Training Log Archive: Nadim

Fountainhead Regional Park, MD. From the entrance road, I jogged to the advanced course start of QOC's event. Overnight, I must have slept a bit funny. A muscle or tendon running from around my left shoulder downward was hurting a little and sometimes sharply. My neck had been stiff lately for a few days and was also not feeling right. It was starting to get warm. Despite more sleep, I still didn't feel very energetic.

QOC: Fountainhead Regional Park, MD. We ran on the East side of the park today and it had been a while since we'd been there. It was getting warm at the time I started and was to get to 86 F. I ran a measured pace on the initial controls and a fair amount of walking by the end.

S-1 - I stuck with the trail until the bend and then climbed the left side of the reentrant to spike it. I recognized the control to be hung rather low behind a dot knoll.

1-2 - I ran out the ride to the intersection and then the top of the reentrant system with the control. Though I ran right to the right reentrant, a small one, I couldn't see the control. I looked around and started to doubt myself enough to take a few steps past, then I turned back and glimpsed it a behind a fallen tree trunk. I'd lost +30 seconds looking around in the reentrant.

2-3 - I ran straight but hesitated at the bottom of the reentrant junction. I went on the the next reentrant down, then up that to the side reentrant.

3-4 - I walked then ran along side the main reentrant, up to the trail intersection. I used the trail toward the control but only to the bottom of the first reentrant. From there I angled up and around to spike it.

4-5 - I went more or less straight, even through a bit of the green, and I spiked it. It was hard to see again.

5-6 - I crossed the reentrant and climbed up to the point that it felt better to stay low. I saw the first dot knoll along the reservoir edge but had only seen one on the map. I checked it out and turned back confused. At the reentrant, I turned back again to the second knoll. The reentrant it was in appeared to be bigger than mapped. I must have lost 90 seconds.

6-7 - I climbed fairly straight up. Since there was unmapped deadfall at the top, I went around the top of most of it before dropping down to the reentrant junction.

7-8 - I went right a little to climb a long spur. I was a little too much to the right so at the top and when crossing the trail, I mistook the reentrant on my right to be the one that was really on my left. I took the spur between them to the bottom, then ran along the side of the creek a little before crossing and climbing. Emerging near the knolls on either side of the trail and NE of #14, I saw Peggy on the trail. I crossed the trail proceeding to #14 very well. The control box was far from the bag and water. I got frustrated looking for it and losing time so I yelled out: "Where's the punch!" I found it on the dot knoll only then to realize that I was really supposed to go to #8 anyway! I kept moving on from there doing well to hit the intersection N of #8 and chase Peggy toward the control. Peggy got in the right area but she must not have seen the bag and got under it. I told her it was up where I was but the control box was again away from the control and in between Peggy and I. I think she punched first. I probably lost 2 minutes from my mistaken navigation to #14 (I had planned a route similar to Peggy's from the point where I'd seen her).

8-9 - I ran an almost straight route initially. Peggy had moved off to my right to apparently avoid the mapped green. I found the mapped gap in it and got to the trail bend. I came in from high so I missed seeing the first of 3 reentrants below. Bill Wright was ahead and I was gaining on him. I looked down the second reentrant that I saw and didn't see the control so I started to move on. However I was close enough to soon see Bill going down the reentrant and punching. I corrected and probably only lost 10 seconds.

9-10 - I learned later that Bill was running Red. We've gotten into races where we were both having a hard time separating before, since over the last year or more he's been running a bit faster. He moved up the hill at a run while I walked. Going down, I gained on him. My route was to the right to avoid climbing a spur on the left side of a reentrant, 3/4 of the way on the leg, however that route took me around some green and lower than the control. As I climbed the spur the control was on, Bill came in from above. I could tell I was too low but I was also just enough unsure due to the hidden controls earlier.

10-11 - I wasn't careful; sloppy actually. I didn't use the saddle or the reentrant on the other side. I was just following a bearing and trying to catch Bill. I missed to the right a little, and got under the control again. Bill came in more accurately and as I corrected, he said next time he was going to wear camouflage. I only lost 15 seconds.

11-12 - I decided to that the high route to the left, to avoid crossing the reentrants. I navigated to the lower boulder okay but I wasn't making sense of the area--I expected to see the other boulders but didn't. I recall adding some of the boulders to the map when I'd sent the US Ultralong Champs courses here in 2014, so my head wasn't in the right frame of mind. I paused long enough to lose 30 seconds. That didn't count my route being longer and probably not beneficial. I figured Bill was long gone.

12-13 - I ran a fairly straight route and spiked it. My track shows a kink at the control but I don't think that was accurate.

13-14 - I took the trail, and cut right at the ride which pointed to the control. Along the way I saw David Onkst as he was going toward #8 or #9. Having been to #14 earlier, I confidently ran down the spur from the trail/ride intersection. I saw the control from 75m out and knew where the punch would be.

14-15 - Down the reentrant to the inlet valley; once across I cut right but climbed immediately to try to avoid ups and downs on the two reentrants ahead. Yuri was in the area ahead, and I heard Bill Wright from behind asking me how I got ahead of him! I had to drop a bit to get past the green efficiently but I passed Yuri just before the control when he paused a little low. I think I may have added the rootstock that the control was near, to the map. Later I heard from Peggy that there was a scream of pain when she was approaching the area. She wondered if she needed to give assistance. I never heard it. We pieced together later that it was probably Bill Wright who turned his ankle badly. Peggy never saw him either but she did hear him say he was somewhat okay.

15-16 - I went fairly straight and spiked it. Crossing the trail did help me to know where I was.

16-17 - I was getting tired and not thinking well. I miscounted reentrants (the control circle at #16 might have contributed since it covered a contour. I dropped down, not even half way through the leg. Once I figured this out, I was still confused and hesitant. I heard what I thought was Bill Wright again, catching up. I kept on going and got to the control ahead of whomever it was but I hesitated at least once more. I probably lost 1:45 on this leg.

17-18 - Tired, I decided to use the reentrants on the right side of the line, and climb gradually where I could. Once across the trail on the ridge I followed another reentrant down but I started to mistake a joining reentrant for the bottom because of the line hiding the contours. I started to climb but realized it quickly. Someone sounded to be catching up on the left side of the reentrant. I didn't hesitate any more. I went across the true stream valley and up to the control.

18-19 - I contoured as much as I could but eventually dropped to the valley.
I'm not sure if that was the best way to go or not. I was able to keep track of the right reentrant at the end but I didn't count going up the valley. I spiked it.

19-20 - I went a little right of the line. Ted Good was walking up the hill and nearing the end of the Red course. He kept a steady pace walking and I only slowly caught and passed him. I had stopped to read a little though. I crossed the trails and emerged close to #1; a little too close to the road. Running down the reentrant to the trail bend I'd left going to #1, I climbed gradually from there, counting reentrants. Ted was running by that point and sticking to the trail. He was passing me, but his Red course didn't have the control I was going to.

20-21 - I went straight. After crossing the creek and starting my climb, I could see Ted going from left to right ahead of me. I was weak and struggling with the climb but I spiked it. Ted was long gone.

21-22 - I just got into the valley and made sure to see the fork in the creek. Folling it, I spiked the control, but there was a second unmapped ditch before the control.

22-23 - I pretty much went straight, trying to avoid the green by going left at some times. I finished on the trail with a slow jog.

It was a tough day physically, and that seemed to help me make errors. I felt rusty. The woods were very nice and almost entirely bereft of spider webs or Japanese Stilt Grasses.

From the entrance to Fountainhead Regional Park, MD, I jogged slowly to the main parking area. It was fortunate that this was downhill. The pavement and shoe spikes hurt my feet. I figured I needed to jog, not to warm down, which this was, but to get a little extra in as Hudson Highlander training. After finishing and while talking with Vido, my neck felt weak and I felt the urge to look downward.

Blue - Splits

From Rte. 193 near Great Falls, MD, Peggy and I ran the Difficult Run Trail to the parking lot near Rte. 7, then back. It was pleasant out, but still humid. I ran behind Peggy and was sometimes getting too close. In the 2nd mile, I fell twice because I missed seeing roots or stones. I was tired again, but this time it probably was due to running hard the day before.

After our run we hurried over to Oatlands Plantation, south of Leesburg, VA to see Max run in a major Cross Country invitational there. Counting teams by their jerseys on the starting line, from far off, I estimate Max's race had 50 different teams altogether. Max was not very articulate in describing his race, when he said it was okay. Peggy pressed him about different segments such as the in the woods section and the major hill at about the 2nd mile. His time was 22 minutes, which is a slower pace than his earlier races. The spectator friendly course was probably hillier too; a varsity race we saw seemed to be won in about 16 or 17 minutes. We didn't hear results how the Walt Whitman teams did. My sister Rubina got there too late to see Max's race but we were able to have lunch w/her.

From Ray's Meadow Park and the Ohr Kodesh Congregation parking lot (near East West Hwy in Rock Creek Park, MD), I ran up the Rock Creek Trail to Cedar Ln. and back. It was in the low 70s F and breezy outside of the valley--all-in-all a much nicer day than my longer run on Wednesday. Starting out I still felt tired from my run on Wednesday. The old trestle bridge for the Georgetown Branch Trail has been removed and grading for the new Purple Line bridge has begun next to the old alignment. Though it seemed like I was moving faster and working harder, my first mile was slow. I put more effort into it and did get faster. There's not much climb on the Rock Creek Trail but I felt it sometimes. I was 30:09 at the turnaround. I pushed more on the return and my strength held up mostly. The ball of my left foot hurt at times and I felt pain in my left knee more after finishing.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt sore from the run the day before.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I'd worked late and by the time I was home I felt it better to eat. I finally decided not to run at 10:30pm.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I still hit some traffic, but was faster.

From 12th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. down Independence Ave. to 17th St., and the Reflecting Pool to Lincoln Circle, to the Rock Creek Trail, to the C&O Towpath, to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) at Fletcher's Boathouse, to Woodmont Ave. to the Bethesda Metro Station. It has gotten to 93 F earlier today and I was going to bail out on my plan to do this run. It'd been years since I ran from work all the way to Bethesda because of back problems. In 2012 I did this run a full 20 minutes faster. However as I was getting ready it got dark outside and storm warnings of large hail were issued. I waited but it hardly rained. Most of it went well south. I only got sprinkled on in the first 2 miles or so. It was humid but in the upper 80s F. I was not so strong and I measured my pace from the beginning. Even a woman ahead with her dog were running slightly faster than me. A water fountain on the towpath in Georgetown didn't work. I couldn't remember and hoped there would be a water fountain somewhere around the trail at Fletcher's Boathouse but I didn't see any. I trudged up the hill, not slowing too much at first. After the bridge at the water treatment plant, I stopped and drank a good bit. I splashed myself too. After that I was running slower. My feet started to make sloshing sounds in my shoes from the sweat gravitating downward. My left knee started hurting along with the ball of my left foot (still hurt since the 4th day of the Scottish 6 Days). That meant my weaker right leg (residual from back problems) was running stronger than my left. I slowed more the last 2 miles and didn't mind as much with it getting dark. I stopped one more time for water just before Bethesda Ave. On this run I played around with my stride sometimes getting a proper back kick and knee lift, while other times I shuffled or shortened my stride. That helped me use different muscles and made the long uphill grade seem easier at times.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. Tired and sopping wet, starting off my right knee was hurting--it'd been my left knee hurting during the run but the cycling motion was different. It took a while to loosen up. It was dark but felt rather comfortable outside. Even after drinking water, I weighed out at 189 lbs.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I kept running into traffic.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I'd been feeling tired all day and my legs were still sore. With a school meeting in the evening, I planned to delay my run until late, but I decided to just rest.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I think I had some headwinds but it wasn't much until riding along the Potomac. I wasn't feeling that strong. I did push on occasion. This was supposed to be a day to relax my legs a little.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I was a little sore. Without trying much, I got to and out of Georgetown pretty well. I had been holding off one guy part of the way. On the CCT, I moved slower and got passed eventually by another guy. I drafted him until he slowed; when I passed, I dropped him. Three other guys eventually passed me. One in the last mile might have been the guy I'd seen behind me before Georgetown. I thought my overall time would be slower. I carried double clothes, and there were headwinds on the last few miles going into Bethesda.