Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: QOC Little Bennett Day-O
 

QOC: Little Bennett Regional Park, MD. It was still cold out; still in the teens, F. There was still snow out too but starting late, and with it being sunny, there was less of it. I ran the Blue course. Everything was going well initially. I spiked 5 of the first 6 controls and got the fastest split on the first leg--I hadn't done that on a Blue course in a long while. I probably was running too fast. I realized it soon enough after #1, but was still moving without a good sense of pace afterward--I just haven't been training much for endurance lately.

As often happens when one gets tired, I fell on the way on the short leg to #7. I also happened to mispunch there. It was a control in a direct line, but oddly enough I seemed to remember seeing it. I can't remember if I fell first or saw it first, but on my fall, I went head over heels, doing a full roll on the down slope, and came up running. I ran on toward #8 by getting to the creek at a side stream intersection, then going upstream a short way to a creek bend. On the other side I very briefly checked my location by seeing a trail bend behind me that sloped upward. However, I wasn't confident of my check. I climbed the hillside at an angle and was confused at not seeing any rootstocks nearby. I must have climbed too high and gotten close to #9 before stopping. I turned back confused the a reentrant ahead and then my memory of being unsure where I had crossed the creek. I doubled back but stayed high. Eventually I got above, then dropped into the large fight green north of #8--a big 350-400m loop. The fight green wasn't really that bad, but it was a little thorny and I could see the reentrant that I had come across on the other side of the creek. I went south to get out of the green and went on to the rootstock.

I hit #9 really well. There was a bit of an elephant track through the snow to it. I had to stop there for a while since my mishap into the fight on the way to #8, had gotten my shoelace untied. It took a while to get my gloves off, to tie and tuck my laces, and get my gloves and compass on, and to get my epunch back onto my fingers.

I planned to go low toward #10 but as I got closer the bottom looked junky. A trail also happened to be going my way. It just climbed more than I had wanted it to. I ended up hitting #10 pretty well but my shoes got untied again! I took the time to fix that again since the laces are really long.

Going to #11, I first goofed by climbing high and west toward the field, instead of doubling back. What was really going on was partly frustration at having to stop for my shoe laces again, and really needing to go the the bathroom. I sucked up the loss of time, and relieved myself. In the process, I had to undo and put on my gloves yet again. As I was interested in saving time, I thought to put on my gloves while moving up the hill. After getting them on and almost reaching the road, I realized I had either dropped or left the map behind---@ X %
I went straight to #12 and saw or heard a few others going the other direction, including Dasa Merkova (course setter) and Kathleen Lennon. I had to tie my shoes again though. :(

I went on the trail and then straight to #13. It seemed to me that #13 was lower and more to the right than I thought it'd be, but I spiked it from the ride above. The feeling at #13 might have explained why I missed #14 so badlly (as did many others). I thought I was running a good bearing but hit to the right of a reentrant 100m off to the right of the control. The previous night, coming from the other direction, the same control seemed like it was higher than I thought it'd be. As I missed, I saw my son Max who was accompanied by David Onkst--they were trying the Green course (Max's feet got really cold so they didn't finish). When I saw the reentrant, I mistook it for another and went further right before turning back. I let Max and Dave know I'd found it before going on.

I hit the rest of the controls (all 8) rather well, but I was out of gas. The bad news of finding out I had mispunched at #7 almost felt like relief since I'd messed-up so much of the middle of the course.

Blue - Splits

Event: QOC Little Bennett Night-O
 

QOC: Night-O at Little Bennett Regional Park, MD. Being tired from not sleeping much all week (I was working on map drafting), and from not training much (had to watch the kids in the evening and the weather was bad), I did the Middle Advanced course. A big difference from my last night-O was that I used the full beam the whole way. I was seeing things pretty well and ran pretty good bearings too. My one biggest error was taking a bad route over hills and forest with thorns, instead of following a road. It all worked out well however, since I won the course. All of the faster runners ran the Long Advanced course which was 2K longer. I forgot to mention that it was cold out--about 17 F the whole way, with about an inch of snow. It was good fun and as I've said--I ran with glee!

Little Bennett Regional Park, MD. This was my warmup for the night-O. I jogged from the Nature Center to the start, only only to realize that I'd forgotten my eyeglasses. I ran back to get them. There was an inch of snow on the ground and it was between 19 and 17 F.

Medium Advanced - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. It was raining lightly and it was dark. I rode slowly both because I was tired and because it was a little windy.

From Muncaster Mill Rd., I continued field checking areas between Muncaster Mill Rd., and the Inter-County Connector Hwy.

Washington, D.C. At lunchtime I did a version of what I call the Memorial Tour from my office (From 14th St., SW to Independence Ave. SW, to 15th St. SW., past the Tidal Basin, and Jefferson Memorial to the Rock Creek Trail along Ohio Dr., to Lincoln Memorial Circle, along the Reflecting Pool to 17th St., then along Independence Ave. to 14th St., SW. I got a lucky break from the rain at lunchtime--I anticipated that it'd be too messy to run and get back to work on-time but since I brought along my running things and work wasn't too busy, I took advantage of it. It was nice to get out. The weather was comfortable (46 F) but it was wet everywhere. I was careful not to wipe out on the slick concrete sidewalk ramps. Along the Tidal Basin, the high tide overflowed the river bank and there were chains to keep one on the submerged walkway. I went slow there but somehow still managed to run 8:08 pace when I thought I was running closer to 8:30 pace.