Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., Samantha and I walked to Jefferson St. to Heampstead Ave., to McKinley St., to Garfield St. to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd., I felt that a rest day would be good for my knees and back. I was also pretty busy at work all day. My back has been hurting sharply at times. This time it's a bit in the middle on the left side. Perhaps I jarred it running last week?

Event: (Cancelled) QOC Ward Farm Park
 

Great Falls, MD. From the Angler's Inn parking area, I ran the training loop setup by Matt Smith. It was fun training and a great day to be running. A middle section of the course had no map--just short straight legs. The visibility in the park was as good as it gets. I felt stronger than I expected to.

S-1 - I used the trail and left at a bend pointing to the control. When I did, I could see Peggy ahead climbing to the control.

1-2 - I passed Kathleen heading the other direction; she had overshot #1. I dropped down to the trail to cross the big reentrant and climbed some more on it. Going on bearing, I arrived at the control about when Peggy did.

2-3 - Peggy and I headed to the trail. I got ahead there and attacked from teh rootstock south of the control.

3-4 - Down into and across the reentrant, then up the trail north of the line until the trail bend that pointed to the control. This kept me from having to do more up and down.

4-5 - Straight across but I got a bit confused at the end. I'd pulled up short. Peggy caught up but by then I figured I needed to go further and I got to the control.

5-End of the first loop. Starting to feel tired on the climb on the trail

S2-A - This began the part of the training with the map almost fully whited out. I knew the end of the gully in my head since I'd been there many times and had mapped it too. I aimed off and ran the gully to the end.

A-B - I started well but when I saw Max coming back, I may have gotten thrown off. Max got A and caught back up with me. I drifted left. I saw the rootstock that the control was ultimately on to my right but it was so small that I didn't think it was it, and I didn't see the streamer. I went past it and came back with Max doing a bit of wandering before I saw the streamer.

B-C - I had gotten off to the right and wasn't expecting the trail to have been removed. I corrected when I saw the VFW.

C-D - Down to the trail, then over to the stony ride, with Max behind me.

D-E - Just down the stony ride to the end.

E-F - Up the hill slowly, then over some more going around the vegetation.

F-G - I went left around the vegetation but didn't correct enough. Max and I caught-up with Peggy who didn't make the same mistake we had at B. This time, Peggy was having trouble. I knew of a dot knoll that I mapped much to the NW of where we were and I found the marker there.

G-H - Max got tired of me pulling him off line, so he took off straight and went straight to the rocks.

H-End - I chased Max up the trail going in a straighter line initially. Again, I was tired but now we were done with the no map portion.

S3 - 6 - Max got a big headstart but was far off to the left. I was a bit off to the left too but I could see the cliff from far off. Max corrected and got there well before me.

6-7 - Max was slow to get started so I wasn't so far behind initially. I'd done this leg many times and went to it easily by going over the mapped gully fork.

7-8 - Max got out fast this time. I went basically straight, chasing him. We went around some unmapped deadfall but got there well.

8-9 - I went straight at fiirst but as Max pulled ahead, I cut over to the trail. I came off the intersection and spiked the control but I think Max still got there ahead of me.

9-10 - Max headed off course by 90 degrees, not having changed his bearing on the approach to #9. I went over to the control and got ahead of Max.

10-11 - I went down the reentrant but rather than go longer on the trail, I decided to cross the gully. Getting down and across wasn't bad but I had to use 4 appendage drive to get out and I had to enlist my knees while crawling too. Max zoomed past, crossing low than me and he didn't get stuck. Once out, I took a straighter line; Max stayed on the trail. I got there within seconds after him.

11-F - Max headed towards the road but he didn't go all of the way. I went straight the whole way so I cut his lead. I moved pretty fast on the downhill but Max was holding me off well. I finished seconds behind him but had a faster overall time.

After this, my back hurt and made it hard for me to change clothes. We went to Potomac Pizza and our group had a nice lunch together.

I hadn't planned to run from where I did but I needed some softer ground that wasn't going to be too muddy from the overnight rain. I didn't see any of Matt's markers and I didn't expect to.

From the intersection of Fall Rd., and MacArthur Blvd., I ran down past the gold mine and continued over to and on the trolley line trail, then down to the Tavern. Doing that, I made a wrong turn going towards the VFW building. It'd been a while since I was last running the upland trails. From the Tavern, I used the C&O Towpath and Berma Rd.; I got almost to the Angler's Inn parking lot, but turned uphill using the Valley Trail and Gold Mine Loop to get to MacArthur Blvd. again near where I had started. I was feeling tired and sore from the start. My lower back was also not so good. I was careful to lift my feet just high enough to keep from tripping on roots. I dragged on the Berma Rd., but surprisingly I got all the way up to MacArthur Blvd., feeing not so bad. I had slowed a bunch but given how I was feeling going downhill, going uphill turned ot to be much more pleasant than I'd imagined.

Today it was about 75 F and sunny while I ran. While stretching in the parking lot, raindrops from another windy front blew through. I've continued to be rather tight in my left leg and my left foot has been getting numb on runs. After I got home, I planted some annuals that I'd picked-up before this run. Though I had nothing heavy, I was feeling a lot more back pain than I have in a while and it was hard to straighten out at times.

From Northfield Rd., to Georgetown Pike via Greenwich Park, to Beech Ave., through North Bethesda Middle School to Bradmoor Dr., to Folkstone Rd., to Hartsdale Ave., to Heampstead Ave., to McKinley St., to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd. My quads were sore and I didn't push. It was getting windy when I headed out. It swirled so sometimes it helped me and sometimes I ran into it.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd., to the Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Glenbrook Rd., to Exeter Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Hampden Ln., to Charlcotte Rd., to Northfield Rd. I had meant to run earlier in the week but I ended up working late 2 of those nights and we got passport pictures one evening after work. Today I felt pretty slow and heavy, having gained some weight while on travel or at the USA Orienteering Championships in KY. My left foot was numb while running. I was pretty tight when I did some stretching after the run.