Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC: Wheaton (venue change)
 

QOC: Wheaton Regional Park, MD. For warming-up Max and I had a long walk to find bathrooms and we eventually got lunch at the ice rink--I ate a hot dog and fries. Max had part of a hot dog and a big pretzel. We didn't see Peggy when we got back and Max was ready to do a course. He'd been fickle about a choice of doing the White course or the Streamer course. Knowing that Alexis Merka (slightly older than him) had done the Streamer course already, he chose that. I trailed along and needed to jog at times to keep up. I was worried about jogging it and injuring myself before going out but it worked out okay. Max was slower going up the hills. He was following the streamers but really did have a sense of what to do each time we paused to read the map. He mostly knew where we were based on which control we'd just punched at but took the correct turns at trail intersections. The controls themselves did not match the map in several places. Though they paralleled the placements on the map, some had been moved around to aid the kids in locating turns, etc... Max had run the same course 2 or 3 years back though he probably has no memory of it. I was pleasantly surprised to see him motivated to get up hills and run most of the way this time. He liked the stickers at the controls too! Since I'd locked the van before running, when we got back, Peggy was waiting cold and not so happy :(.

QOC: Wheaton Regional Park, MD. With Peggy back, I got a chance to go out and do the Brown course. The warm-up on the streamer course raised my confidence in being able to run so I started out doing so. I wore my trail shoes--something I wouldn't do if I were racing. They felt fine while running about at the slower speeds I was doing.

The last time I ran in this park, I had a similar first leg. It was short an involved going down to a stream, crossing it and going a little way past the next ridge top. I was so far left last time that I was thinking about being careful not to do it again. I even let myself drift right. Somehow, I still ended up to the left and above the control--not quite as bad as the last time but enough to be annoying. I don't know if I errored or if it was just another example why I think the map needs an update. On the second leg, I used a route through an area mapped with an ugly/scarry looking green but my visual inspection reavealed it to be not so bad; I even used a deer trail much of the way through the worst of it. The next couple legs were pretty easy with mostly trails to use. I knew from talking with course setter Mark Mace that he had to make undesired alterations (park concerns about going near the horse barns surfaced) to his original course and attribute the low level of difficulty to that. I developed a need to use a bathroom after #2 so my mind was distracted by that the rest of the way. On leg #6 following an accurate bearing was important and I executed this well, I shuffled along and as I dropped to a stream and trail crossing, I could see Dasa Merka choosing to go up the same reentrant that I was. I was surprised that I was gaining on her. Tthough she was doing a longer course, I though the hill and my injury were slowing me more than that. I did walk the steep part getting up to #6. I think our courses were the same for the next leg. I continued gaining on Dasa and eventually passed her on the left as I followe a bearing across and over a hilltop. I went right past a familiar area but was in too much of a rush to pause and make sure of my location. As I headed down the hill, I noticed a reentrant ahead and thought it would take me to the control. I should have been over one to the right. I think this only cost me about 15-20 seconds. I neglected to exit #7 on the best route but got on it soon enough. I spiked #8 with it being visible from a trail a long way off--the woods are at there best in this park right now. I also spiked the finish with my route across the woods NE of it. Of course, being able to see the large building near the start made it easier... I enjoyed getting out and being able to run on my legs. I took some ribbing from Peggy and others at the finish for being fool-hardy and taking risks while trying to recover from my injury.

QOC: Wheaton Regional Park, MD. Going out on this my calf/achilles was a litte more sore and stiff. I gathered 7 controls including one water stop in the hilliest part of the park and held-up okay. My navigation was good but I kept noticing areas of the map that I'd like updated/fixed.

Brown - Splits

From the Rockville Sports Complex near Rock Creek Park in MD., I crossed north of Southlawn Dr. and started with the hillsides of the landfill. I'd covered part of this area last weekend but having lost the GPS tracks it was worth doing it again. With features on paper this time, I was much better able to keep track of my position and record the area. I found it interesting with a sort of stair step to it and a mix of runnable and less runnable mature and immature trees. There were several clearings that were mostly horizontal on the stair steps best of all, there were some seemingly erratic boulders hidden about. Looking across the grassy top of the landfill, there was more interesting contour but with the methane extraction pipes running all over the place, we'll not be able to use any of that for decades. I also covered some of what I expect will be very enjoyable fast open woods on a large rounded hill that's somewhat south of the dam. Our Summer Short Series training ventures into these area should be helpful with at least 3 distinct terrain areas--the two already mentioned and the boulder strewn stream valleys below them. I did feel some soreness walking around on uphill parts but the more I was out, the better I felt. I tried a few steps running here and there too. These didn't hurt.

45 situps. After trying to run on Thusday night, my calf and achilles were sore much of Friday.

I was glad to return to spring in Bethesda, MD this evening. Despite cloudy skies, the weather was much warmer than it was in Kansas City, MO. I'd been eagar to try running after basically a week off. I started off in the dark in light rain and headed up the gradual hill on Northfield Rd. to Greenwich Park. Hills had aggrivated my injury a week ago. I took it easy and felt like things were going okay. However I was happy to get to Georgetown Rd. where it was flatter. I moved steadily and felt okay. I figured I'd be able to do a planned 2 mile easy run. With a very slight uphill grade approaching Cedar Ln. I felt it was time to shorten the run. I turned down Sonoma Rd. and on the down hill felt like I should be able to run better. However that wasn't the case. I needed to slow before the second block and then decided to make it as short as possible by heading back on Grant St. I toughed it out for a minute but finally decided to just walk home a little bit before reaching Greentree Rd. This little outing made my injury surprisingly more sore. It also felt more localized in a diagonal from the lower calf and into the achilles tendon. My memory is that the injury was higher before. It looks like this will take a while to heal and that I'll have to rely on bicycling for exercise for a while.

45 situps in my hotel in Overland Park, KS. I was more tempted to run this day and had actually brought clothes to try it after work. However, a work social dinner got planned and I used the remaining time afterward for some needed shopping afterward. I also noted some unexpected uncomfortableness in my injured calf--may that was weather related.

45 situps. I worked late and was tired. I ate and watched the new Alice in Wonderland mover. With worsening weather and not a very good place to run near my hotel in Overland Park, I wasn't very motivated to test out and see how much I'd healed.

45 situps. After working most of the day, then traveling to Kansas City, I didn't have much time to do much else.