Training Log Archive: Nadim

Patuxent River Park, MD. I set out 51 controls. It was pushing darkness by the time I was done. I was a bit rushed at the end. I wanted to triple check a couple of control sites but didn't get to. My map was hard to read due to printing quality and the poor light so I ended up misplacing one. For another control, I brought a bag/flag, but left an epunch box. I had to leave that for the next morning. On the way home, I pigged-out gobbling up a lot of potato chips, and having missed lunch. At home, after dinner, I had a couple of bouts of bad leg cramps. They started after trying to get up from dinner. I had to lay down on the floor till they wore off.

I've been busy at work so though I had planned to run at lunch, I got busy and forgot.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. We went out for Samantha's birthday dinner and opened presents later.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I was a little more tired today. Starting out it was around 55 F and downtown there was a slight headwind along the river. I got a pull partway from around Massachusetts Ave. to Fletcher's Boathouse but I felt I was pushing too hard. I backed-off before redlining. Two other guys who were moving very fast passed me just before Georgetown but on Water St. where they slowed, I got ahead again.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving just at 6pm, before the gate closed, I moved well. There was a slight tailwind on Ohio Dr. I caught the other woman from USDA whom I pulled for yesterday. She tagged along for a while but we got separated in pedestrian traffic by the Kennedy Center. I got pulled along the flats a mile out of Georgetown but again needed to slow as I was going up the hill. I was carrying my laptop which made it all the harder to keep up.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I didn't sleep very well again and a false fire alarm at 5am didn't help. However after getting the kids to where they were supposed to be, I rode in and noticed feeling stronger than when I rode last week. It was 54 F with no winds, and a touch of fog. Glenbrook Rd. was bumpy and I had to ride on the sidewalk where they'd started to do repaving work. On the trail, I moved well and picked-up a rider or 2 drafting off of me. I led the whole way into Georgetown, slowing a little there, but feeling pretty strong until finishing. I should take it easier going home. As soon as I got to work, I got a call from Samantha's before-school-care and learned about a mix-up with a substitute bus. Peggy had to leave work to get her to school and Samantha's field trip.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving just before 6pm, I got a good start and felt fairly well. There was a wind from the west which mostly was neutral but it sometimes could be felt for slowing me down. After Georgetown, I moved along well, and soon had people drafting off of me. I pulled them, including one strong woman rider from USDA, up to just before Massachusetts Ave., and then I got a pull for up to River Rd. and then I moved ahead again. I slowed a bit after that. A video crew was at the intersection of Falls Rd., and the CCT where someone with a sign was being interviewed. It's a somewhat dangerous intersection with no traffic light but drivers usually respect it. It was getting dark by then so I had just turned on my headlamp before the intersection. Glenwood Rd. was smoother for a while but was not fully repaved. I slowed more going up it. Overall, I thought I had gone faster than this time.

Event: Mid-Atlantic Championships
 

Warm-up jogging around the parking lots for the Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. Though I tried to, I didn't sleep well.

Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. I ran the Green course. I had trouble right away.

S-1 - I was a little intimidated going into this since I hadn't run in the area in a long time, and had done so poorly at Antietam Lake. I had trouble right away. I knew people were going down a trail but I couldn't get my compass to settle right and got going about 180 degrees off. In the wrong parking lot, I turned around and got on the trail. I came off of it just past the ditch and crossed the ditch to get to the control. I at least hit that right from an attack point.

1-2 - I angled down to the trail and ran to an intersection. I ran past the intersection and sought to cut off distance on a switch-back. However I was one intersection too soon--I should have listened to that voice in my head about that. I got on the wrong trail and descended hesitantly to the east edge of the park. Turning around, I couldn't make sense of the trails because I thought I was elsewhere. I climbed back 2 intersections and cut right but this put me on a trail that paralleled the eastern edge of the park again. I ran hesitantly being unsure of where I was at first. It looked too thick to cut over to the road. I climbed and looked for a mapped intermittent trail to take me there but I never found it. I did a lot of extra climb and distance getting to the power lines, well past the control. Using trails, I attacked a short distance from the north. I think I lost more time on this than AP shows.

2-3 - I ran straight and hit the reentrant before the control. I went around the top of it. Dasa Merkova was approaching from the reentrant and got there just before me.

3-4 - I went left of where Dasa was going, to get above the green. Aiming for the power line bend, it was slow getting there. I got on the trail going right under the power line tower but couldn't see where it went into the forest on the other side. The trail curved backward and I followed it knowing something wasn't right. I finally got to where the next trail emerged but hadn't realized it. I started looking for where to cut down again too soon. Once at a reentrant, I realized where I was and went to the control with no more trouble.

4-5 - I started straight at it but kept getting turned by vegetation. Finally hitting a trail, I took it to a bend and knew right were I was. I attacked from there and crossed another trail before getting near. I slowed near the house and Istvan Naggy closed in from behind. He was more confident of where we were and went right to it. I punched after him.

5-6 - I chased, then passed Istvan, barreling at it, and spiking it. Having the barn nearby helped.

6-7 - I started walking almost immediately and marched straight up. At that pace, I was confidently reading the boulders into the charcoal terrace. I did manage to run after crossing the second trail. Istvan was nearby.

7-8 - I charged off straight at it. The terrain wasn't that thick at first. I knew where we were when passing the control between 2 boulders. The trails confused me a little but I figured them out. I slowed to attack and Istvan caught-up. He attacked a little beyond me by our paths crossed. Istvan saw it first, but I think I got there first.

8-9 - I walked up at first and when I got to the fenced area, I ran around it on the left side. I crossed the parking lot, went past a pavilion and continued into the thickish woods. At the road crossing, I got confused--probably due to being in oxygen debt. I cut left and went through a pull-out. Sam Cohen came running through just before me but was moving too fast. I hit the next trail and couldn't tell where I was on it. Checking left initially, I turned around and went to the control. In the meantime Istvan had passed me. Perhaps I should have played it safely and come around on road and trails the whole way.

9-10 - My run-in was less than energetic.

I went with Sam Cohen and one other orienteer to check a misplaced control. It was definitely misplaced from the features around it. I found the control on an unmapped charcoal terrace that was in the green almost 100m south of the control, on an unmapped charcoal terrace. We jogged parts of the trail coming and going.

Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. I was on a relay team with Steve Campbell, and Paul Hesson. Steve led off for us but was a good way behind at the spectator control. He improved by the time he finished. Paul had similarly made-up time on others. I was the anchor leg, chasing Peggy who was running on another QOC team.

S-1 - I ran down the trail and descended further down a long ditch that was slower than I'd hoped due to debris. I crossed the creek and started to climb. Spotting a boulder up high, I knew I'd had to cut right to the next. However Boris G. came from behind and cut that corner better. He led us into the control where someone else had been punching.

1-2 - I aimed for the trail like Boris did and headed over. I could hear someone coming from behind. It was Ted Good but I never saw him. I wasn't keeping up with Boris' pace and lost him just after crossing a reentrant. Peggy had just been passed by Boris too. We closed-in on Tori Campbell with the control being further ahead than I thought.

2-3 - I passed Peggy and was trying to close-in on Tori. I wasn't doing a good job of it until we reached the road. I didn't take enough time to pinpoint where I'd hit it. Cutting left, I presumed we were further left than we really were. Tori cut in before me and I cut some distance on her by cutting in later. Since we were further from the control than we thought we were, Tori and I had difficulty matching-up the many rocks. Seeing a distinctive cliff, I had a hard time believing the control was that much further away. I eventually went over there with Tori and Peggy ahead. Ted Good had passed us too without our seeing him since he left the road much later.

3-4 - I bashed through the forest to the road, hitting it at a trail intersection. I'm pretty sure Peggy was behind me at that point. The forest wasn't as green as anticipated. On the road, I closed-in on Tori. but went to a trail intersection which was further than needed.

4-5 - I had expected to go to #6 next so when I left for #5, I was a little confused for a few seconds. Torri was ahead but kept ahead by cutting closer to the bathroom. She about got away from me as I slowed to read more carefully. However, I was still catching Dave Pruden. He took trails to the control, but I used the forest. As I approached, still behind Dave, Tori had come-in and was going out.

5-6 - I didn't have a good plan but not executing it was about as bad. I chased Dave Pruden until he to a tack to the right. Tori slowed when leaving the trail so I was soon able pass her. I got to a control on a charcoal terrace but attacked poorly from there. I went way paste the control into some open forest. I relocated quickly from some stony ground and had to run uphill to punch. Tori, Dave, and Peggy had unbeknownst to me, passed me.

6 - F - I ran through the ball fields to the backstop and then on trails and roads.

QOC had enough winners on other courses to win the newly refurbished Broken Compass Award again.

Green - Splits