Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: 2005 Sprint Series Finals
 

Pawtuckaway State Park, NH. Warm-up for the Sprint Series Final, around the parking lot.

Sprint Series Final in Pawtuckaway State Park, NH. My 38th rating going into the final had me seeded in one of the groups within the Second Heat. I ran against Ted Good, Mikkel Conradi, Rex Winterburn and J.J. Cote. The group was fairly closely matched. I came off the first control last and took a while to adjust to the pace and terrain. I ate a fair amount of wood from Hemlock branches flying back at me. I started moving up at the 6th control. Mikkel had mostly been leading through here but slowed. I moved past him going to #7 and the group finally spread out a little. A little bobble at #10 had Ted Good going past me and I took a poor route over a hill when I could have gone around going to #11. However as I approached the control circle with Ted ahead I stopped, having seen the pond on our left. Looking right I saw it, punched and went past Ted. I ran to the road directly when I should have angled toward the marsh but charged down the road. Instead of going right at the next intersection, I cut-in from a form line knoll across a dry marsh. I ran just left of the control and seeing what looked like a spur ahead to my left I ran there and found nothing. I must have drawn a crowd with me because soon there were about 5 others looking in the same area. I cut back away from the road and saw it but so did others. Ted had already gone through. Rex got to the punch first with Mikkel behind me. J.J. had injured himself earlier. I couldn't see a way around Rex but Mikkel managed it. In the field, I passed Rex and arrived in 3rd, one place out of advancing. It was fun.

Jogging in the field and stretching.

Sprint Series Final in Pawtuckaway State Park, NH. In the consolation round, I was put against Eric Osborn, J.J. Valdamir, Rex and others. I took out in the lead across the bridge and turned right. Most of the pack except Rex cut left which afterward I realize was a better route. I wandered my way to #1 after that. After crossing the road going to #2, I paused to help Rex find his glasses which fell off--he told me to go on. By the time I was approaching #2, the group which had started a minute behind was catching me. Fortunately, the overran the control. I had stopped at the right distance looking right to see it. They caught me any way which probably was not a bad thing. I found myself chasing after Clem a lot after that. In the process, I got ahead of most of the rest of my group, and most of the group that had passed me. At #10, I paused a while, inclined to take the tangent to the road instead of the trail around. Clem and Eric were well ahead but I managed to open it up on the the trail and almost catch-up. I couldn't close the gap at the last two controls however as Eric finished first out of my group. Clem took first in his group just ahead of me (2nd).

Sprint Series Final in Pawtuckaway State Park, NH. My 3rd round of Heat 2 was against, Eric Osborn, Mike Eglinski, Vladimir, J.J., Niven French and a couple of others. I got a better start, getting to control 1 in second. Taking a longer route to a path with another racer, I got behind. I made-up ground gradually moving-up one at a time through #8. I started going brain dead after #8, almost missing that I needed to go to control #9, then seeing the control and thinking it was for something else. Afer the map exchange, I chased Niven(?) to the parking lot and saw the correct boulder for #11 but didn't go to it immediately because Niven passed it and I couldn't see the control at it. At #12, I was leading and cut into the woods at the knoll but stopped short. Others, some from the previous group like D. Schaublin, went past me and to the two boulders. I saw it ahead on the single boulder and got ahead of the others. After #13, I almost bumped someone (Niven?) and cut a bit right. This got me a bit off track further right but seeing others turn left made me look in the right direction before I passed the control. I was tired by then but I think feeling better than most around me. I moved ahead of Niven and didn't know where Eric was. I almost didn't see #16 but fortunately someone was ahead of me headed there, thus tipping me off before I made a mistake. Ultimately I finished first in my group but at the time, I didn't know where I had finished because other groups were mixed-up in ours. I think Eric finished second and Niven third.

Round 1 Men's Heat 1&2 - Splits

Round 2 Men's Heat 1&2 - Splits

Round 3 - The Finals! - Splits

45 situps after flying into Manchester, NH. I was still tight in both hamstrings but feeling better. I stretched a while.

45 situps. I'm still very tight in both my hamstrings from the sprinting on Tuesday. The after affect is like I had never sprinted before. I stretched long and slow after the situps and it helped.

Great Falls National Park, MD. From the Old Angler's Inn parking area to Bear Island with Peggy. I was very tight from the intervals yesterday.

Bear Island, Great Falls National Park, MD. Peggy had setup a fun course on paper (i.e. without any controls or streamers). I started a couple minutes after her. I was doing well despite having to pause at controls often in order to verify that I went to the right location. Going faster than in the past, I came upon boulders that were distinguishable from other unmapped rock features. When I've gone slower in this technical area, it seemed harder to make the distinction. The dry ponds really helped me navigate and verify where I was too. I was not good about judging distance and didn't pace count but this was mitigated by reading along the way. Going to #8, I had to relocate and was able to do it quicker than I was able to do in the past. The area was almost void of people since part of the towpath was closed.

Bear Island, Great Falls National Park, MD. Peggy had setup a second course on paper (i.e. without any controls or streamers). This time I started ahead of her. I spiked the first but going to #2 I was confused by the light green areas which as printed on the map looked a lot like the light blue for ponds. Additionally the northern par of Bear Island (where this sprint was) was somewhat undermapped. I had nearly gotten to #4 when going to #3 and was fortunate to relocate on an old levy. Peggy had gotten ahead of me there and I didn't see her until she was leaving #5. The whole last half of the course I had to go slow just to check off features and be sure I was at the correct control location. I caught Peggy when she made an error on #9. We walked back after this matching the rocks and cliffs with the map while beautiful low sunlight at our back danced on the Widewater like Fall.

From Rosedale Ave. to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase H.S. plus 3 laps. I also spent a while stretching. I've not done this much lately. The rogain and all the cycling has really reduced flexibility.

16x110m with about a 100m easy jog between efforts. Rather than the lines on the track which I ran on, I used the soccer field markings on the infield to start and stop. These were all at 18.5 seconds or better and probably averaged 18.2. The last was the fastest at 17.6 seconds. I could use a lot of improvement with leg speed and aerobic ability. It was a very nice day outside with low humidity and temperatures in the 70's F.

Almost 4 laps around the Bethesda-Chevy H.S. track, then an light loop through the neighborhood to Rosedale Ave. I was fairly tired during this.

From Rosedale Ave., Batter Rd. to Huntington Pkwy, to Bradley Rd. to Fernwood Rd. to Old Georgetown Rd. to Tilden La. to Schuylkill Rd. to Beach Dr. to Jones Bridge Rd. to Maryland Ave. to Rosedale Ave. I had been doing lawn work most of the day and just wanted to loosen-up. It was nice.

C • Anniversary 1

Natural Bridge, VA. Peggy and I took a detour on our way back from the rogain to stretch our legs. The 215 ft. high Natural Bridge is a pretty spectacular sight. It's a 90 ft. span is about 40 ft. thick and weighs something like 72,000,000 lbs. We hiked down to the stream and walked the trail under the bridge to the end. Along the way we saw George Washington's graffiti (he carved his initials 23ft. up the wall under the bridge), a salt peeter cave, an Indian village re-creation, an underground stream, many cascades and two water mocassins in different places.