Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: UNO Boulder Dash
 

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Arlington Rd., with Max on his bicycle, then to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to Madison St. on my road bicycle with Max on his bicycle, then back to Northfield Rd. towing Max's bicycle, then to the Bethesda Metro Station. With the Federal government getting back to work again, I went back to my regular commuting options.

Washington, D.C. From 14th & 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. I was back to my usual commuting runs. I ran with a full change of work clothes in my backpack. It was about 70 F and a little on the humid side. I felt okay running with the extra weight through most of the run and hit 8:00 at the first mile. I got up the hill at the end stronger than some of the runs I had done about a month back without the backpack. There were fewer people around with the Federal government just starting up again earlier today. Many contractors couldn't start because the contracts for the new fiscal year could be funded. A few tourists walking around with maps lucked-out that things were opening again. I got to Woodley Park before it was dark.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. Having been a bit sweaty, the ride felt nice though I pushed a bit. It was dark.

On Do We Dare Island I ran out to set 4 streamers for a training event. With a lot of detail in the field that wasn't on the map, I missed the second control location and practically got to the next. I had to go out to a trail to relocate.

On Do We Dare Island I ran a nice course on an old but still pretty good map. I got confused in one area where I found a control but there was a large unmapped pond was right next to it. I looped about and eventually confirmed the location. I did some drifting elsewhere but felt that I was mostly reading along where it mattered and in contact. One control may have been hung incorrectly in an area where the map was lacking accuracy but I found this one okay enough; it was odd being a sizeable boulder on top of an old tree trunk.

C • Do We Dare Island? 5

From Do We Dare Island back to the parking lot. Much of this was on trail. I felt pretty tired so though I put some effort into it, I wasn't moving fast at all.

From Northfield Rd., to Madison St. on my road bicycle and towing Max's bike, then back to Northfield Rd. with Max on his bicycle.

Being in Virginia during the daytime and early evening, I had to make a choice between doing a planned run in Virginia or another at home. Both involved fighting traffic at rush hour but staying in Virginia was less traffic and easier than going to Maryland and then trying to run at night. I stayed in Virginia. Car headlights were already on for some cars when I got started. I jumped into the woods donning only running gear (leaving o-pants, o-shoes, and gaiters behind). This area is one that I may do some course setting for. The part I got to was very hilly and though I ran with a map, I used it loosely. I made a rough plan of a circuit but it was getting too dark to complete it. The area seemed much more detailed than the map showed too. I ended up using trails a lot but cutting across them in places, especially when it was getting too dark to see. Nearing the parking lot where I returned, there was a lot of noise and I saw several fire engines with base lighting on. I wondered what they were there for but guess it was for a training exercise.

From Northfield Rd., to Custer Rd., to Park Ln. to Exeter Rd., to Clarendon Rd., to Fairfax Rd., to the Bethesda Pool, to the Little Falls Trail, through Norwood Park. and Norwood Dr., to Wisconsin Ave., to Woodmont Ave., to Miller Ave., to Bethesda Ave., to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Kentbury Dr., to Chestnut St., to Lynbrook Dr., to Jones Bridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail on the NIH grounds., to Maple Ridge Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. Having taken Max and his friends to play laser tag earlier in the day, I had an early evening run circumnavigating Bethesda. I kind of wandered on the route but basically planned to go around the town. I started off fast, again not knowing my true speed. I was about 7:20 at the first mile. I eased back a bit after that. It was humid but pleasant with temperatures in the upper 50s F. As I rounded the town I realized how much construction was still taking place and saw some that I'd missed earlier. A big lot off of Bethesda Ave. was 6 or 7 stories deep and 150m wide. Houses off of Chestnut St. in E. Bethesda had been knocked down and replaced with some nice new looking ones. The water management project on the NIH grounds neared completion after 2 years with a nice new lake and a fountain. I also enjoyed the many Halloween decorations that have started to appear. I ran well but felt like I was running out of gas on some hills. The good thing was that my endurance is developing and I recovered from the climbs.