Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Fountainhead East
 

QOC: Fountainhead East. We got to use the very hilly mountain biking section of the park today. Patrick Farley set a nice but physically tough course. In the 5.8K, 400m climb course, I ran 6.6K and 257m of climb (according to my GPS watch). There was enough climbing that I felt I was walking much of the way. I just couldn't get over the hills running like I once used to here. I did go into all of the controls well--I just may not have been on the most efficient route, or lost contact a few times along the way. All of the walking going up hills certainly did help keep me in contact. It was nice briefly seeing JJ Cote and Clint Morse who'd come down just to run this event--JJ needed to check-off doing an orienteering event on January 8th. Peggy and Max started before me, but I never saw Peggy on the course.

S-1 - I had a rough plan to use the large reentrant and trails to get around the out-of-bounds archery range. As I got going, I stayed too close to the line, having to climb over a spur that I didn't need to do. I should have used the trails to the right more than I did so I lost over a minute. It seemed that the archery range was beyond what was mapped. I saw a buffalo target and knew I needed to cross a creek. Though I otherwise kept good map contact this day, I hadn't been so good about it on this leg. Once around the archery range, I went right to the control.

1-2 - Initially on the left side of the creek, I crossed as soon as it was efficient to do so. On the trail, I closed in on a runner ahead and passed as he paused at the trail bridge crossing. After that I went a little to the left of the leg line and basically straight, except for where trails lined-up.

2-3 - Straightt - two other orienteers were closing-in as I was and each came from a different direction. One was a woman who'd probably taken the trail around. I got there just behind both and saw the woman later.

3-4 - I went pretty close to straight, following the reentrant rather than the trail after passing the peninsula. I kept straight afterward. As I closed-in, the woman whom I'd seen at #3 was coming in behind me from the west, probably having taken the trail to the bend on the previous ridge.

4-5 - I went around the tops of reentrants or straight until the last large spur before the control.

5-6 - Up the reentrant and trail from #5, I went straight over the ditch and trail on the knoll, then down the next reentrant (the one with deadfall). I hesitated at the stream about the correct reentrant but went on bearing over the broad spur to the right to spike the control.

6-7 - I went straight initially but turned right on the trail, and left at the next trail intersection (hard to see the intersection there). This got me around a reentrant that I should have ran over, so I lost some time. I fell into the control well but from above on the flatter parts, almost mistook the small reentrant that the control was in for the larger one to the right.

7-8 - Leaving #7, I didn't climb to the trail. I did have to cut left a little to get around the peninsula. I went up the big reentrant, then angled upward. I did seen the lower dot knoll above me and spiked the control going straight from there.

8-9 - In retrospect, I should have gone straight leaving #8. I just didn't want to drop after having climbed to it. I ran NW planning to hit the trail but I didn't go far enough north to hit it. I eventually crossed the big reentrant and was feeling I'd lost map contact. On the other side, I hit the trail just where it was going north/south across a 1 1/2 contour side reentrant. On track again, I got to the intersection. The woman I'd seen earlier at #3 and #4 came in from the left, just ahead of me. I went straight, right on the leg line to the right of the formline knoll. The woman paused there. I passed and went to the control, crossing a sort of spur before I could see it.

9-10 - I climbed up the reentrant. The woman who punched #9 behind me, was younger and faster. I almost caught her when she paused at the trail and just before the reentrant with the control. We'd attacked off of the trail intersection with stony ground just north of it.

10-11 - I went fairly straight leaving #10, chasing the woman who'd passed me earlier. She was pulling further ahead. We got into a reentrant just before crossing a stream. I passed Max there (he'd been unmotivated and didn't bring his O-shoes today; subsequently he'd already skipped some controls and was walking). The woman went past the trail and over the side reentrants as I ran the trail and made-up ground. Max fell in step behind me. My focus was mostly on not tripping on the sometimes stony trail--I am not yet strong enough running that I lift my legs properly. I cut off the trail to the right before it bent left and bottomed out (as I've had practice doing in many previous events here). Hitting the trail again, I used the bridge to cross the creek. The woman who'd started the leg just in front of me, went across the creek off-trail and climbed early. I climbed angling up to the control right on the leg line. The lower rootstock didn't register in my head when I passed it below so I wasn't sure how to make sense of the 'middle rootstock description' but I figured it correctly from the center of the circle. The woman whom had climbed earlier had corrected by this point and punched just ahead of me again.

11-12 - I used the trails to go around on the right most of the way. At the northern trail bends, I cut the corners. I passed a younger guy doing this and he seemed to start using the trails more too behind me. I spiked the control. The woman who'd left #11 just ahead of me took a straighter route and apparently made an error.

12-F - I initially got onto the wrong trail, climbing a little, and heading NE. I realized it quickly and cut down across a switch-backing trail. Eventually I got to the trail I wanted to be on. There were some dangerous sections. It was built for cyclist so going over some drop-offs there were wooden slatted ramps (tripping hazard for wearing spikes) instead of stairs. The guy who'd come into #12 behind me running blind over one let out an "Oh!" as I closed-in but neither of us fell. When I'd finished I did hear that one experienced eastern European woman in the club had broken her ankle this day, but I don't know where). Crossing the stream at the bottom on the bridge, I used trails going up the reentrant. I cut corners at some bends. A sprinkling of rain started to fall. I saw the extent of deadfall ahead and went around it on the left side, off trail. Emerging at the road where the cycling trails start, I knew the control was to the right but I didn't see it. Another younger woman I had been closing-in on was to my left and we realized the control location at about the same time. I sprinted up the finish knoll and in, if it can be called that, and I got there ahead of her. The younger guy who'd started the leg just behind me and had briefly passed me, finished just behind again.

Overall, this was a decent day navigating for me. I look forward to being physically stronger if I can. Several of us (Matt Smith, Lydia Andrews, and the Onkst's) got together to warm-up and eat at Spartans afterward. It had been about 41 F while we had run. The predicted snow never came.

Green - Splits

Rock Creek Park, MD. From Cedar Ln., the Rock Creek Trail to just past Kensington Pkwy., then the trail on the left to Kingston Rd., to Saul Rd., to Kensington Pkwy., to the Rock Creek Trail, to Cedar Ln. It was 42 F while I was running and I was running near sunset on a clear day. It took a while to warm-up. There weren't many in the park. Posted signs indicate starting January 15 and going through March, the park and trails will be closed after sunset on weekdays. It's probably to cull deer.

From Northfield Rd. I ran up to Custer Rd., to Wilson La., to Exeter Rd. to Glenbrook Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to the NIH grounds, to Maple Ridge Rd. to Georgetown Pike, to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. It 55 F with a light rain shower when I started. I was going to take the day off but I realized I wouldn't have much chance to run tomorrow. My left foot was a little numb again. Mostly, it was hard to get any smoothness to my stride. A half mile before finishing the rain started falling harder.

From Northfield Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., via Greenwich Park, to W. Cedar Ln., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail along Rockville Pike and up to Maple Ridge Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was yet another damp and warm day--61 F, 94% humidity--good Georgia training weather. I started out feeling pretty good but I slowed on the hills.

From Norrthfield Rd., to Grant St., to Sonoma Rd., to Lindale Dr., to Bradmoor Dr., to Ewing Dr., to Roosevelt St., to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd. I could feel myself adjusting to getting up earlier for work again, resulting in a slower and more tired run. I did hit a hilly route for a short run. The first was steep, the second was average and the third, long and gradual. It was 68 F, humid and breezy. My shorts were good but my long sleeve t-shirt was too much.