting the control--I probably had a 50% chance of success or more. I sucked it up to be accurate and punched through the green (found an unmapped rock dam on one ditch), and hit the trail. I misinterpreted where I was and thought I got below the control somehow (not too smart since I knew I'd gone through the green and had crossed a ditch). I cut right on the trail and hiked upward. When I saw the rescue searcher gear besides the trail, I knew I'd climbed to the start. I reversed direction and ran down to just past bend (ironically about where I'd hit the trail to begin with) and found the control quickly.

7-8 - I ran straight but like #1, I misjudged the distance. I punched a control on a charcoal platform and being in a rush to try to finish, I didn't check the code. It turned out that I'd mispunched. This sucked since it was the 3rd time in 3 courses that I'd mispunched :(

8-9 - I contoured out of what I thought was #8. It was taking a long time to hit the reentrant that I should have. I worried that I punched the wrong control at #8. I hit #1, and figured that there was now a high probably I had mispunched #8. Continuing on, I went fairly straight. There were a few things to help me know where I was. At a change in steepness, I aimed off a little but realized this wasn't going to help me a lot as it had at #5; the control was too far away from the change in steepness. I realized I wasn't going to finish the course pretty early in this leg, but now figuring that I was close to the control I wondered if I should turn back. Just about to turn around I found the end of a lonely ditch to my left. I hadn't seen it on the map until stopping to search for it. From there, I went directly to the control!

9-10 - Despite getting to #9 efficiently, it took me long time since it was climbing the whole way. I figured I had to drop to get back on my DNF so I figured I'd just get #10 along the way. I thought I was being a bit careful with my bearing but I drifted left and saw a charcoal platform further to my left. I went to it and thought it might be good but it wasn't. I had much farther to drop. I corrected my bearing but still was a bit hesitant and zig-zaggy getting there.

10-DNF - I set a rough bearing and tried to keep moving. I must have fallen 6 or more times along the way. Part of this was wet rocks and deadfall and part of it was probably being tired. I didn't feel that bad. I was trying to not drop too early and actually climbed at times to get around deadfall or drops that were too steep. On one of my falls, I must have hit the start/stop button on my watch. I realized it later when I was close to hitting the trail. People were picking up controls--a rough job on such a wet rainy day and on long steep slopes. I felt guilty not helping but Peggy and Samantha were already waiting for me a long while.

Regarding my DNF, a lot of people did the same. I was having fun on the course but started too late for it. It was too long for the terrain and day but I would have liked to have started early enough to finish it. I need long training runs and need to work up to them more like this.

C • Reading you and Peggy... 5

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I felt more tired than earlier in the week but this was the first time I rode all the way in more than 2 times and this was the 4th time this week. I rode alone practically the whole way though there were a bunch of people on the trail. A couple of people passed me in Georgetown. Time is estimated since I failed to restart my watch at a light.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I rode alone mostly, though one guy had followed in my draft for a few miles up the hill on the CCT. The winds were light and mostly favorable.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I picked-up people trailing me getting into Georgetown; I didn't have people to draft off of. There were some headwinds along the river on Ohio Dr.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had a mild tailwind most of the way. I caught some people who then used my draft going up the hill. One of them passed me later.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I caught up to some people near the MacArthur Blvd. tunnel and one of them fell in behind me. Others joined-in later so there were 2-3 others. We had a nice tailwind which was good since I felt tired. It was nice and cool again this morning.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I got off to a good start. Once again, I led a guy out from 15th St., NW and he passed me on Ohio Dr. where there were headwinds. I caught-up to him and passed him in Georgetown. I took it easy after that and the guy along with 2 other zoomed past a ways along the Capital Crescent Trail. I expected worse headwinds than there were. Eventually another guy, perhaps the guy, I rode with the day before, caught and passed me, but he slowed to let me pass and pull. It was a little surprising that I was only 2 minutes or so off of my pace the day before, since I felt I was going much slower. It was very pleasant weather to ride in.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. It was nice--60 F starting out. After the water treatment plant, I passed a guy whom I pulled for until the end of Georgetown. Surprisingly, there was a headwind along the water from there. I took it a little easier. There were a few minor detours along the route. Two were due to flooding which had already receded. The river in general, was up and swirling. My back was hurting a bit during the day, after this ride. It was the lower left side, a bit higher than previously; maybe it was due to the change in weather.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I hit the initial traffic lights pretty well. I rounded the Jefferson Memorial ahead of a guy whom I'd left at 15th St. NW, but he caught me part-way down Ohio Dr., NW. The winds had shifted from the morning so we again had headwinds along the river. The other guy sort of missed the ramp onto the Rock Creek Trail so I got ahead again for a while before he passed me again. In Georgetown we split and I got ahead going through the traffic well. As expected, he caught me again about a mile outside of Georgetown. From there, I latched-on in his draft until he broke-off at Dorset Ave. Like the morning, I took it easier from there.