Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd., Old Georgetown Rd., to W. Cedar Ave, to the Elmhirst Pkwy. Trail, to the Rock Creek Trail, to the Ken-Gar parking lot. It had been so long since I last ran, and my legs were somewhat sore from cycling, so I was surprised starting out when I climbed to Old Georgetown Rd., that I felt as good as I had. I picked up the speed going down W. Cedar Ln. and then settled into an pace I felt okay at. After all of the raining, I was happy to find that the trail wasn't flooded. The paving they'd done last year really helped, though it did tend to create dams and large puddles right next to the trail. I only had to step off trail one time and walk through the forest once to get around wet spots. I did need a bathroom toward the end and was glad that there was one open at the end of my run. After the run and cooling off, I got sore rather quickly. Peggy and Samantha and I ate dinner near downtown Rockville.

With a deluge expected today, I didn't bicycle. I was thinking I'd need to bring my laptop home but didn't. I didn't run either. I did have to stay late to pack up things in my office. I'm getting moved to a different one in the same building and will likely start parking my bicycle in a further court next time I ride.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. There were significant headwinds. I got passed going down the hill after the water treatment plant but I hung on to the roadie who passed me. Sometimes we got up to 25mph but he slowed after reaching Georgetown and I moved ahead. I rode slower after that.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Leaving work, I discovered a flat tire. I found one hole and patched it but there was another somewhere that I couldn't locate. I resorted to a spare tube and got going. There was less car and pedestrian traffic by this time. The winds were mixed. I thought I was going slower than I ended up. My right leg definitely gets more worn out by a workout than my left as it's been weaker since my back problems and surgery.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. It was cool again this morning. I took a little while to warm up and after that I rode alone, steadily passing but there weren't as many cyclists riding today.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There was a bunch of traffic near the beginning of my ride. I got behind a bus that was kicking out thick diesel fumes and didn't get around it until rounding the Jefferson Memorial. After that I was pleasantly surprised to have a pretty nice tailwind for a while. The temperatures were pretty nice so there was more pedestrian traffic on the trail along the river. After all of that, I still got out of Georgetown ahead of my ride time yesterday. On the trail, I rode alone. There were some mixed winds but mostly they were negligible.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. Though I didn't start that quickly, I picked up the pace when I got through some intersections with green lights and clear traffic. The cool temperatures and a good tailwind helped a lot. They also brought out a lot of other cyclists. As I passed some people, I led 1 or 2 others until after Fletcher's Boathouse. 2 faster riders went by when I thought I was doing pretty well. There was some construction traffic in Georgetown and on the sidewalk just as I was arriving to work. It felt like a pretty fast ride.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There were headwinds and traffic getting to Georgetown. I was slow getting out. After rounding some turns on the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), the winds became more favorable.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I rode alone, getting passed once further down by a guy who was just getting on the trail at the Palisades. There was a tailwind. It was rather humid but a little cooler after the weekend and overnight storms.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I got started a while after another thunderstorm had passed through. The roads were wet and caused auto traffic. It felt good to go slower and I geared down to Georgetown. I took the way along the water figuring the Water St. traffic would be bad but looking over, it wasn't so bad there. As I was leaving Georgetown there were 2 ambulances and several police officers parked near the Key Bridge underpass. I figured it was a bicycle wreck since they had made it so that only one person in either direction could get through a gate (keeping cars off the beginning of the CCT). A person was there unconscious with no obvious sign of trauma. I wondered if it were heat stroke but he was probably in his thirty's and looked reasonably fit--not so likely. I wondered, then noted I was about a minute and a half slower at that point. Going up the trail, I just cruised. I got passed by one guy and almost caught another who pulled away.