Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Patuxent
 

QOC: The Bumble at Patuxent River Park. David and Heidi Onkst put on another great Bumble event. Picking route choices inside the windows in this one were tricky as was navigating to many of the controls.

S-1 - From the start, I ran easy, mostly reading ahead. I had most of my route planned out by the time I hit the first control which was just up the road.

Since we were already inside it, I started the first window right away. My order was NLKMO. On the way to N, Vido was ahead of me. I stayed on the road longer than he did but we both overshot the control a little, after passing the fenced area. I ran down the valley initially going to L. Vido made a mistake climbing right away. When I hit a trail, he was behind me though he was moving a little faster. I got to L just before him. He got ahead of me as we used the trail most of the way to K, but I'd closed the gap as we neared the control. I slid back in the mud while trying to climb but eventually and literally crawled my way up. I hit M pretty well using the trail at first leaving K, then ignoring the trail near M. I crossed off trail to avoid the big trail bend going to O. Justin Brown passed me after I left the trail a bit early and he got to O first.

My order was RPQTS. In retrospect, PRTQS would have been better. I went mostly straight to R and got ahead of Justin briefly, and hit the ride after crossing the creek. It pointed me right to R. However Justin and someone else passed me as I committed to a reentrant. We hit R well. I was chasing them both to P. I chose to go around the steep reentrants on the way to Q but my attack came off the left a bit. I hit the trail alone which was not so bad because I needed to pee. Upon turning around, I hit Q right away. I ran alone going to T above the reentrants. Going to S, I overshot the control and realized it upon seeing the fields. My run to the next window was easy, using the trail.

My oder was UYWXV. I left from a trail bend and was a bit to the right. However I saw the control before overshooting it much. Tom Nolan came-in behind me. I went straight to Y but landed in the reentrant to the right (west). I realized it upon not seeing the control. A couple of other were converging too. Going to W, I found myself behind Justin again (at this point I still wasn't sure who he was because I never got a good look at him). I closed the distance to him by cutting through at trail bends. I headed straight to the bridge rather than try to jump the creek--that was a good thing because it looked like a beaver had filled it. When Justin stopped at the flooded trail, I splashed past him. He then pursued by slashing through too. He got ahead of me at the dirt road, but I got ahead ahead by cutting through to the paved one. Justin passed me on the paved road, but I cut in early using the spur which pointed me right to W. Justin came in behind me by going around. I saw Vido again but only a few glimpses at W. Justin passed me and I saw Vido as I veered right a bit and Justin veered left. That let me get into X not far behind Vido, and ahead of Justin. A similar thing happened going to V, but Justin stayed ahead of me that time.

Going the GO control, we used the trail at first, but then seeing someone else, I decided to use the road to the north instead of staying on the trail to the road. Justin came in behind me. I picked-up the pace on the paved road hoping that I could hold off Justin. When he didn't pass me, I pushed on in the field pretty hard (still slow historically for me). Justin surged near the control but I was able to get to the GO control just ahead of him The run-in was long and it was only a few steps before Justin passed me for the last time. I finished about 10 seconds behind him.

This was a fun race. I was a little sloppy mostly from pushing harder. However running harder was good for me and the ground being damp was soft enough for it. I finished 4th on the Green course.

From Northfield Rd. to Dell Ray Ave. via Auburn Ave. for lunch. It was warm again. I had a tailwind, and I rode my mountain bike again.

From Dell Ray Ave. to Northfield Rd. I had a headwind.

From Northfield Rd. to Norfolk Ave. for lunch, then back. It was warm, in the 60s F. Coming back I had a headwind. I rode my mountain bike since Max had my road bike.