Training Log Archive: Nadim

45 sit-ups.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down The Mall, past the Washington Monument (still in scaffolding because it's too cold to take it off), past Constitution Gardens and the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station. I left late but felt good enough to go for a run anyway. I felt better than I have in a while. I still slowed on hills but didn't feel like I was struggling elsewhere so much. It was a little warmer; 27 F by the time I was done. There were a few icy spots but overall it wasn't bad. Right before finishing I got held-up by police who were blocking the roads. It looked like the President's motorcade was going up Calvert St.

From Northfield Rd., Hampden Rd., via Charlcotte Rd., Huntington Pkwy. to Aberdeen Pl. to Aberdeen Rd., to Oldchester Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Marbury Rd., to Durbin Rd., to Radnor Rd., to Brite Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Woodmont Ave., to Elm St. After teleworking at home today, I had planned to meet Peggy and Max for dinner, after Max's basketball practice. I got late, left w/o my phone, and only realized later that we'd miscommunicated. They went home to eat. It was somewhat cold out but I was dressed okay. I ran okay too except for slowing after the first mile and while climbing hills. It was cold but not windy. Running on Marbury Rd. reminded me of running around my parents house except for the houses being much larger and more expensive. The streets there were clear and offered good running in the dark.

From Elm St. in downtown Bethesda, I ran up Arlington Rd., to Moorland Ln., to Exeter Rd., to Battery Ln., to Park Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I've run after dinner many times and it's rarely easy to get going. I usually wait a few hours but given that running was my only way home, I took off pretty much right after eating dinner at a restaurant. It wasn't too bad but I did have a few burps. The cold distracted me as I plodded along, slow on hills. It was about 19 F.

45 sit-ups.

From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. to the Mall via Madison Dr., NW, around the Washington Monument, to the Lincoln Memorial, then around going clockwise, to Ohio Dr., to the Rock Creek Trail, near the volleyball courts, along the river heading south to E. Basin Dr., SW, to Main Ave., SW to the Portals complex over the footbridge near the railroad tracks, to D St., SW, to 13th St., SW to C St., SW. I went for a lunchtime run. I felt a lot better for most of the first mile, the felt like I was getting slower again, but actually my pace was not bad compared to recent runs. It was 18 F when I started with a 10mph wind out of the north that sometimes made my windward side cold. Climbing the stairs near the Portals complex felt slow. Last night I saw the ice on the Potomac River and wasn't sure if it went all the way across the river. Running in the sunny daytime, I could confirm that it did cover shore-to-shore in some places but it wouldn't hold an adult trying to walk on it.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, down The Mall along Independence Ave. and the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Calvert St., to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station. The weather was changing quickly as I got out to run. I started at about 30 F but finished at 28 F. A wind was felt even in the Rock Creek Park valley as it blew out of the north about 10-12 mph. I was glad to have remembered to have brought my hat. I was feeling the orienteering I did yesterday. I think this was about the slowest that I've done this run.

Event: QOC Combat Village
 

QOC: Quantico Marine Base, VA. The club was able to repeat the use of the Combat Village map today. I warmed-up jogging from the area I was told to park in, and the start/finish assembly area. Part of this was with my o-gear backpack but all of it was wearing my down coat. It had gotten to about 30 F but a cold breeze was blowing off of a clearing.

QOC: Quantico Marine Base, VA on the Combat Village map. We started in a different area than last year. Overall the map seemed more green; there were saplings and thorny areas. The mapping of the vegetation was not entirely out of date but hasn't been updated in decades--new clearings exist while old ones had changed. In a few places, what was represented with light green had changed to become mid or dark green as pines planted close together to fill-in unmapped clearings had grown up. There was about +2 inches of snow covering things which slowed the pace too.

The scale for the Blue course that I ran was 1:15,000. I was wary of this going to #1 but I still made an error getting used to the distance. I'd seen Eddie Bergeron start 10 minutes before I did and he used the road, going 45 degrees away from a direct path. I thought that was a good way to avoid the green, some climb, and to get used to the scale so I did it too. Finally leaving the road, I passed through the parking lot where I'd parked, went a way into the woods, and pulled-up short. There were some subtle knolls in the area. I went down the wrong spur to one of them, then had to cross a reentrant and ridge to get to the correct one. It's hard to say how much time I lost with my long way around route but I'd guess the error part was almost minutes 2 minutes.

Going to #2 was relatively easy with it only being about 270m and out along a ridge. I spiked it. Footprints in the snow were helpful too. Unlike other orienteering events I've done in the snow, footprints were reassuring and often elephant path-like all through the course.

Leaving #2, Jon Torrance went past me moving quickly. He zig-zagged a bit so I kept pace behind him. He found a place to cross the creek and when I jumped it (up to down), I fell and lost sight of him. I angled over to the ridge a little earlier than what most footprints were doing--I wanted to get out of the green in the low lands. When I got on the ridge and climbed, I had to walk. As it leveled off more, it got greener. I zig-zagged a bit, still getting confused by the scale (I'm more used to running 1:10,000). Eventually, I went right to the control but I went via the side of the ridge and the spine a few times.

For #4, I went a bit to the left to stay out of the green. This took me lower but was worth it. As I got around the green and a ridge, I went straightish toward the control, through what was mapped as mid-green. I didn't notice it being any different from the light green. The control was over a second ridge with many parallel side reentrants. I looked in the first and didn't see it. I was about to move on when I looked again and saw it. It was hung on the other side of a tree stump.

I ran straightish toward #5 via a saddle. I got stopped by an older teen who politely claimed to be totally lost. Given the snowy conditions, I took pity and pointed out where we were while also giving him a hard time for stopping me and not using a safety bearing (a mapped road was 500m away). I lost 10 seconds, crossed the saddle, and spiked the control.

For #6, I ran left of straight, using the whiter and flatter ground. After crossing the creek I angled up. I almost got into the wrong reentrant but kept going. The control was in an area mapped white but green had grown up just in front of it.

For #7, I angled over to a road but did so slowly. When I left the road at a bend, the contours just kept seeming awkward to me. I kept going and went around some thickish pines that were on a more direct route. I spiked the control but it came up quicker than I thought it would.

For #8, I dog-legged back and eventually got to the road again. I was pacing a guy ahead of me who didn't seem to come from #7--he was already on the road. About 2/3 of the way there, on the road I had to stop at the top of a hill to tie my shoe (I'd forgotten to tape the laces). I left the road at a bend and followed a bearing past a knoll. I then saw another guy ahead looking for the control. I kept my bearing and saw the guy go down where I was headed. I spiked it.

Leaving #8 and headed to #9, I saw the guy that had punched ahead of me, then I saw the guy who'd been ahead of me on the road on the way to #8. He was running back toward the control (#8). I went fairly directly, crossing the road in a semi-open area, mapped as wooded. I eventually got into a reentrant with an intermittent trail mapped in it. I don't know if I was on the trail but it was good running down the reentrant. At the bottom I crossed the creek, and went left a little to get into a big reentrant climbing toward a ridge. At the top, I ran on a bearing into another reentrant going down, and I spiked the control. It was hard to see #9 from above but I did see another guy in the area just before getting there.

As I left #9 going to #10, I caught the guy I'd seen earlier. He had been walking until I got near. He fell when walking and I wanted to say that I didn't see that! At the top of a reentrant, I turned left on a road, thinking to use trails. In hind sight, this was probably a mistake. The fields had changed a bit and I was concerned about unmapped thorny/green terrain. Because the area had changed since mapping, it was confusing. On the road a little while, I cut right on a trail, thinking it was earlier than one that was mapped. I quickly left it and ran down a gentle reentrant toward the creek. It was fast. Many other footsteps were making a trail through the snow. At the bottom I crossed the creek but wasn't sure where I was until seeing a vehicle track just to my left. I ran to the right and spiked the control, #10, being somewhat slow walking on the climb to it.

For #11, I didn't want to drop down so I angled toward the road. Some more thick pines were in the way so I cut right around them to the road. On the road I saw another guy up ahead move past the control, then come back. It was on a power line pole off to the side of the road. The curves of the road seemed more pronounced in reality, than on the map.

I wasn't that quick on the run in. I was just not going to be able to move fast (weak in this way for the last 2 weeks or more) but felt like I had the endurance to go more. My feet were okay but I hadn't felt them much for most of the race--they were numb from the cold. It took over an hour after changing and getting warm in the car before I could really feel my toes again. The capillaries must have been closed--I could feel a sort of sudden warmth when it changed. Overall I was happy with my run. The course wasn't technically as hard as the one the year before but the green and the snow did make it easier to make mistakes.

C • Vegetation 2

QOC: Quantico Marine Base, VA. Jogging back to the car from the assembly area with my backpack and coat.

Blue - Splits

45 sit-ups. I ran out of time for a planned run.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to Wilson Ln. to Glenbrook Rd. to Hampden Rd., to Exeter Rd., to Battery Ln., to Park Ln., to Custer Rd., to the Huntington Pkwy., to Moorland Ln., to Charlcote Rd., to Moorland Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. After dinner, I snuck in a short run. I'd earlier walked Max over to his friend's house so I timed my run to finish there and pick him up. I jogged the last part back with him. It was about 19 F. I'd grabbed the wrong gloves so my hands were a little cool, especially when running south into the breeze. The roads were mostly good for running but with a few icy spots. I felt slow and weak.

45 sit-ups and upper body stretching. With the cold weather, working off-site, and some laziness, I let the day get away from me.

I did some spinning while watching a movie. I kept the resistance low enough to try to keep up a good cadence. It was cold and icy outside.

Max and I cleared our cars, driveway, and sidewalk of about 3 inches of snow. Another half-inch of snow fell afterward. Just a little bit north of us they got over 8 inches.

C • thanks 2

45 sit-ups and some upper body mobility stretching.

From Blockhouse Conservation Park at River Rd. (main parking in the pipeline ride), the Muddy Branch Trail to the prominent rock cliff north of Query Mill Rd./Turkey Foot Rd., but before Quince Orchard Rd., and back. I started slowly in shorts and a t-shirt; it was about 50 F with a slight breeze. The biggest factor besides being tired from recent runs, was the mud. I've run on this trail in the rain and after rains on the north half. It had been pretty good then but this lower half of the trail was sloppy. Squish, squish, squish; in a lot of it. The mud accumulated on my shoes and slowed me down. The warm temperature had a lot to do with it. Water from snows and rains weeks back was released with this thaw. The top layer of trail would often cause me to slip. It made it harder going up hills, especially when crossing gullies. It also required a lot of attention; I had to watch the trail so much that I missed seeing various landmarks. I was pretty worn out by the end. The last half mile took it out of me. I weighed out at 180.5.

Wheaton Regional Park, MD. I made some map updates mostly in the forest around the horse farm, though I did also get to areas near the Nature Center and across Kemp Mill Rd. too. I didn't completely finish updating the horse farm area. The area was difficult to map with what amounts to broken ground, only there was discernible shape to it. The mapping was complicated by the thick vegetation over most of it. The fencing of the horse farm had some changes; though we wouldn't likely use the fenced-in areas, we could run completely around them, and then over to areas downstream of Kemp Mill Rd. It was good to get out of the house. I even felt like running and did so a few times.

C • Around Horse Farm 2

Event: Georgia Navigator Cup and Extreme-O :: Sweetwater Creek State Park
 

From the Difficult Run parking lot near Great Falls National Park, VA., I ran up the Cross County Trail (CCT) to the electric utility parking lot near Rte. 7, then back. The temperature had risen to 28 F when I got going and was about the same by the time I'd finished. Being in the mostly narrow valley, I didn't get blasted by the winds that were blowing above me. The trail was also frozen in many of the places that are usually muddy. I was rather weak/tired but took the run steadily. I was both tired from running more this week, and from not sleeping well again last night. I've had some very itchy spells this week and one kept me awake last night. The itching is localized in different places at different times. I saw several families out and enjoying hiking/biking on the trail.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was in the upper 20's F. I had a hard time getting to sleep.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark. I was carrying extra clothes from the day before including a second coat that I had to drape over the handle bars.

45 sit-ups. I did this pretty easily which is such as change from a little over a week back.

From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Mall, around the Washington Monument (the scaffolding to repair earthquake damage is almost gone), to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Rock Creek Trail, to P St., NW, to 20th St. NW, to Q St., NW. I left just before it was 7pm. Once again my legs were feeling dead. I think most of it is increased mileage but it's an adjustment for me mentally to be going so slow. I got passed near Georgetown by a younger guy who looked like he was finishing up or going short. It felt cold out, but I was still sweating a lot. I stretched afterward. My right leg can't drive forward as much as was natural--that's some lingering pain from my back-glute-right-hip pain earlier.

From Northfield Rd., to Charlcotte Rd., to Hampden Ln., to Wilson Ln., to Honeywell Ln., to Cornish Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Bradley Blvd. to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to Woodmont Ave., to Elm St. I ran out to meet Peggy and Max for dinner and got a ride back with them. I still lacked energy.

45 Sit-ups.

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. My legs felt fine for the first 350m, but after that they were dead. It's probably more tiredness from my run on Sunday. It was 34 F and foggy.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was about 31 F. I could feel the run yesterday in my hamstring today.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark.

45 sit-ups. This was a lot easier this time.

I was checking out terrain for some course setting. It was near 50 F when starting out, and it was sunny. I had intended to go to various control sites but in my rush to get out of the house and to do an errand before my run, I'd left my map at home. It didn't matter too much since this was about exploration in an area that was mapped a long time ago and not mapped up to today's standards. I ran on my memory of the area and various large features. The terrain was excellent. There was lots of wide open fast running. Given how weak I'd been on my last 2 runs, I was rather surprised to cover this distance and the climb without so much pain. Some rest/sleep had me helped for sure, but I also cruised along at a modest pace. I wasn't worried about walking up some hills. Many of the hills were steep enough to warrant walking at any time. The recent rains and earlier snows had flattened the fallen leaves on the ground. In all of my route today (I did use trails sometimes), I probably only crossed about 100m of real green terrain and not a lot more of light green terrain. I took waypoints for a bunch of point features that I'm pretty sure were not mapped. I saw another QOC person in the parking lot when I had finished and was changing clothes.

C • At the risk of losing my anonymity... 1

Event: QOC Patapsco
 

From Northfield Rd., through Greenwich Park to Old Georgetown Pike, to W. Cedar La. to Rockville Pike, to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Maple Ridge Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. Not being that well off physically, I decided late yesterday to let Peggy run the QOC meet today. One of us had to stay to get Max and his friend Joey to their indoor soccer game (I saw Max score a few). I'll aim to run the next QOC event at Combat Village. Eventually, I got myself out, after darkness had settled. As with my last run, I was weak, especially on hills. The rain had stopped but I had gone out with my full Gortex gear anyway. It was 50 F so I was over dressed. It was good to get out and run but I'm run down or so it seems.

Spinning rather late, and watching a movie.

Earlier in the day I had finally gone to see a podiatrist about the callus/planter wart on my right foot that's been bothering me all last year. Most of the year I'd figured this was callus but I kept shaving and even cutting at it with it to return in days. I had had a planter wart once when I was about 21 years old so I started thinking it might be another. I remember it getting it frozen off and then there being a hole left. My general practitioner thought so too so I got a referral to a podiatrist. As I got into the exam room, there was only a sort of lounge seat for me so I had to immediately put my feet up. If figured since this as my first visit to this specialist that we'd talk about the problem a bit, and that we'd agree on what to do next. At the very least, I expected a numbing shot. He immediately pulled out a scalpel and started scraping away. I tensed-up but didn't feel much pain for most of the time. He soon pulled out a sesame seed size bead of hard skin or whatever one would call it, from deep in the foot and then handed it to me. The condition was actually diagnosed as Porokeratosis plantaris of the foot--this is often thought to be a blocked sweat gland and is often confused with planter warts. To be sure, he added some acid to the area he'd cut at which is what one would do to treat a planter wart too.

I hope this resolves the problem for good--it was quite painful at times and did affect my running. My foot feels okay but with the all day rain and an open cut on my foot, I figured it best not to run today. If that weren't enough excuse, my back was still not feeling right and my neck was stiff for a while. I have a few more medical things to follow-up on over the coming weeks; getting old is fun!

From Northfield Rd., I towed Max's bicycle to Arlington Rd., then Max and I rode back home. It was the warmest in several days at about 37 F, and it was turning dark.

From Northfield Rd Bethesda, MD., to Old Georgetown Rd. via Greenwich Park, to Johnson Ave. to Heamsteadt Ave. to McKinley Ave. to Garfield St. to Roosevelt. Ave. to Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. I felt weak through the whole run but at least my back wasn't bothering me. My legs were just dead. Interestingly, I was just a second faster than I ran this in August.

45 sit-ups. It was again easier to do than before; I was rather busy at the office and returned home late.

I did just a little spin today. It was kind of hard starting but it got easier and easier.

45 sit-ups. It was a bit easier to do this than the day before.

Event: QOC Patuxent - rescheduled
 

45 sit-ups. I had to strain at times to either avoid pain or cramping. I decided against trying to run the QOC event at Patuxent today.

From Northfield Rd., Custer Rd. to York Ln., to Overhill Rd., to Hampden Ln., to Wilson Ln., to Aberdeen Rd., to Aberdeen Pl./Garfield St., to Northfield Rd. I went for a test run and immediately knew that I still have some more healing to do. I managed to get warmed-up and felt better but had to keep from overextending my stride past the point where it would cause sharp pain. I ran over some of the hillier roads in the nearby neighborhood since I don't usually run along these. There were some slushy parts but mostly I ran on cold wet pavement. After being warmed-up, I took a few strides in some snow on some grass going slightly downhill--that was enough to know that I was risking further injury. After the run, I rushed out w/friends and family to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and I enjoyed it.

Shoveling the snow and ice off of our walkway and driveway. This helped loosen-up my back, which is doing better overall.