Training Log Archive: Nadim

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. Starting from near the Fawn parking area, I finished covering the south side of the lake, up to Great Seneca Hwy. I had hoped to do more, finishing the last 2 hills on the northeast side of the lake too, and re-checking a few other things but it just took me that long to do things right. It was humid and got to feeling hot. I guess the temperature was in the upper 80s F. Leaving the park I could see the temperature fluctuate in different places up to 92 F. There were some nice point features to add in areas covered today but a lot of what I did was to record ditches and vegetation. The ball of my left foot was hurting after this.

QOC Summer Short Series at the University of Maryland, College Park campus. The Lennons setup several nice sprints and the twist was that all of the legs were memory-o. I started on the A-loop. I did fine on my first 5 controls though I was taking a while to memorize routes. On my 6th, my long-term memory got the better of me because I thought that control was in a completely different part of the campus. I probably ran double the distance to the area I though that control would be, then in essence, did a lot of field checking. There was a master control map given to everyone so after cracking it open, I found it without too much more trouble. I made another error on the next control but finished okay after that. It was in the low 90s F and still humid but there was a breeze blowing that helped.

QOC Summer Short Series at the University of Maryland, College Park campus. I did Loop B which was supposed to be harder. The course legs were longer on average but I did them much more easily. I wasn't spiking everything but lost a lot less time. I also felt better running. After running, we all ate at Mama Lucia's, an old haunt from when Peggy and I were still dating and ran track workouts with the Prince George's Running Club. Those days were a little more simple with more time for fun.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park, with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was cooler this morning and the pace was much more sane. I rode alone. The winds were basically neutral except for a slight headwind from the east when on Ohio Dr. Taking an iron pill seemed to make me recover and feel better.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was a little tailwind and I rode alone. I saw David Onkst running toward Washington, D.C. near MacArthur Blvd.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park, with Max on his bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. Leaving home, I had to turn back to get a lock for Max's bicycle. I rode directly from there instead of stopping home to drop off his bicycle as usual. Bradley Blvd. was a little bumpy from the road being stripped but not yet re-paved. I hit the CCT at Dorsey Rd., just a little behind another fast moving cyclist. As I closed in, another guy went past and helped me close the remaining gap. We were moving fast but the guy in front of me was a bit over cautious. He'd slow down a lot when passing, then we'd have to speed up to catch the guy up front again. Soon we merged with 2 other cyclists and were hitting 28mph on the downgrade near Fletcher's Boathouse. The guy in front of me was stronger but because of him slowing down to pass others every time, we broke contact with the fast riders up front. Going faster than I would have, I kept in the draft until Georgetown, and then passed him. I actually caught up to the others who were moving more slowly through the city and people started splitting-up. The last guy on my route was a little ahead still but when he saw me he took off again on Ohio Dr. and I lost him. The wind felt neutral but it's possible that we had a slight tailwind.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Ayrlawn Park, Bethesda, MD, then to Northfield Rd. with Max on his bicycle. I had better tailwinds and a wetter thunderstorm today. Fortunately, after passing a guy in Georgetown and leading him for almost a mile, he passed and pulled me almost up to Massachusetts Ave. He was as big or bigger than I and created a good wind block. At times he was going up the grade at 21mph. He was trying to get home before the storm but when it came down (lightly) anyway, he slowed and I led again. I pushed-on but was already worn out trying to hang on. Had I stopped there, I would have gotten home in 38 minutes. When I got Max, I was worried it would start raining harder and start thundering but we made it back getting just a little more wet. I weighed-out at 174.5 lbs.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park, with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I felt better this morning. As I was returning home with Max's bicycle, I saw my neighbor just leaving. It took me a minute or two to get going but I caught my neighbor at River Rd. After that I caught a few others who were moving well and moved ahead at about 24mph. Unlike the last 2 days, there was much less of a headwind. I pulled for at least 2 other riders to Georgetown whereupon we split-up. I rode a little slower after that. After a stoplight, I had trouble clipping-in. My foot slipped off and the inside of my left ankle smacked the pedal hard--that hurt and slowed me up.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving work just as they were locking up the courtyard gate, there was light rain, a thunderstorm was threatening, and the ground was already wet. I moved cautiously, concerned about slipping while the wind buffeted me from ahead and on the side. Things got better at the Kennedy Center and by Georgetown it looked like the worst had passed by. I caught a guy who was riding and reading his cell phone. I pulled him up to the Washington Palisades where he turned off. I slowed afterward, fatigued. The pavement started getting dry by the sewage treatment plan and I cruised my way home.

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park, with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. I got passed by a guy moving 25mph down the grade. He was definately stronger. I accelerated for about a mile to stay with him but didn't want to push that much. There were headwinds which were got stronger after Georgetown.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. The winds were like yesterday but not quite as well aligned. I still moved well. Had I thought I was this close to breaking 40 minutes, I'd have pushed the last 2 miles more but I'd eased off by then. Thinking I might have an iron deficiency, I had a big steak & cheese sandwich for lunch and I wonder if that helped make me feel better.

C • Iron 2

From Northfield Rd. to Ayrlawn Park, with Max on his bicycle, then back towing Max's bicycle, then to 13th and C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was comfortably cool this morning. I enjoyed that knowing it's going to heat-up later this week. There was a headwind but I kept the effort manageble while still steadily passing others.

From 12th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was a bit on the warm side. I had some initial traffic and headwinds but most of the way I had a tailwind. I was really tired all day.

Seneca Creek State Park, Lake Clopper Area. Starting from the Quail Ridge parking area (near Bob White pavillion), I went over some of the areas in the Long Draught stream valley again correcting a few things and gettng the vegetation mapping for other parts missed before. Then I covered areas near Great Senecay Hwy. I finished-up in the much more delightful forests south of the lake.

After seeing a movie with Peggy and Max, I bent down to look for Peggy's glasses. After the third time, I got a bad leg cramp in the lower part of the hamstring of my right leg. It was very sore afterward and the rest of the evening.