Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Patapsco Valley State Park, MD
 

Patapsco Valley State Park, CCBC Catonsville. Ted Good had expanded the map that he previewed to us almost 2 years ago. The map was good and the woods were overall rather good too. However, the big factor of the day was the weather. It was 40 F and raining solidly. Streams were rushing and swollen. Not having done much training the last few weeks, I was already contemplating running less today; I dropped to the Red course. I ran with my old trusty Gortex jacket that I bought somewhere around 1989. It kept me warm and relatively dry. I even ran with the hood the whole way.

S-1 The first control involved crossing good sized stream. I went out of the way to cross at a trail crossing and grabbed a stick before plunging in. Most of that was good but even there I hit a pocket of rushing water up to my knee. Going out of the way lost me some time. However, I felt pretty good running.

1-2 - I ran straightish and wondered if sticking to the trails more would have been better. It seemed like there was more contour approaching the loop road than expected. I found the rocks higher in the reentrant and paused before descending to the control which from there was just out of sight.

2-3 - I wanted to stay high so I cut across to the power lines and then on trails to the road. The woods were rocky and slippery so I don't know if going lower and more direct would have been faster or not. I got on trails again but at a bend I thought I'd save some time cutting across a bend. I got too high doing this and didn't use a trail intersection as a good attack point to contour into the control. I ended up at a tower 125m above the control and ran down from there. This might have been a 2 minute error.

3-4 - I ran down the reentrant and crossed the swollen stream where it was wide and flowing in many different channels. I cut right once the reentrant steepened to the north and went to the control. I had to climb back up half a contour. Keg Good was coming to it from the other direction.

4-5 - My first inclination was to go straight so I did that up to the stream. It was deeper and faster than the other streams so far. I thought to use a log but it was angled down steeply. Ultimately I plunged in with a stick again. Hidden rocks made me waiver and feel like the water was going to push me over. Once across, I climbed but decided to stay high, using the trails as an easy attack point; I cut right and climbed parallel and above the stream. I got on the road eventually, and when that ran out, I used the trails south of #6. Coming down, things were going well until I hit a small rise in the trail. On the run I didn't match it up though it's easy to see sitting still now at home. I kept going, having anticipated the bend but the further I went, the more trouble I had knowing where I was. I cut right, expecting the control, then dropped more, between the trails. I could see the bottom nearing and thought I'd dropped too much. I went back up, then down and up again each time moving over a little to make sure that I didn't miss the depression. My glasses were wet and fogged so at one point seeing a rock pile, I wasn't able to connect it to the 3 small black dots on the map. Other people came through and seemed to be hunting high too. I dropped one time planning to go to the trail bend that I could see. I had earlier concluded this was a bend further down on the map but it was actually the one with the control. When I saw Jon Torrance running back up, I figured he was coming up for the control, so back up I went too. Eventually I went all the way to the bend and found the depression. This was at least an 8 minute error.

5-6 - I ran up a lot of the trail, making better than expected time since it was steep and I'd already been up and down it a bunch already. The trail intersections at the top didn't seem right. I stayed on the trail for a way past the next intersection and then descended into a reentrant. I had passed the one I needed so I ended up going over the top of the control while in the circle. I kept going checking-out cliffs and seeing a trail that I thought might be unmapped. Soon I looked longer at my compass and realized I was at the end of a long straight cliff. I turned back and went straight to the control cliff which was visible from 50m away when headed south. Dan Quinn had just punched ahead of me and I'd seen him at #5.

6-7 - I figured if I caught Dan that I could be with him for a while unless either Dan would run faster as he sometimes does, or make an error in which I could get ahead. I ran straight toward #7 but hit the curving trail closer to the intersection than planned. I cut off trail and spiked the control but Dan's position helped give it away too.

7-8 - I ran left of straight. Dan climbed better than I was doing and started to get further ahead. I turned left once I hit the big trail on the ridge. I went right and left at the next 2 intersections, then dropped down the reentrant. It was greener than expected with old fallen logs; I figured Dan was really getting ahead now. Approaching the stream, I glimpsed the control on the hill on the other side. I got across quickly and punched.

8-9 - I found Dan running toward me; he and his dog had been slow getting across the swollen stream or he'd just made a mistake. I hit #9 okay though I had to climb more than expected at the end. Dan may have closed some ground on me.

9-10 - I ran right to a boulder that I thought the control was going to be on. Dan had already been to #10 after #3 so he knew where to find it, just a few meters beyond in the ditch, and he got there first.

10-11 - My bearing wasn't so good starting out. I ended up running to the right and used the trail a little. Coming off of that, I descended the hill faster than Dan could; I had spikes and he didn't. We zig-zagged over the spurs. I was looking for the campground loop road and was surprised that it was higher and to my left. Dan was further to the right. I didn't end up crossing the campground so at the power lines I cut left more. I was just a little hesitant but saw the rocks ahead. Meanwhile, Dan came from behind and got there ahead of me.

11-12 - Dan lead up to the trail but paused after the power line. I kept going to the road and cut right. This saved climb and the crossing of the swollen stream. Dan caught me on the climb up the road. He cut in just past where I'd planned to, after the trail intersection. He paused and I got ahead a little. His line took him around some fallen trees so he got there ahead of me.

12-13 - Dan got on the trail ahead of me. The woods looked okay so I cut the corner a little more past the maintenance yard and caught-up to him. At the trail intersection, he paused and I kept going to spike it.

13-14 - I ran a little left of straight and passed one of the guys I'd seen way back at #5. Dan got even further left. I'd slowed enough to see the wall and match it up with the control. I then saw the control. I cut right to cross the steam so Dan trailed when I punched.

14-F - I had expected a sprint finish with Dan and that he might out kick me. However neither of us has been doing much sprinting like we used to. Going straight, and not on the trail, I pushed up the hill but did walk a little on steeper parts before the field. In the field, I heard a groan behind me but pushed-on to surprisingly get in ahead of Dan. He beat me overall because of my awful errors on #5 and #6 but it was a good race. I felt I navigated better with the pressure but also that the return trip was technically easier.

Peggy had injured herself and was stymied at the stream crossings so she DNF. With a big gash on her left knee, we went to get her stitched-up and the rain turned to snow.

C • "This was at least an 8 minute error." 2

Red - Splits

45 sit-ups. It is a busy week for work with budget data due.

45 sit-ups.