Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: OCIN - US Night and Relay Championships
 

Hueston Woods State Park, OH. Warmup in the snowy lodge parking lot. It was around 32 F and cloudy.

US Night Orienteering Championships, OCIN, Hueston Woods State Park, OH. This was one of those times when a do over would have been really nice. It was cool (~30 F) at the start, but I planned for that and was ready. There was about 2 inches or more of snow on the ground and i was more or less ready for that too. The first 3 controls seemed to come up really fast, especially since it was night orienteering in which distance travelled is usually perceived to be longer than it actually is. I had to check and re-check the map on the first 2 controls (I'd also forgotten to grab control descriptions at the start). For the 3rd control, my bearing was off so I hit a road passing well under the control, then had to go up the road and back. On the 4th control, I wanted to stay high so as to avoid a slippery steep climb at the end. However, I was too far to the right and had to come back to the left at the end. For #5, I chased a guy and then ran true as he missed to the right; I spiked it!

Control #6 was my downfall. I thought to use the roads and trails. First, I wanted to hit the roads well left of the straight route. I don't know what was happening but I kept drifting right. The result was that I went across some green going almost straight toward the control. When I hit a road, I wasn't sure which road it was but eventually left it, knowing where I was. If I'd have just stayed on the road, I would have been better off. However, I returned to my plan to hit a power line trail in a greenish slashy looking power line ride. I was okay at first but hit some dense vegetation and started adjusting a lot. Soon, without knowing it, I got turned around and even read my compass 180 degrees off. I never seemingly got to the power line ride. I stopped when I realized this and not knowing where I was, I bailed for the road again. Once on the road, not far from where I'd left it earlier, I headed toward the finish and Go control. I passed both going for the lake shore. I realized that I needed to head back up a little when I saw that some streams were high. Eventually, I got in the right reentrant, followed it up to the power line ride, then climbed the side of the reentrant slowly to the control. I think I lost 15:00 minutes,

After that debacle, I settled down. I ran straightest toward #7 but when. Hitting the reentrant valley, I paused a long while to figure out if I was left or right of the control; I had been left of it and analyzed it correctly, I went straight to #8 too but got caught in unmapped green right before it; I even fell and had trouble untangling myself to get up. For #9, I crossed the reentrant, ran up a kind of spur, and went along the top of a reentrant to spike it. Somewhere along here, it had started snowing harder. For #10, I wasn't sure what to do. Rather than take long to decide, I decided to just run straight up the reentrant. This took me back and forth across the creek a few times. I also used a trail further up. I spiked it. For #11, I ran a straightish angle to the road then with some hesitancy, I went around to the right side if the hotel. The rest was just run and run. I did however stay in the snow on the run in.

This was a disappointing race. Knowledge of the park would have helped a lot.

OCIN_US_Night_2013_Green - Splits

From the Friendship Heights Metro Station at the DC/MD border (Western Ave. & Wisconsin Ave.), Friendship Rd. to Willard Ave. to the Little Falls Trail, to River Rd. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Bethesda Ave. to Woodmont Ave. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. I worked late but at least I did my short planned run. It was icy so I went slowly for a while. Once on the CCT I picked up the pace a little. It was straighter and I could tell but not necessarily see in the dark, that there was less ice.

Though tempted to go run, I realized that it was too icy.

I woke up early enough to at least start out with Peggy on a run (it was later than Peggy would usually run on a weekend). I was a little like that long ago time before we had Max and ran together on weekends a lot. I covered the Seneca Greenway Trail between Rte. 355, and Huntsman Rd. It was 26 F starting out. There was just a dusting of snow on the way out but when returning, the last +2miles had steady snow that started to accumulate. I could tell that I was closing-in on Peggy when I could distinguish her running stride foot prints in some places. The first 9 tenths of a mile I felt pretty well but I struggled on hills after that. I was okay on flats and moved pretty well going down hills. My knees could feel it afterward. As usual, the Greenway Trail was fun and did not disappoint me.