Training Log Archive: Nadim

Dolly Sods, WV. Leaving from FR75 not far from Bear Rocks, Peggy, Max and I met the Merka family and began backpacking west on the Bear Rocks Trail (TR-522). This was throwing caution to the winds for me, coming off a pulled back that wasn't fully healed. I also probably hadn't carried a full backpack on a hike since 1990's. This time I was loaded with a 4-person car camping tent though I made efforts to pack other things extra lightly by leaving out some extras I usually take (clothes, food, emergency stuff). It had been in the 80's F when I left Bethesda for the drive but on the ~4,000 ft. mountain, it was in the low 60's and windy.

Whenever I'd been in Dolly Sods before, the backpacking had been further south or coming in from the southwest while XC skiing. I'd explored Bear Rocks but never got out onto the very inviting miles of open mountaintop for lack of trail info. The Merka's had been on a version of this loop before and perhaps picked the best stuff. None the less it was really nice. The climate and plants of the mountain island are said to resemble northern Canada. Fall colors were in early stages but offered a lot. We took our first break at a secluded easy rock hopping crossing of Red Creek. Max carried his school backpack which had his sleeping bag, some of our dinner and his own water. He did pretty good not having a belt and bounced along happily almost all of the time. He had a determination to stay ahead of Alexis Merka who is about a year older, just as emotional but more mature.

Our climb over a knoll was awsome. From the USGS map, I hadn't expected it to be wide open with such good views. White dried grasses were blowing in between some type of berry bushes. Some lone trees were there but they were stunted and wind sculpted from the harsh winters. We could see miles away. Later on the Raven Ridge Trail (TR-521) and the Bear View Trail (TR-523), we saw a few other day hikers but had our choice of camping spots. A couple of miles later we went into a hollow near an all but dry stream. The moon came out early. We saw it light-up thin cloulds from underneath and could make-out moon rays similar to sun rays. Jupiter, Cygnus(?) and Lyra were out too. Unfortunately it clouded up too much to get the view of the milky way that I wanted to show Max. We did hear owls after a great dinner and before sacking. Peggy later heard coyotes.

My back has been getting better slowly. I could move much more freely whenever I warmed-up by Thursday night; that is, I had to walk gingerly anytime I got up from sitting a while and then it felt pretty good.

Event: EX2: Bushwhacker Adventure Running Race
 

EX2: Bushwhacker Adventure Running Race. For the National Orienteering Day, several of us forewent the QOC score-o meet (Jon Torrance did both) and did a trail race which allowed for getting off-trail and navigating shortcutts. We only had 4 checkpoints and it was worth using the woods to shorten the route. It was advertised as being about a 10 mile run if one stuck to the trails. I hadn't really prepared as much as I'd have liked so I was expecting a longish run. I skipped warming-up not because I didn't want to but because I just ran out of time before the start.

At the start at Hemlock Overlook, most of the pack went off to the right following Jon Torrance. A Runner's World writer was interviewing Jon before the race and asked questions that betrayed a lack of knowledge about off-trail navigation. I went a bit more left on the road and plowed into the woods to avoid crossing a reentrant. I rejoined the pack just behind Andy Britton and Dave Onkst. Other adventure racers were with us and moving fast. I started losing track of where we were. The map was 1:16,000 and with the pack and terrain, I overran what I could read. Still in the first mile as we were descending toward a trail, I pulled my back, low on the right side. I slowed considerably at first but willed myself to keep going figuring that it would loosen. What turned-out to be the lead woman went by--a good runner who ended up stuck chasing Andy for several miles. Before too long after the pull, my back did loosen though I kept my pace slower. Going up the first hill on a trail, I really felt slow. Plowing into the woods at the top, I was on my own. My level of effort slowed on the downhill but I felt better and more in control. I rejoined the trail with others in good position. I'd forgotten my bib so I took some extra time a the check point to identify myself--I was ready to go having e-punched (courtesy of Valerie Meyer who was also watching Max--Yeah!) they at least gave me my bib number which I used later.

Using a trail through the field but staying out of the soccer fields, and cutting through an area mapped with fight on either side, I shortened my way to the trail route again, just behind Andy and the leading woman. They both were running stronger than I so I let them slowly get ahead wanting to conserve energy--I still didn't know how my endurance would hold-up. Jon Pifer passed too, running much stronger than all 3 of us. After the next checkpoint, they rerouted us under a bridge and I made a trail error. I saw a fork but because the right fork was so small looking, I thought it was only a fishing trail that kept close to the Occoquan Reservoir. I went out of the way but made up for it a bit by navigating across the woods back on course. I got passed by a guy moving quite quickly before reaching a section of trail with a lot of wiggles. By cutting across, I was able to pop-out in front of him at least 3 times before the next checkpoint and beat him there. They didn't have controls flags. A woman holding a clipboard seemed to be taking names and bib numbers so I gave her mine as I drank and had a Gu. The fast runner caught-up and so did Andy. I left just ahead of Andy but almost 100m up I heard them calling me back to epunch--the woman with the clipboard had it and was holding it.

After leaving for the second time, I'd seen Andy take the trail up ahead but I hesitated a lot about taking a navigation route. Ultimately, I stuck to the trail too but lost contact with Andy. With the decision resolved and looking ahead at how much was left, I speed-up on the downhill. The fast woman who'd been following Andy was now behind me, along with another guy who at one point earlier in the race told me to have a good race as he passed me on the trail (he didn't expect to see me again). I left both of them on the next longish climb. Another runner was catching me but never passed. Once at the top, I knew it'd be flat or downhill for a ways and I speeded-up again, leaving all who were around me. At the bottom, I took a micro navigation route and was strong enough to run up a very steep slope. Near rejoining the trail route, I saw Andy coming the other way. He stayed ahead of me and helped me notice a minor shortcut at the cemetary to get to the finish at Fountainhead Regional Park.

I finished 3rd in the 45-50 age group behind Dave Onkst (Dave had dropped out of 2nd overall in the last section when he ran through unmapped deadfall) and Andy Britton. Somewhere in the last section, I had passed Jon Pifer who got 4th. Jon Torrance had won overall by about 9 minutes over the 2nd place finisher (Pier was the fast runner sticking ot the trail who went by me at least 4 times in the race) and Peggy was 3rd woman overall. The second place woman was only a few minute ahead of her but that person had forgotten to bring her epunch and would have gotten a 15 minute penalty.

C • Penalties 6