Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: Billygoat 41
 

Lebanon, NH. From the Nature Walk trailhead parking area off of Mascoma St., to the start location for the Billygoat race. This was an unexpectedly short walk to the start. I had rushed a bit at the end and couldn't locate my car keys. I needed to leave it open for fear of locking Samantha out or locking the keys in the car. I almost went back to fix that.

Billygoat 2019, Burnt Mountain, Lebanon, NH. This was the 41st annual event and my 15th (I'd missed some in the past for knee injury and child care). As sometimes happens, this wasn't so satisfying. I suppose I did good just getting to the start and finishing, but I felt I could have done much better. I was often over-running my navigation ability while trying to keep up with others. My GPS had gotten paused on the run, probably when I hit some brush. Through most of the day, I found it difficult to run the forest interspersed with hemlocks and stone.

S-1 - I followed the crowd going up the mountainside. I had a hard time matching-up the trail with anything I was seeing. I saw some people peel off to the left while others kept going on the trail. I figured those staying on the trail would attack from the trail bend, but I had been thinking we were on a trail that was higher up. I stayed with people jogging and sometimes walking, and when we past the bend I realized where we were. I still had a lot of others right ahead of me as I punched.

1-2 - Different groups started to form on this leg. I was still trying to keep up with people and quickly lost track of where I was. I estimated and tried to keep straight but as the crowd ran around reentrants, that made sense to me too. I fell-in behind JJ and Victoria Campbell at different times.

2-3 - I was loosely reading along at first, then as the crowd hit the trails I was more confident of where we were. Near the bottom, I saw Victoria go left around a ridge and JJ going straight over it to the right. I went behind JJ and we hit it okay.

3-4 - I was confident on this leg. The woods were more open and I could keep a good bearing. I knew we were close as we crossed the spur; some went around to the left. I closed some distance on JJ but it took some out of me.

4-5 - I hadn't thought about skipping #4 as others had. My inclination was to go across the marsh, but no one else around seemed to be doing that. I was indecisive as JJ moved on. Eventually I did too, but I moved slower. I felt we were going too wide to the right, around the marsh. JJ disappeared. Cristina Luis came up from behind and we both hit a trail that I hadn't seen earlier. We paused and slowly rounded the marsh. I relocated at a trail bend and we both moved on a little independently. Chistina pointed out #21, and I went over to double-check the code. From there it wasn't hard to get to #5.

5-6 - Peggy had just left #5 and was leading a group of older orienteers. As we climbed toward #6, I was tired and found I wasn't walking any faster than the others--some may have been moving better than I. We hit the bouder without much trouble.

6-7 - Peggy cut over toward the trail as directly as possible. I angled my way there and caught-up. We both continued walking up the hill most of the way. I started to attack a bit early and paused. I soon saw a trail continuing to get closer so I followed Peggy and Christina some more. Christina and I passed Peggy and I punched.

7-8 - I felt pretty good going straight to #8. Christina got a little lower than I did but I still got there a few seconds behind her.

8-9 - I set off on a straight bearing and moved better now that we were going downhill or on flatter ground. I got ahead and went over to my right a little toward the derelict vehicle I found it on the map on the leg line so I though things were good. The problem was that I had kept my line as I approached the vehicle--Had I kept following the bearing I'd been on earlier I would have been okay. We pulled up as the hill started dropping away. I was not thinking enough and wondered if we just didn't go far enough as everyone was paused. I went ahead when Peggy, Christina and others figured it out. Peggy called back so I was chasing them again. I got in a little after Peggy, Glen Tryson, Alar, and others were going off to #10.

9-10 - I wasn't sure what to do on this leg and didn't see the possible skip option. I went left a bit to be able to get down the cliffs, then climbed at an angle up the next hill, by myself. I got on a trail and soon passed 2 older orienteers. I could see JJ Cote below me to the right, coming through the valley on a trail. I angled over off-trail at an indistinct spot and hit the next trail right where I wanted to, at a bend. After a brief climb, it was easy.

10-11 - Several people were ahead of me. I closed-in on Glen Tryson and Alar. I could tell they were moving left of straight and I figured Alar knew this would be better than going straight where it looked greener ahead. I also saw JJ Cote come up off to my right. Eventually Alar and Glen led us to an indistinct ride--I thought that was their plan but they seemed confused. I moved right, and away from some boulders, passing a water hole. I saw the control ahead, and JJ punching it.

11-12 - I chased JJ down the trail.

12-13 - JJ left much more quickly than I had. I drank and ate a bannana. I chased him and saw others heading to #12. Cutting-in a bit past the second trail intersection, I spiked it and made-up a lot of distance on JJ.

13-14 - I was confident of my bearing running in the more open and flatter forest. I didn't gain a lot on JJ until he stopped at the cliffs. I think he went to the area below where it was hung. I moved over to the right to climb and turn left along the cliff. As I approached, I saw JJ coming from the other side of the hill and along the cliff. I got there just before him.

14 - 15 - I set off straight and JJ was behind me. We diverged with JJ going more and more to my right. As we crossed a reentrant, JJ's way was faster and he cut left ahead of me. I wasn't moving about the same speed not feeling able to catch him but not losing him either. JJ pulled up and we conferred; I figured we were right on the line and pointed out which marsh. JJ moved out faster than I did and got there a short time later.

15 - 16 - I was again just chasing JJ, without gaining any ground, as he led into #16 going straight. When we got there I remarked at how indistinct the feature looked to be--it was coded as a shallow spur and that it was.

16 - 17 - I thought about skipping #17 but I didn't see enough benefit. I got to the left of JJ and JJ turned out to be closer at the end.

17-18 - We moved well down the hillside. JJ pulled-up with a rock in his show. I figured I was a bit reluctant to leave him and figured he'd catch-up if I did. He said it was okay so I moved on. Crossing the trail, I could see the bend to the left so I figured I where I was and attacked. I had estimated my location incorrectly. I missed the control and didn't recognize anything along the way until I hit the trail, 5 contours up. I hadn't read the contours here well enough; had I slowed and did that I'd have seen it was much lower. I turned back and saw JJ coming up. He asked me if I intended to skip #18--I answered no, but maybe I should have. I went down, passing some others--Jim Arsenault? I found it pretty quickly but the damage was done.

18 - 19 - I had picked the forked control to skip, even though I knew it wasn't usually an optimal skip. I trudged back up the hill thinking I'd take the trails to #20, but along the way I was still flustered and crossed right over the trail. I suppose I was being ambivalent too. I decided to keep going to the left #19 at that point. I soon hit a marsh and mistook it for the bigger one with trails near the control. Losing time figuring that out, I hit the next and debated which way to go around it--I chose the north side and took intermittent trails to successfully attack from.

19-20 - I was again in a mode of making-up time lost after the last 2 disasters. I felt good following the intermittent stream, and was sure I was in the right one. I was worried about passing the control when I got to the rocky section on my left, but I didn't stop. I went on in the stream bed until I could see the marsh ahead. I had to climb back from there. While I was coming up the other side of the small ridge, I could see Jeff Saeger in the stream bed going the direction that I had too. It was slow climbing and my left heel was starting to hurt from my new shoes.

20-21 - From #20, I more or less followed the stream to the marsh and stayed on the left side. I could see Jeff Saeger on my right as I hit the trail and moved better on it--I was moving better but pretty slowly too. I left the trail at a bend before the marsh. I dropped down to the right (east) of the rocks and then moved along the edge of the marsh, under the long cliff. At the end, I had to climb steeply and felt I was losing time doing that. At the top, I saw Jeff ahead. I was confident of where I was but glad to see Jeff nearby too. This section looked trickier. Jeff disappeared a little but I hit the control not far behind him.

21-22 - I set off going straight to #21 and taking it slowly. Jeff was sometimes visible but he moved through the valleys more than I. I hit it pretty well, and I didn't see Jeff leaving the control.

22-24 - I'd saved #23 as a skip but figured it was not optimal. I'd missed the nice skip on #20 by going to the right #19. I ran the flatter open ground on this leg to #24 pretty quickly. I almost thought that the control was for one of the recreational courses when it came-up so fast.

24-F. I got confused for a little bit thinking I was leaving #23 when I was leaving #24. I stopped at the trail, and then used it. I wasn't sure which trail I was turning onto in the maze of trails at the end. I thought some might be new cycling trails. It all worked out okay, except for my initial bearing. I was moving slowly at the run-in.

Billygoat - Splits

Event: QOC Granite
 

Danbury, CT. From my hotel near Industrial Plaza Rd., Newfound Rd. to Nutmeg Square and back. I needed a haircut and did that while Peggy took the kids to the pool.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down The Mall along Madison Dr. and Constitution Gardens to the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to National Dr., NW, up the Olmstead Walk,. to Connecticut Ave., to the Cleveland Park Metro Station. I moved a little better than I did the previous week on a similar run. There were lots of other runners and cyclists out. Slowly climbing the Olmstead Walk or Way as it's sometimes called, I passed a man carrying his daughter on his shoulders. The daughter said to "walk faster" and I wasn't sure if she was referring to me or her father. Fortunately for me, her father said he couldn't walk any faster. This was just another confidence builder for me before the Billy Goat.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was kind of tired.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station, then back to Northfield Rd., then back to the metro station again. I was carrying both my laptop and my backpack with running clothes. When I'd gotten to the station the first time, I realized I'd forgotten my work ID, so I had to go back and get it. It was nice in the mid to upper 50s F. However by the time I got onto the train, I was a little hot and sweating. My legs were tired too.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. It was nice to be able to ride and not have to be carrying a backpack for a change! I left my running clothes at work.

From Northfield Rd., I rode with Samantha down Custer Rd., and Glendale Rd., to the Capital Crescent Trail, up to Bethesda Ave., to Woodmont Ave., to Elm St., to Clarendon Rd., to Hampden Rd., Denton Rd., to Edgemoor Rd., to Fairfax Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to Goddard Rd., to Custer Rd., and to Northfield Rd. It was such a nice evening that Samantha was eager to go after dinner. She was a bit shakey, not having ridden much lately. She kept putting on her brakes on on the slightest downhills. She moved slower going downhill than she did going up. I could tell she was nervous but she did get better. Being on the Capital Crescent Trail calmed her down and she managed to be okay in the traffic of downtown Bethesda, which wasn't bad, but was much more than she'd been used to.

I rode my mountain bike and enjoyed the light exercise on a rest day. I'd brought my clothes to work to run but decided not to do that due to various aches. My right hip was one of those spots--kind of new. I woke up with some left knee pain but that might have just been due to the way I had been sleeping.