Training Log Archive: Nadim

Blockhouse Conservation Park, MD. Being in the southwest part of the park, I suppose it was fitting that was a day of lawlessness. I suppose I could begin with myself, since I'm still at the point of seeking use of the park for orienteering but have been working in earnest to map it anyway (at least it's good map reading training for me). Early on, I encountered two male teens with overnight backpacks. Camping isn't allowed in the park. After doing our own separate thing for a while, I later came in view of their tent near a marked trail and an overlook. Boom! Boom! They were discharging a firearm somewhere just over the edge of the hillside. I stayed away from their tent but did get a little nearer to finish the area I was mapping. Later, I descended a trail I hadn't used before, when heading back and noticed for the first time a sign about entering an environmentally sensitive area in a reentrant. People are supposed to stay on-trail there. Too bad. I stayed on trail having mapped it earlier but there's a lot of natural erosion and a snaking stream that might have for made some nice control locations. I came upon an older man who was standing off trail and getting a closer look at the erosion. He moved on. As I left the sensitive area too, I cut across the park and happened upon a couple who were rat-a-ting paintballs at each other across a reentrant. I left without further incident. Despite all of this, it was a good day to be out

I've nearly completed the mapping of the southwest part of the park now. I've gotten the steepest and probably worst hills out of the way. There was a lot of rock detail and large cliffs. A reentrant I covered appeared to have been lived-in long ago. I found the remnant of a dam and some interesting earth banks. On higher ground I came across two other formerly inhabited areas with old foundation earth works and pits. These would make for some interesting navigating but they are not very big.

Blockhouse Conservation Park. After a interesting day of some meetings about o'mapping and o'meets, I got to an even better part by doing more field checking in the park. It was about 32F and 3:45pm when I finally got to the woods so I didn't have a lot of time. I mapped some of the steep slopes on the southwest end of the park. There were many large uncrossable cliffs and unfortunately a fair amount of green to light green woods. I don't expect people will get much use of this area because of the steepness and rocky ground.

From Rosedale Ave., the Two Mile Loop. Seeing all the light displays around the neighborhood reminds me that I need to get ours up. On the run I tried on some new sweat pants. Technically, they were track pants which I got via mail order. I anticipated them being like nylon wind pants but they were more like a cross between lycra tights and the old cotton/poly sweats which I wore in high school (except lighter). They felt comfortable and the big winds didn't go through them.

30 situps.

From Rosedale Ave., Battery La., to the NIH Trail to Rosewood Dr. to Old Georgetown Rd. to Glenbrook Rd. to Battery La. to Rosedale Ave. It was cold but less windy. I got out for another short evening run.

From Rosedale Ave., Bethesda, MD., the Two Mile Loop through the neighborhood. It had been a long time since I've gone out for a training run in the evening after work. Since Peggy and Max had just gotten home before I did, I had the time. It was about 33F and windy.

From Calvert Rd. Park to Greenbelt Park at the corner of Kennilworth Ave. and Good Luck Rd. I warmed-up playing see-saw, climbing the slide and pushing Max in a swing while Peggy ran. Later I jogged over to the start of training that Jon Torrance setup.

Greenbelt Park, MD. Jon Torrance setup a control picking training event with emphasis on reading vegetation. There's lots of that in Greenbelt; live dead and otherwise (I got a thorny vine twisted on my neck). I ran modestly and was fairly accurate most of the time. It helps that I'm very familiar with the park. Jon did manage to route the courses to some parts which I hadn't actually been to before. It was nice. I kept pulling-up short a lot but didn't make a lot of errors.

Greenbelt Park, MD. to Calvert Park. Warm-down across the disc golf course back to Peggy and Max.

Training - Splits