Training Log Archive: Nadim

Summer Short Series (SSS). Tom Nolan had created a map of his neighborhood for the second SSS of the season. It was quite fun but not many were able to make it. The torrential rains may have kept some away. We were fortunate for the rains to have stopped long enough for the roads to dry out. A fast wind was blowing the whole time too which was good because it kept it cool. I started out behind Peggy and my old roommate Ralph Keith, from undergrad days who had stopped by for a visit. Similar to myself several years back, he hadn't orienteered since our college days. He wasn't able to run because of an injury but he did walk it successfully. I passed Peggy getting there just before the first control. I rushed up the short leg to the second and instinctively felt the need to run out fast before Peggy caught me. Doing that I missed what was perhaps the better route choice to back out and go around to the left to #3. I hadn't done much running for a while so I felt awkward climbing to the top of the course. Having missed some recent events, I also felt I hadn't orienteered on a course in a while so the process of just reading and running was good. On the way to #9, I dropped down off the field too soon. I should have been keeping better track along the way. I stayed low and got to the correct street before turning. However following the stream along the road I couldn't find the control. A search well past and then back up didn't reveal it. I searched the other side of the stream and then in and out of the few crossing trails. I was the first through on the course so I wanted to be sure it was gone before leaving the area. The next control was fairly easy but slightly misplaced due to mismapped vegetation. I was a little surprised to have finished so quick since the same distance in the woods would often take longer. I lost at least 5 minutes looking for #9 which no one else found either--someone said they heard some laughing from a house near where the control should have been so we probably know what happened to it.

My warmdown for the SSS was to go backwards on the course to make sure that my old roommate Ralph didn't get hung up on #9. I found him in the correct area and he'd only been there a few minutes. I walked back with him.

We had another very nice dinner at the Nolan house after all this.

Upper Marlboro, MD. I started exploring the new map which Dave Linthicum made over the last year. It's a new part of the Patuxent River park system, about 3 miles north of Rte. 4, off of Rte. 301. The map title and sign in the park weren't the same. The sign in the park labels the place Swanson Rd. Natural Area. I didn't get to see very much. I had woke up late and while getting ready in the morning, I couldn't find my streamer roll. I had to stop at Home Depot to pickup more and I got delayed there getting some other needed items for around the house.

The parking area is tiny. I think 3 or 4 cars would fill the designated lot. There are some open fields there. Some had wheat ready to harvest. It had been raining a lot the last few days so I found the woods to be lush and far more green than the map would indicate. I think in the winter it would be much nicer. I got to my first control easily but it took a long while going along the bottoms, to make progress to the next. I wanted to stay low to make sure I could read features along the way and set the control correctly in an area with high risk of making parallel errors. Though a creek I crossed was swollen, I got across easily and only a little wet. I found some deep mud on my return crossing, then I had trouble making my way up a steep saturated slope. It was like places in Ohio for a little while but once I got out of the bottoms, the woods were much nicer. At another control in a ditch which was more of a gully, I spyed a crayfish crawling around.

Dave claims he hadn't intended the map to be used for orienteering but he did a nice enough of a job. There were some things, and especially the field edges, which were a little off here and there. The ditch at the second control for instance, was much closer to the field than mapped and a thicket island in the same field was bigger than shown.

The fields were kind of fun with some roll to them. When crossing one field, I surprised a fawn. It took off when I unknowingly got within 10 ft. and it raced an S pattern while running so low to the ground to stay hidden, that it looked like a small dog for a while. It darted into the woods in the direction of my next control so I ran around.

I ran out of time having only whetted my interest in the area. I never even got to the area I consider to be a technical area. I had to get back for a special Father's Day show that Max's class was putting on. All the day care fathers were there and I made it with only 2 minutes to spare. Immediately afterward I had an appointment with our builder about an addition on our home that will start work at the end of July. I'll go back to Swanson Rd. Natural Area and finish course setting exploration for a QOC Summer Short Series event which will be held later in this Summer.

Bethesda, MD. From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. via the Georgetown Branch Trail with Max in the trailer, then back home w/o the trailer, then to the Bethesda Metro Station. After dropping off Max I realized I had forgotten to bring my lock with me so I had to go home to get it. With the little bit of extra riding, I got sweaty in my work clothes :( I should have brought the trailer home with me. Now I'll have to grab it as usual on the return trip.

From the Bethesda Metro station to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd. via the Georgetown Branch Trail. I was rushing home a little bit so that Peggy and I could go out for our wedding anniversary. There was a cool breeze blowing almost like at the ocean.

From Northfield Rd. to Maple Ave. with Max in his trailer, then to C St., SW, Washington, D.C. via the Capital Crescent Trail and Ohio Dr. With nicer weather ahead and hopefully a less busy work day, I though it time to get back on the saddle. I rolled along comfortably, passing regularly. After passing Fletcher's Boathouse and on the flats, I was content to slow to about 17mph for a mile until I got passed. I hung on to the guy until in the city doing 21mph to 23mph. I cruised the rest in from there. There's still some construction and a closed trail at the Watergate area. There were some headwinds by the Kennedy Center but it was all from the side on Ohio Dr. My helmet kept slipping down toward my eyes on the ride so I had to keep pushing it back up. I knew I was losing weight but is that proof that it's all been in my head?

From 12th St & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. to Maple Ave., then to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I left work after 8pm and as often have in the past, I rode through the basement of the two block long building to get to 12th & Independence Ave., SW. It sure seemed fast as I got up to 10mph at my peak indoors. The ride home was smooth and uneventful. The prime characteristic was a lack of power. I kept a fair cadence and oddly, the ride felt like it does when I'm going about 3mph faster. Had I left earlier I would have encountered a small thunderstorm from Fletcher's Boathouse up almost to Dalecarlia--the trail had been wet there but was dry elsewhere. I finished just as it was getting dark. This is about the only time of year when I can leave work that late and do that.

C • small thunderstorm 2

From Northfield Rd. Custer Rd. to Huntington Pkwy. to Maple Ridge Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail/NIH Trail, to Jones Bridge Rd. to Maryland Ave. to Pearl St. to East-West Hwy., to the Georgetown Branch Trail, to the Rock Creek Trail, to Beach Dr. to Cedar La. to the Elmhirst Trail. to the NIH Trail along Rockville Pike, to Maple Ridge Rd. to Old Georgetown Rd. to Huntington Pkwy to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. I had been working in the yard most of the morning. I took a break at lunch time with Peggy and Max. Max rode in his trailer. He got yet another fast food restraunt toy and some time at a playground in Rock Creek Park. This was a nice casual ride on a nice comfortable day. However, I felt a bit lazy in my muscles all day.

After more work on the yard including putting down some pavers along the road, Peggy, Max and I went out for dinner with our friends Bob and Ben. We came back and had brownies with ice cream. Eventually we got home and I got Max into bed. At about 10pm it was finally time for me to run. While running my muscles felt better than I had earlier in the day but this didn't happen immediately. Running on a stomach still full from dinner and dessert I just had to take it slow starting off and at other places. In fact, I struggled multiple times against some cramps. From Northfield Rd. to Custer Rd. to Huntington Pkwy. to Maple Ridge Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail/NIH Trail, to Rockville Pike, to Cedar La. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Grosvenor Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Greenwich Park, to Northfield Rd. The nighttime trail was fairly easy to see. There were a few slippery/muddy spots. The fireflies were out in a few places too. My last mile was about 7:30 pace.