Training Log Archive: Nadim

US Orienteering Convention. After listening to some sessions on map making as well as a little practice field checking in a park in Rochester, NY, I took it easy. Peggy ran a sprint but it was hot enough and I'd run enough over the weekend that I didn't think it would help me much. I went out later for the mass start night orienteering that was put on by ROC and the US Juniors. Peggy took Max out and I crossed their path at a control. It was fun, though starting out for the first 15 minutes, I struggled with trying to digest a picnic dinner that was part of the convention. I didn't understand the point assignments in this score-o and ended-up missing an easy 50 point control, very near the start. Other controls were mostly easy at intersections or close to intersections. One group was in a very steep technical area. I got them all but had a hard time interpreting up and down. My lighting worked well. I had forgotten a longer cable so I rigged the battery to attach to my headstrap. It was a fun outing. I think I ended-up with the 6th place score. I also strained something around my right hip. It probably happened while running downhill on a wide trail and kicking a fist sized rock twice.

Event: 2011 OUSA Convention
 

At Happy Valley WMA, in NY, near Syracuse, I jogged over to the start of the 2011 CNYO US Classic Orienteering Championships.

CNYO: US Classic Championships Day 2 at Happy Valley WMA. I was out for a bit of redemption and mostly I got it. Unlike yesterday, I only had one ten minute error. I was off a bit on #1. Perhaps I should have taken a safer route following the wall from the road but I recovered quickly. I spiked #2, simplifying a lot by ignoring most of the contour detail. I knew enough to go to the top and I did read a Y-shaped valley to know that I was a bit to the right near the end. On #3, I did the same simplifying and stopped on the correct knoll, left of the control. However, I saw another control more to the left and checked it out because visibility was poor enough that I couldn't be sure from the clues. Going to #4, I'm not sure what happened. I though I was coming off a hill correctly before crossing a flat area but I missed. I wandered, then decided to bail out. In the process, I think I headed the wrong way and stopped at my 5th control. I was able to hit #4 after that, just after Greg Lennon had gotten there. Greg had started 4 minutes behind me. I chased and caught him at #5. I took a straight route to #6, crossing both marshes and losing Greg at one since he wanted to go around. I spiked it. Going to #7, I ended off to the right, while going slow on this short leg--others did too. I spiked #8 by going straight too. The control was knocked over when I got there. I tried to stand it up again but the peg of the stake was bent--it just rolled over again. I moved well going for #9. I used the walls and kept good track of where I was the whole way and spiked it. Going to #10, I got hung-up in the fallen branches that were hidden by ferns. I moved of my attack line to the left due to this and ended-up losing time by going around the marsh to the left. The actual location of this control was hard to verify. Going for #11, I paused at a control on an earlier wall intersection. Moving on, I spiked it. I moved pretty well in the open ground but my lack of interval training or even much running shows in my lack of speed.

To day was a much better day overall. I used a hand held magnifier as needed. The magnifier had a handle but it broke at the start when I had dropped it. I just held the lens. It helped a lot. I'll still need to practice with various magnifying options.

Day 2 - Green Y - Splits

Event: 2011 US Classic Championships
 

Warm-up at the Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area near Williamstown, NY. Jogging to the start with a bit of back and forth on a dirt road.

CNYO Day 1 US Championships at the Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area near Williamstown, NY. This was my debut day running a Green course as an M50+. I had some hopes of doing well but I was also realistic about the competition. I should have been more focused on interpreting the map. In many ways, my head wasn't in it. I gave it a real try some second thoughts about coming this weekend could have factored in. I started out wrong right away with a 180 degree error; this after already seeing JJ Cote head out. I lost about 7 minutes right away. I was fine getting to #2 which only encouraged faster running toward #3 and some sloppy technique. A lot of people had trouble with #3 probably because it was obscured by a bush but I should have been more capable. I must have went past the control at least 4 times. The 2.5m contours were a factor there along with a very tussocked ground that contours didn't capture. I overshot #5 but was okay with perhaps only 2 minutes lost gettting to it. Leaving #5, I managed to make a second 180 degree error and this one was worse than the first. I was following a ridge up on a longer leg and it was just enough parallel to what I was seeing in the woods that I ran the wrong way for 5 minutes and went off the map. I was able to return well enough and went ahead and punched-back in at #5. Tim Parsons was just getting there at the same time. We ran off correctly toward #6 this time with me staying a bit lower. I missed seeing the reentrant up higher and turned back once hitting a stone wall. Tim, who had been behind, was now ahead. I chased him to #7, catching him there. I went back in the lead following compass bearing and reading the bigger features as I got to #8. I left for #9, ahead of Tim but drifted too far to the right. I got somewhat confused by this and took some risks even after locating on stone wall. That lost more time and I was really getting tired at this point. The upper 80 F weather was taking a toll on me. I was okay getting to #10 but was rather confused by the mapping of the walls in this area. I didn't notice that one was mapped with the stony grojund symbol and thought I was making an error crossing another.

I finished okay and was glad that earlier runners had made a path through the field. This was a really poor race for me. I thought of taking a DNF and I almost never think of that. I came away wondering what went wrong. By listening to others and studying the map, I formed a plan for the next day that involved using a tight bearing and using the contours less.

Day 1 Green Y - Splits

After a bit of yard work and seeing how much Max had learned at swim camp, it was a driving day.

From Northfield Rd. to Beech Dr. with the trail-a-bike to drop off Max. Max was a bit cranky before going (got up too early on his own) but he cycled well.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station. Nice morning but more traffic and I was short on time.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a bit late. Feeling a bit tired and with it being hot out, I decided it best to skip a planned run.

From Northfield Rd. to Beech Dr. with the trail-a-bike to drop off Max. Due to having missed a traffic light, I rambled along and parallel to Old Georgetown Rd. through the neighborhoods on the return.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I had some errands to do this morning so I went into work late. It was relatively cool out. I had a slight tailwind at times. Still feeling sore, I took it fairly easy. There were lots of people on the CCT cycling or running in both directions.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I rode relatively easy today. For most of the way, I had an unexpected tailwind. Having gotten past after Dalecarlia, I got a draft to River Rd.

Normally I look at my ride to and from work as a relatively calm time. It's not like the rush I had in the metro system yesterday--people were particularly pushy and frantic to get on a train when I was going home and I had to shout at the person behind me who was literally pushing me into the person in front of me. My ride home today started not quite so bad but with lots more riders and tourists out and about, it was headed that way. Having gotten through this traffic to the Kennedy Center along the river, there I'd come on a couple of cyclists who appeared to have just gotten up from a wreck. They were probably going opposite directions and likely someone was passing another person going their direction--three bikes barely fit the width of the trail. A cursing very irrate but fit looking cyclist was clutching his bleeding and perhaps broken wrist and shouting that no, he wasn't alright to the other cyclists involved.

C • I did notice the CCT was much more crowded 2