Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was around 51 F.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was rushing to get home for the kids that I knew would be stopping by the house for Halloween. I left the station at 6 minutes to 6 and already there were lots of them crossing roads with their parents and in small groups. It wasn't even dark yet. I had to slow down a few times when they were crossing in front of me. Later after getting ready and turning-on the lights that weren't on a timer, the kids started pouring in. It was hard to estimate but there were well over 50. Most commented on the house which was decorated to be Hell. I was dressed in my work clothes but put on a vest, some make-up and horns to complete the scene. Max and Samantha went separate ways; Max with some neighborhood girls, and Samantha with Peggy house-to-house and to a party.

Event: QOC Hemlock Overlook
 

QOC: Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, VA. Sleeping before this race, I was really achy. The tendon across my heel in my right foot was throbbing sometimes and my legs were sore. The night-O had taken it out of me but I did get a pretty good sleep. For a long time, my pattern had been to do well for the first 5-6 controls and then to make an error. Lately I've been messing up the first one or 2 and recovering much of the rest of the race.

I just didn't plan well going to #1. I missed the nice ridge/saddle run that I've done getting to this area in previous races. I went straight and plunged too low. I missed, came up the hill through the green, hit a (intermittent) trail that I had trouble finding on the map, then calmed down and went to the control.

I spiked #2 going just a tad left of straight to get through the mountain laurel.

For #3, I again missed the left route using the road. Instead, I angled along the hillside until the first reentrant, dropped across the bigger reentrant and hit the trails. Leaving the trail just before the road bend, I follow a ditch to a small clearing and then the reentrant system with the control. I was just a bit to the left and started to follow it down. I wasn't thinking how far I'd gone as I passed it in a side reentrant. Stopping, I calmed down, relocated and found it.

For #4, I got on the ride--that's gotten much harder to follow with downed trees so I ran along side of it a lot. Leaving at a bend, I was rather hesitant dropping along the side of the ridge to the rootstock and control.

For #5, in retrospect I should have gone straight. The formlines made me think the hills were bigger. I ran heading down to avoid the ups and downs. I felt senile forgetting which reentrants I'd crossed and soon found myself on the flats below the control. I took a while to validate that, and more to determine if I'd passed the control or needed to angle away as I climbed up. I hit a rootstock on the edge of the steep part and correctly knew I was still not far enough.

I went straight for #6 and spiked it. Someone else was converging on it from my right. I saw it from a ways off.

For #7, I thought to play it safe taking the longer way around on the trail to avoid climb. I left the trail in about the right place but pulled-up one reentrant early. I recognized my location at a reentrant junction and ran right to it afterward, damage already done.

For #8, I set out straight. At the big reentrant with a stream, I crossed somewhat straight over, then angled to my right to follow a side reentrant. Eventually, I saw Anne & Kim Jepsen on the other side of the reentrant, and I passed them. I kept straightish, reading my way across another smaller reentrant, and using the ditches to cross the last big reentrant. I ran right up to the tree and only then spotted the control behind it.

For #9, I paused to catch my breath and then ran. I was slow at first, then ran more confidently. After crossing the reentrant and walking up, I corrected my bearing by going around the left side of the deadfall. From there I ran along the edge of the mountain laurel until I could see the reentrant and the control.

I ran straight as I could toward #10, which meant bearing left a bit to get through the mountain laurel. After crossing the trail, I saw the reentrants ahead. Picking out he gullied one, I cut right and counted till I could find the right spur. I hesitated but kept going slower until I saw the control.

For #11, I dog-legged up the hill again and crossed the trail. I paused before dropping down the hill, then realized I needed to cut more to the right where the control became visible.


For #12, I ran along the hillside until I intersected the trail, I took a bearing from there, just before the trail crossed the stream. I realized I was too low so I angled up more. After a few ditches I saw the control up even higher.

For #13, I was not patient. I ran straight instead of going around the reentrant after the trail. I crossed it and ran the hillside until I got around the spur, then changed direction to hit the control well.

For #14, I went straight and corrected along the way off of reentrants. I was clear where I was until the last 125m. I got a little high being distracted by root stocks that turned out to be near the trail. I passed the control and looped around. Don Davis was hunting too and I was glad to seem him in the forest again after his accident. Don came from the other direction and got there before I did.

For #15, I ran straight but hesitated. I feared missing and dropping too low, but I was on target.

For #16, I dropped to the trail. At one point on the trail, I ran off of it by mistake, and came back. Leaves were covering it. I saw Peggy on the trail too and figured she was going where I was. She left the trail earlier than I planned. Leaving from the bend south of the control, I got there ahead of her.

For #17, I went straight and walked the hills a lot. I got to focusing on the hillside with the spur and ran to a control on the spur in the white woods, east of the control. I went on, dropping until I knew I was too low. I read the map and corrected to the left.

For #18, I dog legged back and saw the Jepsens going toward one of the controls I'd just left. I was thinking about using the trail but realized that it would be okay to cut across saving distance if not climb. I read things pretty well and spiked the control. Others were in the area but they didn't give it away for me.

For #19, I ran straight and eventually crossed the reentrant just before the big trail. I was pretty tired so when I started climbing, I had to pace my walk. I used a boulder/cliff to attack from.

For #20, I ran to the right a bit and used trails a little bit too, to get to the buildings. This was less messy but probably not the most efficient.

Overall, I felt okay about this run. I got a good physical workout and didn't make huge errors. I didn't use my head enough so that part was disappointing. Better routes could have saved a few. Maybe I can balance it all

Blue - Splits

QOC: Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, VA. Scare-O. I went out with Nicole Aleksieva and Samantha on QOC's first scare-o. It came off well. Going out with 2 kids as young as these, they were genuinely scared and thrilled at the same time. Niclole talked her way through the march in the dark; we were only to use glow sticks to read our map. The route was marked with glow sticks too. Samantha was quieter except during scares and to tell Nicole to stop squeezing her hand so tightly. Our scares were sometimes simple like a glowing poster-like skeleton at a control. Sometimes they were silently scary like Jan Merka dressed in black with a black had and a staff. Of course, Benny, Jan's golden retriever, was nearby and Benny's breathing alone scared the girls. They didn't see Benny's glow-in the dark skeleton costume until later. Scares continued with flashing lights and even the unintended. The girls stumbled on roots sometimes and one-time when we missed a forking of a trail, we cut down an embankment. While holding the girls hands, I happened to step down into a sort of concrete wall drop for some sort of sewer. An interesting scare at controls 5 and 6 was the guilt-tripping screams asking for help to get out of giant spider webs. We said sorry at #5, only to have our route double back closer to the trapped screaming girl. Again we said sorry and started to walk away when Nicole Lennon, dressed as a sort of spirit came screaming at us from another direction. We ran down the trail and got away of course. There was some navigation required in this, and I helped the girls find #7, which was kind of darker than the rest. Eventually, after a control in a make-shift graveyard, we were surprised by a monster with a bloody mouth all lit-up. We hurried off as Max snuck further ahead and lowered a goul down in front of us. Our final trial was a witch who popped out from behind a tree at the last control and kindly asked if we needed help. We hurried on-in. Everyone seemed to have fun. It took a lot for the Lennon's to set it up and the volunteers had to do a lot of waiting in-between participants. I went off to run a regular night-o course afterward and found that Nicole and Samantha loved the scare-o enough to go out and do it again with Kathleen Lennon leading them.

QOC: Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, VA. It had been a long time since I'd done an official night-o (though I picked-up controls at night over the summer). I was a bit late leaving and thought I should drop-down to a shorter course. I decided to go out anyway and hope for the best. I set my headlamp to a medium setting, worried that I might otherwise run out of power.

I did fine going to #1 and #2.

For #3, I used the trail but even though I was aware that distance seems much further at night, I pulled off of the trail way early. I ended up finding 2 other controls before understanding the terrain I'd gotten into and getting to the dot knoll control.

For #4, I got confused trying to follow the edge of a reentrant after crossing a trail. I wondered around in a lot of deadfall, eventually looping back to the trail, relocating and hitting the control.

I thought I'd take it more safely going to #5, a long leg. I followed reentrants until they ended, then crossed over a ridge. I started not understanding what I was seeing but kept a bearing that dropped me into a reentrant where I thought I knew where I was. I crossed and followed another long one upward. I was probably in the large reentrant to the south of where I thought I was because after a long while I hit a road. Given a nearby curve, I though I relocated so I came at it again--first, I had to go around some out of bounds areas. I did but everything I was in was green. I couldn't make sense of the reentrants very well and soon got to the edge of some private property. This turned out to be the winery because after rounding it, I ended up near the road bend at the park entrance! That sucked. I figured then that I couldn't finish the course but I went out at #5 again. This time I read things well the whole way there and hit the control with almost no trouble.

I was strangely more confident after that 32 minute error. I went at #6 pretty much directly and spiked it, despite it being in the green. I was able to get to #7 pretty well too but that wasn't hard given that #7 was just off of a trail.

I decided that to get back before 10pm, I had to head back. I went to #10 next and hit that well. I went on straightish to #14 and spiked that too.

For #15, I read my way acoss well until the last 150m. I missed it in the green, got low and came back to find it. I turned my headlamp on to full power at this point and noted from my battery meter that NO energy drop was registering; after +90 minutes it looked like I still had full power! I was feeling stupid about not using a higher beam earlier and that might have prevented me making a lot of the errors that I did.

My run-in was perhaps not the most efficient with a combination of cutting across the slash, and using trails. I came-in from too high on the paved foot path.

It was disappointing to have messed-up this night-O. It was one of those that I wished I had a chance to do over. I was worn out and tired (so were the kids) even before we got home. Peggy had her own full day helping the boy scouts learn to be orienteers at Patuxent River Park.

Long Advanced - Splits

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was only in the upper 40s F this morning but there were shifty winds. It was slowing me up getting out of Bethesda and part way on the CCT. Past the Kennedy Center in DC, I had some tailwinds.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I barely made it out of work without getting delayed at the courtyard gate--they had closed it but the guard was just leaving so she opened it up again. With it being less cloudy, I wasn't riding in the dark until out of Georgetown. I again rode alone the whole way. I was happy that the hard gusty winds that were around most of the day had diminished and were negligible by the time I was home.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I left work pretty close to 8am and it was 35 F. With my warm jacket on, I felt the air drag. I gradually caught and joined-up with some other riders but overall did more pulling. There was a hardly noticeable tailwind along the river. There were about 3 times during the ride when someone suddenly cut in front of me and I laid patches applying braking. One was a runner who was avoiding a pedestrian walking a dog on the inside corner and wrong side of the trail, another was a van which was pulling out from a parking spot at the very end of the CCT as I was going into Georgetown. On the later there was no maneuver room since a gate big enough for a single rider blocked my sides escapes, and another rider was right behind me. I was fortunate enough to see and react quickly enough for all of these.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. The temperature was in the uppermost 50s F. I rode this mostly in the dark with a headlamp. I was by myself pretty much the whole way and the winds were calm.

Busy day at work and afterward, I took the kids to get Halloween costumes. Samantha will be a fairy. Max had already ordered a mask, and decided not to get anything more.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. in the dark. I had worked late. A headwind was slowing me down and I was glad that I had decided to take a jacket with me this morning.

Event: QOC Patuxent
 

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. I set out 3 gallons of water mostly walking to an area. Luckily, my back had gotten some rest and wasn't bothering me like it was in the evening the night before. I also ran out to the control where I'd forgotten to bring an epunch the day before. I saw this spider web along the way (below) Coming back to the car, I ran the whole way at a good pace.

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. I set out 5 gallons of water at 2 water stops. I had again walked out on a trail with the 5 gallons, then jogged the remaining 2 to a wooded location.

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. It was embarrassing for Jon Torrance to have just finished the Goat course I'd set, and one of the controls near the end had been misplaced. I went out to check it out. I had been worried about this one. I'd checked it out twice near the end of the day with it being darkish and the quality of my home printed map hadn't been that good. When I saw Valerie's printing of the map, while watching and waiting for runners to come through, I got to worrying a little. Sorry to all whom this affected. I moved the control since I'm guessing that relatively few runners had gotten to it. It did however affect the Goat, Green and Brown courses.

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. I picked-up controls in the center of the park. These were spaced out than most of the others, and across some very flat areas. I hit them all well and felt I was running pretty well too.

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. Dan Quinn had left a couple of controls. He went out without a compass the first time so we were both splitting-up what he'd left. I looped over to check on the ones he had after I got mine.

QOC: Patuxent River Park, MD. Dan Quinn and I picked-up another control each. My legs were getting crampy again but didn't seize-up like they did after getting home yesterday.

Patuxent River Park, MD. I set out 51 controls. It was pushing darkness by the time I was done. I was a bit rushed at the end. I wanted to triple check a couple of control sites but didn't get to. My map was hard to read due to printing quality and the poor light so I ended up misplacing one. For another control, I brought a bag/flag, but left an epunch box. I had to leave that for the next morning. On the way home, I pigged-out gobbling up a lot of potato chips, and having missed lunch. At home, after dinner, I had a couple of bouts of bad leg cramps. They started after trying to get up from dinner. I had to lay down on the floor till they wore off.

I've been busy at work so though I had planned to run at lunch, I got busy and forgot.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. We went out for Samantha's birthday dinner and opened presents later.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I was a little more tired today. Starting out it was around 55 F and downtown there was a slight headwind along the river. I got a pull partway from around Massachusetts Ave. to Fletcher's Boathouse but I felt I was pushing too hard. I backed-off before redlining. Two other guys who were moving very fast passed me just before Georgetown but on Water St. where they slowed, I got ahead again.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving just at 6pm, before the gate closed, I moved well. There was a slight tailwind on Ohio Dr. I caught the other woman from USDA whom I pulled for yesterday. She tagged along for a while but we got separated in pedestrian traffic by the Kennedy Center. I got pulled along the flats a mile out of Georgetown but again needed to slow as I was going up the hill. I was carrying my laptop which made it all the harder to keep up.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I didn't sleep very well again and a false fire alarm at 5am didn't help. However after getting the kids to where they were supposed to be, I rode in and noticed feeling stronger than when I rode last week. It was 54 F with no winds, and a touch of fog. Glenbrook Rd. was bumpy and I had to ride on the sidewalk where they'd started to do repaving work. On the trail, I moved well and picked-up a rider or 2 drafting off of me. I led the whole way into Georgetown, slowing a little there, but feeling pretty strong until finishing. I should take it easier going home. As soon as I got to work, I got a call from Samantha's before-school-care and learned about a mix-up with a substitute bus. Peggy had to leave work to get her to school and Samantha's field trip.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving just before 6pm, I got a good start and felt fairly well. There was a wind from the west which mostly was neutral but it sometimes could be felt for slowing me down. After Georgetown, I moved along well, and soon had people drafting off of me. I pulled them, including one strong woman rider from USDA, up to just before Massachusetts Ave., and then I got a pull for up to River Rd. and then I moved ahead again. I slowed a bit after that. A video crew was at the intersection of Falls Rd., and the CCT where someone with a sign was being interviewed. It's a somewhat dangerous intersection with no traffic light but drivers usually respect it. It was getting dark by then so I had just turned on my headlamp before the intersection. Glenwood Rd. was smoother for a while but was not fully repaved. I slowed more going up it. Overall, I thought I had gone faster than this time.

Event: Mid-Atlantic Championships
 

Warm-up jogging around the parking lots for the Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. Though I tried to, I didn't sleep well.

Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. I ran the Green course. I had trouble right away.

S-1 - I was a little intimidated going into this since I hadn't run in the area in a long time, and had done so poorly at Antietam Lake. I had trouble right away. I knew people were going down a trail but I couldn't get my compass to settle right and got going about 180 degrees off. In the wrong parking lot, I turned around and got on the trail. I came off of it just past the ditch and crossed the ditch to get to the control. I at least hit that right from an attack point.

1-2 - I angled down to the trail and ran to an intersection. I ran past the intersection and sought to cut off distance on a switch-back. However I was one intersection too soon--I should have listened to that voice in my head about that. I got on the wrong trail and descended hesitantly to the east edge of the park. Turning around, I couldn't make sense of the trails because I thought I was elsewhere. I climbed back 2 intersections and cut right but this put me on a trail that paralleled the eastern edge of the park again. I ran hesitantly being unsure of where I was at first. It looked too thick to cut over to the road. I climbed and looked for a mapped intermittent trail to take me there but I never found it. I did a lot of extra climb and distance getting to the power lines, well past the control. Using trails, I attacked a short distance from the north. I think I lost more time on this than AP shows.

2-3 - I ran straight and hit the reentrant before the control. I went around the top of it. Dasa Merkova was approaching from the reentrant and got there just before me.

3-4 - I went left of where Dasa was going, to get above the green. Aiming for the power line bend, it was slow getting there. I got on the trail going right under the power line tower but couldn't see where it went into the forest on the other side. The trail curved backward and I followed it knowing something wasn't right. I finally got to where the next trail emerged but hadn't realized it. I started looking for where to cut down again too soon. Once at a reentrant, I realized where I was and went to the control with no more trouble.

4-5 - I started straight at it but kept getting turned by vegetation. Finally hitting a trail, I took it to a bend and knew right were I was. I attacked from there and crossed another trail before getting near. I slowed near the house and Istvan Naggy closed in from behind. He was more confident of where we were and went right to it. I punched after him.

5-6 - I chased, then passed Istvan, barreling at it, and spiking it. Having the barn nearby helped.

6-7 - I started walking almost immediately and marched straight up. At that pace, I was confidently reading the boulders into the charcoal terrace. I did manage to run after crossing the second trail. Istvan was nearby.

7-8 - I charged off straight at it. The terrain wasn't that thick at first. I knew where we were when passing the control between 2 boulders. The trails confused me a little but I figured them out. I slowed to attack and Istvan caught-up. He attacked a little beyond me by our paths crossed. Istvan saw it first, but I think I got there first.

8-9 - I walked up at first and when I got to the fenced area, I ran around it on the left side. I crossed the parking lot, went past a pavilion and continued into the thickish woods. At the road crossing, I got confused--probably due to being in oxygen debt. I cut left and went through a pull-out. Sam Cohen came running through just before me but was moving too fast. I hit the next trail and couldn't tell where I was on it. Checking left initially, I turned around and went to the control. In the meantime Istvan had passed me. Perhaps I should have played it safely and come around on road and trails the whole way.

9-10 - My run-in was less than energetic.

I went with Sam Cohen and one other orienteer to check a misplaced control. It was definitely misplaced from the features around it. I found the control on an unmapped charcoal terrace that was in the green almost 100m south of the control, on an unmapped charcoal terrace. We jogged parts of the trail coming and going.

Mid-Atlantic Championships hosted by SVO. I was on a relay team with Steve Campbell, and Paul Hesson. Steve led off for us but was a good way behind at the spectator control. He improved by the time he finished. Paul had similarly made-up time on others. I was the anchor leg, chasing Peggy who was running on another QOC team.

S-1 - I ran down the trail and descended further down a long ditch that was slower than I'd hoped due to debris. I crossed the creek and started to climb. Spotting a boulder up high, I knew I'd had to cut right to the next. However Boris G. came from behind and cut that corner better. He led us into the control where someone else had been punching.

1-2 - I aimed for the trail like Boris did and headed over. I could hear someone coming from behind. It was Ted Good but I never saw him. I wasn't keeping up with Boris' pace and lost him just after crossing a reentrant. Peggy had just been passed by Boris too. We closed-in on Tori Campbell with the control being further ahead than I thought.

2-3 - I passed Peggy and was trying to close-in on Tori. I wasn't doing a good job of it until we reached the road. I didn't take enough time to pinpoint where I'd hit it. Cutting left, I presumed we were further left than we really were. Tori cut in before me and I cut some distance on her by cutting in later. Since we were further from the control than we thought we were, Tori and I had difficulty matching-up the many rocks. Seeing a distinctive cliff, I had a hard time believing the control was that much further away. I eventually went over there with Tori and Peggy ahead. Ted Good had passed us too without our seeing him since he left the road much later.

3-4 - I bashed through the forest to the road, hitting it at a trail intersection. I'm pretty sure Peggy was behind me at that point. The forest wasn't as green as anticipated. On the road, I closed-in on Tori. but went to a trail intersection which was further than needed.

4-5 - I had expected to go to #6 next so when I left for #5, I was a little confused for a few seconds. Torri was ahead but kept ahead by cutting closer to the bathroom. She about got away from me as I slowed to read more carefully. However, I was still catching Dave Pruden. He took trails to the control, but I used the forest. As I approached, still behind Dave, Tori had come-in and was going out.

5-6 - I didn't have a good plan but not executing it was about as bad. I chased Dave Pruden until he to a tack to the right. Tori slowed when leaving the trail so I was soon able pass her. I got to a control on a charcoal terrace but attacked poorly from there. I went way paste the control into some open forest. I relocated quickly from some stony ground and had to run uphill to punch. Tori, Dave, and Peggy had unbeknownst to me, passed me.

6 - F - I ran through the ball fields to the backstop and then on trails and roads.

QOC had enough winners on other courses to win the newly refurbished Broken Compass Award again.

Green - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Ave. to Johnson Ave,. to Heampstead Ave. to McKinley St. to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to the trail at Jefferson St. to Northfield Rd. At first, I felt okay on this run but very quickly, my quads were worn out. I dragged myself through to the finish. At least it was a nice day. I would have liked to have done a trail run but with Samantha on a short play date, a block party and our second birthday party coming up for the weekend, there wasn't much time.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was 42 F and sunny. I would have liked to commute all the way to work but I stayed-up late and have too much going on.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From 14th & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Independence Ave. to the Reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Rock Creek Trail, along the Georgetown Waterfront to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to the Glover Archbold Trail, up to the Tenleytown Metro Station via Van Ness St. and Wisconsin Ave. It had been a long time since I'd done this variation (August 2014) and mostly that's been because I'd been injured or not strong enough. I started out better than expected with a 7:52 first mile. I didn't feel like I slowed after that, but I did. It was very comfortable out, being sunny and in the low 70s and upper 60s F, but it was getting dark as I went along. I had to keep focusing on the ground getting up Glover Archbold Park. There were a good number of other runners and as it was really getting hard to see, some deer came out. Once back on the pavement on Wisconsin Ave, I moved faster again. I had been wanting to do some longer runs. This was fun and hit the spot. I have been having some aches and pains in my lower back lately, which I hope have more to do with the weather so I'll proceed cautiously. Though I had some cramps in my right calf near the end the dirt trail felt good and my legs felt sturdy--nice even, not having to strain like I've been pushing when bicycle commuting.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. With it being 44 F starting out, I work extra clothing--removable sleeves, a vest, and full gloves. I got a slow start due to all of Glenwood Rd. being torn-up for repaving. After Bradley Blvd. where the traffic light changed a little before I got there, I started closing-in on a unassuming rider ahead. I didn't catch him until on the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT). I thought I'd pass but decided it better to sit on him. I noticed and confirmed he was on an electric bicycle. As the trail straightened out, he picked-up speed. I had to work to keep in his draft, as we changed speeds getting around other riders and runners. He would slow down a lot more than I normally would for this, then accelerate quickly. Once we got to the flats, it was a lot harder to do this. I was past the Lincoln Memorial in under 30 minutes like last week when I rode fast drafting on other riders. The winds were calm but I felt worn out finishing up. I also ran into some traffic near the end.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was a bit of wind and traffic getting to Georgetown. Some faster riders moved-up not far out on the CCT. Earlier in the summer, I would have had to let them go but I worked and tried to keep up. I did a spell pulling too, after a lead rider broke off, but a mile later the rider behind me took me up to River Rd., where I lost him on the bridge climb. It was bumpy again on Glenwood Rd., so I rode on the sidewalk.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

Patuxent River Park, MD. I checked more control locations for the QOC event that's coming up in 2 weeks, which I'm course setting for. The sites were all fine and the runnability was better than anticipated in places. I was a bit tired and I didn't hit the control locations completely well. Sometimes I'd tie a streamer only to adjust it after leaving because I recognized something else. Most of these were small adjustments. In one place, I thought the contours could have been a little better though generally I've been happy with the way they are mapped. I did a lot of checking from second attack features. There should be some interesting choices for the runners.

Antietam Lake Orchard, PA, near or part of Mt. Penn. I did some needed warm-up for the DVOA local meet. I didn't sleep well.

DVOA Anietam Lake/Mt. Penn. More later....

Red - Splits

We spent the morning relaxing and catching-up on things at home but in the afternoon, we were off again. The Lennon's suggested traveling up to the DVOA event at Mt. Penn/Antietam Lake, so we did.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was a bit windy again but not bad with only a short ride. My legs did feel tired.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I felt tired and weak which was probably a combination of not sleeping enough, and exercising more this week.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I got out the door just before 8am. There were headwinds from the east again (hurricane down south) and it was around 54 F. As soon as I got onto the CCT, I caught up to a guy who'd slowed a little to get around other cyclists. I stayed in his draft moving quickly. As we passed others, we caught another guy who picked-up his pace and pulled us both for a while. Eventually he tailed off and got behind me. We slowed going into Georgetown and after that I moved ahead. It was nice to have help getting through the wind. We had to make short sprints where we slowed for other riders and again picked-up our pace. I saw one of the riders again just before the Lincoln Memorial since he stayed on the roads and almost caught me, but he peeled off toward Memorial Bridge. After rounding the Tidal Basin at 15th & Main St. SW,, the other rider whom I had drafted behind since Bethesda crossed paths w/me by coming the other way around Tidal Basin on roads. It was interesting that our paces worked that way. It was probably the fastest that I rode into work this year.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was some traffic and a headwind getting to Georgetown. After that I slowed a little. A rider who'd turned onto the trail behind me near Memorial Bridge had seemed stronger, but he didn't get by me until then. As he passed, I sped-up and hung onto him as he cruised along, sometimes weaving around bumps on the CCT. At the trestle bridge, he got around another slower rider going our direction, but I couldn't due to an oncoming rider. I kept pace behind him for a while going up the hill but lost him completely. I caught a glimpse of him at Massachusetts Ave. while I was a minute back. Another commuter and a Velo rider caught me at River Rd. After partial re-pavings and pipe projects on Glenbrook Rd. all summer, they stripped the full width along a long swath to get ready to repave it all. It'll be nice but it was bumpy and slow finishing-up my ride today.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I was a bit more tired today starting out. The winds were mixed, seeming to come from the NE or E, but I felt them a lot more in the last few miles where it's more exposed. It was cooler too. I moved along okay and picked-up speed. The first person I passed on the CCT ended up drafting off of me until a mile before Georgetown. When he passed, another person did too. I caught them both eventually.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I got a good start leaving work catching traffic lights pretty well. With a tailwind I got to Georgetown quickly and even got through it smoothly. Overall there just seemed to be less traffic on an average day. Though I slowed to a better pace on the CCT, I steadily passed people and rode alone.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was in the mid-50s F starting out, and sunny. There was a little bit of a headwind from the southeast. I moved pretty well. I got passed by one guy a mile before Georgetown. I caught him again as I got onto Ohio Dr., but he took off from there. I felt okay but not strong today. My quads are still sore from the Ultralong run on Sunday.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C., to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I left work a few minutes before 6pm. There was a little traffic at first but it got cleared-up quick enough. I had a tailwind getting to Georgetown, then the winds were varied. Going up the hill alone and slowing a little, a big train of people wizzed past me. I had to wait till the last person of 8 or 9 went by, then I latched-on. As we zipped past others, and proceeded up the grade, the group splintered. I worked my way around riders who were slowing but lost the leaders. Some followed me for a way before I lost them. I settled my pace in alone again the rest of the way.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. My legs were pretty sore from the Ultralong yesterday.

From the Friendship Heights Metro Station at the DC/MD border (Western Ave. & Wisconsin Ave.), Friendship Rd. to Willard Ave. to River Rd. to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Bethesda Ave. to Woodmont Ave. to the Bethesda Metro Station. I could just as well have done no additional workout today since I had a long run yesterday. However, I'd done so little last week when it was raining, that I thought I should do a little bit. As slow as it is, this is one of my faster runs this year, and I at least started out taking it easy.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. This was in the twighlight. I hit the traffic intersections well enough to not have to stop. There was a lot to watch out for as there were a lot of other people riding or running without any lights. I at least had a rear flasher and other reflectors.

Event: QOC Fountainhead
 

QOC: Fountainhead. I ran the Ultralong course and only 5 others signed-up. It was fun and I wasn't sure how I'd do with the distance. Being rested helped. I did okay with the distance though I made more errors than I should have. Dave Pruden and I exchanged leads a lot with him ahead more often than not.

I'm very familiar with the map from having set the US Champs Ultralong courses here in 2014. From the start and running up the road, I set a comfortable pace yet on the way to the first control I was fumbling looking for the right trail head. I ultimately cut through the trees to the maintenance yard fence. Dave was ahead on the trail there so he led us into the control. Going to #2, and on the road, I read the area around the control to be a reentrant instead of a spur. I cut it a little early before realizing it so Dave led 2 adventure races there with backpacks who were training for the World Ultralong Championships in Australia. Going to #2 I moved ahead slightly again going up the road. With parked cars and dogs at the trailhead, I went the long way around and the other got in front. We all came off the trail around the same place but Dave went down a reentrant headed for a stream junction. The adventure racers chose to go direct over an extra hill. I ran in between Dave and them, and got to the control first. I didn't see the adventure racers again until we finished.

Going to #4, Dave got ahead of me as I initially started to head for the trail on the wrong side of the creek. Dave was moving well so I went the way he was going and passed him. I pulled in a bit early, coming up one reentrant while Dave went around. I climbed a bit extra to pop over to the next reentrant so Dave got ahead. Going to #5, we ran up toward the big trail. I guess the running hard up the hill was making me not think so well. I started seeing the leg to the upside down #9. To my credit, the map was made really thin in this area since the mountainbike trails were made out of bounds. However, it was still a bonehead move to see Dave going down the road while I decided to take the trail to the wrong control. I realized what I had done and corrected back to the road. Dave got a +30 second lead on me. By the time we took the road and trail to the next control, Dave was still ahead but I was just close enough behind to be helped with him ahead--he kind of queued me to recognize the terrain. After #5, I lost sight of him for a while but after crossing a big reentrant, I saw him again at the top and on a big trail when I got to that. After leaving the big trail, I kind of lost sight of him again until I got close to the control. I was about to cross a reentrant when I saw Dave peeling down toward it. After #6, I chased Dave going up and then across several reentrants. I paused to make sure where we were so Dave got further ahead again. I thought I recognized the spurs ahead and Dave was dropping there. He pulled up on spur too soon and I chased him to that. We crossed a reentrant to the one with the control. Coming out of #7, I got ahead briefly climbing. I lost track of where we were near the trail so Dave got ahead there again. He was ahead while I was trying to read and then he disappeared. Not seeing him made me realize I'd gone too far--Dave had cut to the right while I was reading. I lost sight of him but moved well across some forest to the next trail. I stayed on that trail too long too but this time it was because of the gentle curves. When I went into the forest, I had to go across more reentrants than expected to get to the control. Dave was no where in sight. Going to #9, I crossed the creek early and went through some green--it wasn't bad and I knew that from being in the area before. I got to the next trail but cut a corner to save time. On the high ground on a big trail, I was not matching-up things that well. I got almost to the intersection just after the control. As I turned back, I saw Dave leaving it.

I paused for water so Dave was long gone before I left for #10. I was toying with the idea of staying on the road to go around the out of bounds (neighborhood). Not thinking well, tired and undecided, I went out of my way to the road. As coincident would have it, Peggy and our kids were driving past on the way to the event. I cut back into the forest and went nearly past #4, but I used the trail more. After crossing the creek, I came-up one reentrant early. I was having trouble seeing the one I'd come up since one side of it was out of bounds. I corrected okay but did lose time. For #11, I decided to drop early so that I wouldn't miss the stream junction on the most direct route. It was a bad move. I ended up taking the other stream anyway. I ended up coming over a ridge early when I didn't see a ride that I was looking for. I read my way across well, using a cairn to attack from and hit the control. Had I stayed high from the beginning, I would have not wasted energy and time. I knew I wasn't navigating so well so I took a trail to get out of the area. For #12, I started out okay, leaving the road but drifted right and into an out of bounds zone. I only realized this afterward. I had paused near the control but it took me a while to move to the correct reentrant. I ran fairly straight to finish the loop and lost 5-6 minutes on Dave by the time I'd gotten there. I had a quick drink--a Coke that I'd asked Peggy to bring since we were out of Gatorade. I ate a little bit but wanted a banana.

More later....

Ultra Long - Splits

I used the day to clean-up things around the house. In the evening, we saw friends for dinner. The bump in weight came after a Chipotle dinner.