Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Pohick Bay
 

QOC: Pohick Regional Park, VA. When I chose Blue and did that earlier in the week, it was for the training. Seeing the almost 6% climb on a 9.8K course had me rethinking that choice, but I ran it anyway, knowing I could bail out if needed. I'd wanted to get an early start to avoid the heat, but we left later than planned and got stuck in a couple of traffic jambs--one closed the outer beltway for about 25 minutes. By the time I got started, I had a little over 2 hours to finish. At times trudging through the course, I was wondering to myself what Keg might have been thinking with the physicality of the course--she's better course setter than what she set today. The heat being about 90 F added to it and was not her fault. I saw a lot of rocks sweating.

S-1 - I started around 2:30 minutes behind Vido Aleksiev. The rest of his family was starting then too. I had a hard time finding the start when I opened the map--it was a 2 sided printing and I had started by looking at the wrong side. I saw a trail run going around hills to #1, but I felt it was a bit early to take such measures. I got off to a bad foot not finding a trail that I planned to use. I kept feeling the need to go to the left of straight and it took me a while to correct it. I lost contact with the map and didn't relocate until crossing the pipeline ride. The forest was also mushy and sometimes slippery on the steep slopes. Going down, I was still less than solid on my attack. I ended up at the bottom of the large reentrant, at a stream confluence. I attacked from there and hit it.

1-2 - I ran around the hill on the right side and stayed south of the deadfall. I used the trail southeast of #2 for a little and attacked. I pulled-up short, found streamers with the right code, then went and went on to find it in the next reentrant. That placement also had similar streamers. At the time, it seemed like the control had been mis-hung, one reentrant to the west. Maybe there's a map problem here?

2-3 - I went straight and attacked from the rootstock. It seemed that I had to go farther than expected to a different set of ditches.

3-4 - I came in, in-between the green.

4-5 - I came in from the top of the spur, by following the edges of the reentrants before it.

5-6 - I ran straight. It was either #6 or #8 that was placed between the fallen tree trunks, somewhat obscuring it unecessarily.

6-7 - I felt like I was walking excessively, but almost every leg was physically zapping due to climb or vegetation. Going straight I came through the open area.

7-8 - It seemed a longish way down the reentrant.

8-9 - I climbed high to the campround, went past buildings, and took trails nearly all the way. The slippery woods were just being that slow for me. I'd misread the control location and had crossed the reentrant just before the control, looking for it there.

9-10 - I got on the trail (I saw Dan Quinn running up it and that would have taken more strength than I had on this hot day!) and took it to the bottom of the reentrant near the river. It seemed a long way going up the reentrant to the control.

10 - 11 I ran south of the deadfall, through the saddle, then up the large reentrant to the confluence. From there I climbed the hillside and spiked it--again, the control seemed a bit more hidden (behind unmapped vegetation and high) than I would have placed it.

11-12 - I was disappointed by having he next leg dog-leg back down the hill I'd just climbed. I'd thought about going around on the south side of the map, but it looked too long. I started a little left of straight to get around the spur of a hill ahead, When I hit the power lines, I turned left, forgetting that I would have needed to cross another trail first; I was actually south of where I'd planned to be. I realized it after a while and corrected cutting across the light green forest to a trail. I took the trail left of the boat storage area and attacked from the road loop south of the control. The other loop was a closer attack point but so close that it was visible. I descended to the flat area and didn't see aynthing. Doubt crept in about the control being mishung. The only rootstocks visible were up the hill again. I climbed and from there I was eventually able to see the right rootstocks very visible--not sure what happened but maybe it was just being tired.

12-13 - I took trails to the north. This leg was the start of another large loop through the park. Once across the marsh I followed the green in.

13-14 - Through the maintenance area--is there really a cliff there? I kept climbing while contouring too and saw it just a little below where I was.

14-15 - Straight at first; and crossing the saddle with the trail for the 3rd time.

15-16 - Straight and slowly.

16-17 - Straight and slowly.

17-18 - Through the deadfall and up. I made my way to the white forest and in.

18-19 - I started going a little left of straight due to the vegetation. I corrected on the drop to the stream. Judging the the stream bends and the house, I figured I'd be able to see the control. However, I'd confused one house for another. I did a slow loop through the deadfall area and along the steep stream banks before getting south enough to come up and find it.

19 - F - I could see that I only had about 20 minutes to go before the courses would close. Given my slow rate of travel, there was no way to finish in time. I headed back on trails along the high, south side of the map. I kept a slow jog, better than the walking up steep hills I was doing before, but I knew I was still going slowly. I punched the finish and walked to the download with a few conversations along the way. After download, there were 4 minutes left before the 3pm course close time.

Blue - Splits

Rock Creek Park, DC. From Oregon Ave. and Beech St., NW, Washington, D.C. Peggy and I ran random social and official trails in a clockwise loop. We'd been turned away at the DC/MD Border parking lot earlier since they were doing some kind of pipe work--it seemed like they'd actually closed Beech Dr., from around Military Rd., to the MD border. We made our way around the construction when crossing the road and Rock Creek, but the nice part was that it got us on the social trails starting out. I'd only run one small part of one of them earlier, so it was good to get to parts of this park that I hadn't been to earlier. Usually the regular trails are more efficient in getting me from point to point. The social trails we were on were pretty but also hilly. There were a lot of nice open woods. I was glad to go over them at Peggy's pace. With other workouts this week, my legs hadn't fully recovered from the Billy Goat and have been achy starting out. We had breakfast at Panera Bread in Bethesda afterward. As has been the case, the section we sat in was dominated by morning runners.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. via Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues. I stopped off at the WABA pit stop for Bike-to-Work Day. I'd signed-up for it earlier but even without finding my name on the registration list, they gave me a t-shirt, a battery powered arm band light, some spoke lights, and reflective leg cuffs. That's a lot of swag and I didn't even take the time to stop at the vendor booths where they were giving away more. As could be expected, there were lots of other cyclists on the trails. I caught up with a couple who'd been lingering waiting to pass, and then I stayed in their drafts as they sped up. We were doing about 21mph and that's more than I'm in shape for now. We caught up to one of their friends, so soon we had 4 people moving quickly into Georgetown. I passed them on the streets and finished-up. There were still some minor detours for construction around the Kennedy Center. There seemed to be some minor headwinds too, that I'd gotten protection from, when on the trails.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. As I was riding on Ohio Dr., I passed a pair of riders who said it was a perfect day for riding. I thought felt a bit warm being around 80 F, but that's thinner air too. I didn't leave work that late so it was a little odd to find not so many people on the trails. I felt achy for the first several miles but once through Georgetown I was okay. It helped that I didn't push too hard and wasn't worried about keeping up or passing. One guy eventually did pass me going uphill on his fat tire bike but a closer examination of it suggested to me that it was electric.

I had dressed to bicycle in to work, but as it was time to get Samantha to school, cold rains hit. I later packed my cloths to do a run from work, but I ended up working late. By the time I was home it seemed that a rest day would be good.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. There was a bit of traffic at the end, and it was cool out.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a bit tired from being in a TBM conference all day.

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to Singleton Dr. to Bulls Run Pkwy., to the trail along the middle school to Bradmore Dr. to Folkstone Rd. to Hartsdale Ave. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I felt pretty slow for parts of this. I got home a bit early so I did my run before dinner. I still struggled, being tired and a little sore from the Billygoat. I ran faster than I did 2 weeks ago, but it was cool out today. I probably would have gotten the same out of a 3 mile run. I worked on running form at times but my feet felt like lead.

From Northfield Rd. to Bethesda Metro Station. I realized partway to the station that I'd forgotten to bring my laptop back to my office, so I had to turn back, and carry it and my running clothes. I was feeling residual soreness from the Billygoat.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Woodmont Ave. to Wisconsin Ave. to Norwood Ave. and Norwood Park, to Arlington Rd., to Kenwood Forest Ln. to Bradley Blvd., Fairfax Rd., to Clarendon Rd., to Hampden Ln. to Denton Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt better on this run than I had the last couple of times running it. It was cool and breezy--like spring is supposed to be. I ran a bit faster in places.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. My GPS timer must have restarted after arriving at home so my time is an estimate. It was breezy with mixed wind directions.

It was a rainy day mostly, though it did stop in the evening. I had some soreness from the Billygoat. My right ankle was sometimes uncomfortable walking around. The drive home from the Billygoat meet site yesterday took about 8:45 hours, including stops--that was very efficient for our family. We got home just after midnight.