Training Log Archive: Nadim

We spent the morning relaxing and catching-up on things at home but in the afternoon, we were off again. The Lennon's suggested traveling up to the DVOA event at Mt. Penn/Antietam Lake, so we did.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was a bit windy again but not bad with only a short ride. My legs did feel tired.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I felt tired and weak which was probably a combination of not sleeping enough, and exercising more this week.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I got out the door just before 8am. There were headwinds from the east again (hurricane down south) and it was around 54 F. As soon as I got onto the CCT, I caught up to a guy who'd slowed a little to get around other cyclists. I stayed in his draft moving quickly. As we passed others, we caught another guy who picked-up his pace and pulled us both for a while. Eventually he tailed off and got behind me. We slowed going into Georgetown and after that I moved ahead. It was nice to have help getting through the wind. We had to make short sprints where we slowed for other riders and again picked-up our pace. I saw one of the riders again just before the Lincoln Memorial since he stayed on the roads and almost caught me, but he peeled off toward Memorial Bridge. After rounding the Tidal Basin at 15th & Main St. SW,, the other rider whom I had drafted behind since Bethesda crossed paths w/me by coming the other way around Tidal Basin on roads. It was interesting that our paces worked that way. It was probably the fastest that I rode into work this year.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was some traffic and a headwind getting to Georgetown. After that I slowed a little. A rider who'd turned onto the trail behind me near Memorial Bridge had seemed stronger, but he didn't get by me until then. As he passed, I sped-up and hung onto him as he cruised along, sometimes weaving around bumps on the CCT. At the trestle bridge, he got around another slower rider going our direction, but I couldn't due to an oncoming rider. I kept pace behind him for a while going up the hill but lost him completely. I caught a glimpse of him at Massachusetts Ave. while I was a minute back. Another commuter and a Velo rider caught me at River Rd. After partial re-pavings and pipe projects on Glenbrook Rd. all summer, they stripped the full width along a long swath to get ready to repave it all. It'll be nice but it was bumpy and slow finishing-up my ride today.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I was a bit more tired today starting out. The winds were mixed, seeming to come from the NE or E, but I felt them a lot more in the last few miles where it's more exposed. It was cooler too. I moved along okay and picked-up speed. The first person I passed on the CCT ended up drafting off of me until a mile before Georgetown. When he passed, another person did too. I caught them both eventually.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I got a good start leaving work catching traffic lights pretty well. With a tailwind I got to Georgetown quickly and even got through it smoothly. Overall there just seemed to be less traffic on an average day. Though I slowed to a better pace on the CCT, I steadily passed people and rode alone.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was in the mid-50s F starting out, and sunny. There was a little bit of a headwind from the southeast. I moved pretty well. I got passed by one guy a mile before Georgetown. I caught him again as I got onto Ohio Dr., but he took off from there. I felt okay but not strong today. My quads are still sore from the Ultralong run on Sunday.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I left work a few minutes before 6pm. There was a little traffic at first but it got cleared-up quick enough. I had a tailwind getting to Georgetown, then the winds were varied. Going up the hill alone and slowing a little, a big train of people wizzed past me. I had to wait till the last person of 8 or 9 went by, then I latched-on. As we zipped past others, and proceeded up the grade, the group splintered. I worked my way around riders who were slowing but lost the leaders. Some followed me for a way before I lost them. I settled my pace in alone again the rest of the way.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. My legs were pretty sore from the Ultralong yesterday.

From the Friendship Heights Metro Station at the DC/MD border (Western Ave. & Wisconsin Ave.), Friendship Rd. to Willard Ave. to River Rd. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Bethesda Ave. to Woodmont Ave. to the Bethesda Metro Station. I could just as well have done no additional workout today since I had a long run yesterday. However, I'd done so little last week when it was raining, that I thought I should do a little bit. As slow as it is, this is one of my faster runs this year, and I at least started out taking it easy.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. This was in the twighlight. I hit the traffic intersections well enough to not have to stop. There was a lot to watch out for as there were a lot of other people riding or running without any lights. I at least had a rear flasher and other reflectors.

Event: QOC Fountainhead
 

QOC: Fountainhead. I ran the Ultralong course and only 5 others signed-up. It was fun and I wasn't sure how I'd do with the distance. Being rested helped. I did okay with the distance though I made more errors than I should have. Dave Pruden and I exchanged leads a lot with him ahead more often than not.

I'm very familiar with the map from having set the US Champs Ultralong courses here in 2014. From the start and running up the road, I set a comfortable pace yet on the way to the first control I was fumbling looking for the right trail head. I ultimately cut through the trees to the maintenance yard fence. Dave was ahead on the trail there so he led us into the control. Going to #2, and on the road, I read the area around the control to be a reentrant instead of a spur. I cut it a little early before realizing it so Dave led 2 adventure races there with backpacks who were training for the World Ultralong Championships in Australia. Going to #2 I moved ahead slightly again going up the road. With parked cars and dogs at the trailhead, I went the long way around and the other got in front. We all came off the trail around the same place but Dave went down a reentrant headed for a stream junction. The adventure racers chose to go direct over an extra hill. I ran in between Dave and them, and got to the control first. I didn't see the adventure racers again until we finished.

Going to #4, Dave got ahead of me as I initially started to head for the trail on the wrong side of the creek. Dave was moving well so I went the way he was going and passed him. I pulled in a bit early, coming up one reentrant while Dave went around. I climbed a bit extra to pop over to the next reentrant so Dave got ahead. Going to #5, we ran up toward the big trail. I guess the running hard up the hill was making me not think so well. I started seeing the leg to the upside down #9. To my credit, the map was made really thin in this area since the mountainbike trails were made out of bounds. However, it was still a bonehead move to see Dave going down the road while I decided to take the trail to the wrong control. I realized what I had done and corrected back to the road. Dave got a +30 second lead on me. By the time we took the road and trail to the next control, Dave was still ahead but I was just close enough behind to be helped with him ahead--he kind of queued me to recognize the terrain. After #5, I lost sight of him for a while but after crossing a big reentrant, I saw him again at the top and on a big trail when I got to that. After leaving the big trail, I kind of lost sight of him again until I got close to the control. I was about to cross a reentrant when I saw Dave peeling down toward it. After #6, I chased Dave going up and then across several reentrants. I paused to make sure where we were so Dave got further ahead again. I thought I recognized the spurs ahead and Dave was dropping there. He pulled up on spur too soon and I chased him to that. We crossed a reentrant to the one with the control. Coming out of #7, I got ahead briefly climbing. I lost track of where we were near the trail so Dave got ahead there again. He was ahead while I was trying to read and then he disappeared. Not seeing him made me realize I'd gone too far--Dave had cut to the right while I was reading. I lost sight of him but moved well across some forest to the next trail. I stayed on that trail too long too but this time it was because of the gentle curves. When I went into the forest, I had to go across more reentrants than expected to get to the control. Dave was no where in sight. Going to #9, I crossed the creek early and went through some green--it wasn't bad and I knew that from being in the area before. I got to the next trail but cut a corner to save time. On the high ground on a big trail, I was not matching-up things that well. I got almost to the intersection just after the control. As I turned back, I saw Dave leaving it.

I paused for water so Dave was long gone before I left for #10. I was toying with the idea of staying on the road to go around the out of bounds (neighborhood). Not thinking well, tired and undecided, I went out of my way to the road. As coincident would have it, Peggy and our kids were driving past on the way to the event. I cut back into the forest and went nearly past #4, but I used the trail more. After crossing the creek, I came-up one reentrant early. I was having trouble seeing the one I'd come up since one side of it was out of bounds. I corrected okay but did lose time. For #11, I decided to drop early so that I wouldn't miss the stream junction on the most direct route. It was a bad move. I ended up taking the other stream anyway. I ended up coming over a ridge early when I didn't see a ride that I was looking for. I read my way across well, using a cairn to attack from and hit the control. Had I stayed high from the beginning, I would have not wasted energy and time. I knew I wasn't navigating so well so I took a trail to get out of the area. For #12, I started out okay, leaving the road but drifted right and into an out of bounds zone. I only realized this afterward. I had paused near the control but it took me a while to move to the correct reentrant. I ran fairly straight to finish the loop and lost 5-6 minutes on Dave by the time I'd gotten there. I had a quick drink--a Coke that I'd asked Peggy to bring since we were out of Gatorade. I ate a little bit but wanted a banana.

More later....

Ultra Long - Splits