Training Log Archive: Nadim

I did some vigorous ground preparation for planting some grass seeds. It included using a hard rake to scour the ground that had been bare since the construction on our home began last summer. My arms were tired afterward and even a little sore later.

Since I hurt my calf, I didn't run the QOC Night-O this evening. However I did help out with the meet and got to talk briefly with most of the finishers. The evening was so nice, clear skies, calm, warm, crescent moon, that after returning I wanted to get out. I jumped on my mountain bike and just rode some of the streets and trails that I often run. I was happy to find that I could exert downward pressure on my right foot without aggrivating the particular muscle that I pulled in my calf. Just walking around from the parking lot to the meet, I noticed much improvement over the day before. The night riding was fun but I needed to keep a careful eye out for hazards. There were some blind intersections, potholes and an unsual number of people driving about coming from parties.

45 situps. I thought about trying some easy cycling but thought that waiting longer would be wiser. I had a pretty good gimp in my walking today but I think there is some healing of the muscles in my calf going on.

From the Van Ness/UDC Metro Station in Washington, D.C. down Connecticutt Ave. to Tilden St. to the Rock Creek Trail to Broad Branch Rd., trails on the west side of valley to Military Rd., then up the paved trail to the Western Ridge Trail, to Wise Rd. to Chestnut Rd. to Winnett Rd. to Brennon Ln. to Thornapple St. to Leland St. to Wisconsin Ave. to Bethesda Ave., to Woodmont Ave. to Edgemoor Ln. and the Bethesda Metro Station in Maryland. I'd been looking forward to using this commute route for running homeward again since last fall, before the Standard Time began and it got too dark after work. Though the distance isn't that long, it's hilly and I didn't want to overdo it. I almost picked a run from Takoma Park but I wanted to enjoy the dirt trails and decided to take it easy. On the initial climb from the metro station, my right calf was tight like it had been on recent runs. It felt better on the long downhill on Tilden St. Once I hit the dirt trails and hills in Rock Creek Park, I noticed my right calf continuing to hurt on climbs. The long climb on the paved trail along Military Rd. was where it became noticeably more painful and caused me to slow even more. I still had about 5 miles to go along the planned route and it was getting cooler as the daylight was ending. I kept shuffling along, favoring the right calf and getting slower. Perhaps I should have taken the shortest route home. Once on the roads in Chevy Chase, things got worse. I had to walk a few steps to loosen it up, especially on or right after climbs. I experimented with changing the orientation of my foot but it didn't help. Shorter strides did and I didn't have to walk much the last 2 miles. At one point, I favored my right leg so much that my left knee started to hurt. I shortened the route slightly to finish up. Once done and walking to my car, my legs felt very imbalanced. Knowing during the last few miles that this would be the last run for me for at least a few days, it felt important for me to keep going to enjoy as much of it as I could.

One interesting development that I hope is temporary is that while I was running, I felt a lot of stinging around one eye, and later the other. It was from sweat going over what now feels like dry skin where I'll probably one day develop bigger crows feet wrinkles. I can't recall ever feeling this before and I usually sweat a lot. Visually, I can't see any difference in the skin now but I can definately feel a difference with this area and others by touching with my finger.

From Northfield Rd., to Montgomery Ave. via the Air Rights Tunnel, to the Bethesda Metro Station. I expect the work day today to be rather busy so to ensure that I get some kind of workout in this nice weather, I commuted with Max in his trailer.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark. Fortunately for me, Peggy had already picked-up Max's trailer.

San Antonio, TX. From Houston St. into the River Walk trails headed south to Guenther St. then back via Alamo St. It was raining lightly this morning and I just wanted to get in a run before heading back home. I felt fairly well most of the way though coming back I felt like I was dragging a bit. There were a few slow spots making turns and crossing bridges in the River Walk areas. My right calf continues to feel sore when starting out running and afterwards.

San Antonio, TX. From San Jose Mission Park, San Jose Dr., to a foot trail, to Padre Dr., into Mission County Park, to the Mission Hiker-Biker Trail (E. Pyron Ave.) to the gate at Espada Park (near Military Rd., Rte. 13) back up the Mission Hiker-Biker Trail to Napier Ave. to San Jose Mission. While Peggy and Max toured the Visitor Center, I tried to find part of a route that I'd done when I visited the city several years back. I felt okay and even good going out--it was often slightly downhill with the wind at my back. However, coming back, I felt slower. When I'd gone through this area years earlier part of the roads were under construction and it took me a little remembering to figure that out.

Peggy, Max and I toured the San Jose Mission after my run. The mission was largely reconstructed but looked impressive along the lines of European standards. Dating from the 1760's it was also quite older than I usually think about buildings of this sort being in the U.S. It was interesting to learn how politics, church, community and commerce blended together. The story of the cathedral dome collapsing onto the worshipers there for Christmas Mass was interesting. The way the Indian converts made dwellings just on the inside of the compound walls made me think of an early ghetto though it was probably nicer, relative to the time, than that. The exhibit showing examples of what they had to eat (corn, potatoes, other grains, some vegetables, and bugs) that drove it home--it was a successful agrarian commerce that kept it going but I had a hard time imagining living on their diet. We ate a late lunch at I-Hop afterwards.

Event: QOC: Rosaryville
 

Bastrop State Park, TX. From the playground area near the campground, I did the long permanent advanced course. Peggy had already gotten the map in the morning and said that the woods were great. It started out pretty nice but the map was rather out of date as I got further to the east on the flatter and less used portions of the park. The map was 1:15,000 and probably pretty nice for 1990 when it was created. Old styles of mapping were pretty evident with the contours being adjusted (widened or used where there was not actually a full contour of difference) to give the impression one might feel when in the terrain instead of a more literal depiction. The trails and roads were not drawn to the same level of exactness as easy access to high resolution photos and GPS makes possible today too. The predominantly pine woods were shown as mostly white but even in some of the best of them there were things hanging from trees and arcing branches that often had me running zig-zags. I had fun and it was definately worth the outing. The floor was covered with needles which made footing both slippery and like running on sand. I used my trail shoes and missed havnig spikes. I missed my first control partly due to a mapped trail no longer being on the map. The next one that I missed (#79) took a lot of time as it was a depression in the middle of dense green though mapped as being in white woods. It was surprising that I missed it since I'd come right past #77, only 250m away. It was also fairly flat there. I was right on target for #86 (there were 121 mapped permanant controls) and I was pleased with hitting it since I came at the reentrant through more green from a poor attack point on the direct route. Returning more to the east, I spiked #44 but confident in my route to #51, I never found it. I tried to relocate a couple of times but the mapping of the trails in the area was not matching what I saw in reality. Eventually I found control #122, a new one that was not mapped, and I concluded that #51 had been relocated. I lost a lot of time hunting for #51. It made my overall time look pretty slow but I was moving pretty well most of the time elsewhere. I was a little low coming off a trailbend toward #10. A lot of the controls were harder than expected and part of it was due to the permanent controls, on flat plastic posts, often being oriented on edge to the direction that I was coming from. It was in the upper 70's F and sunny this day and I was thirsty after finishing. It might be nice if local clubs had an A-meet here but the whole map would need to be updated, contours, trails, and vegetation.