Training Log Archive: Nadim

QOC Swanson, MD. I was pretty tired from a late long run the day before. With it being hotter than it has been for while, around 90 F, I went to survival mode early. I felt I just needed the navigation practice before going off to run the Hudson Highlander in NY the next week. I didn't worry about speed.

S-1 - I went through the assembly area and near the house on the hill. I briefly thought I needed to go a reentrant further but came to the road-like trail. I came off the spur mapped green but it wasn't so green. In my head I was think the control was further from the trail and on the far side of the knoll, so I didn't realize I was passing it at first. Once I had, I turned back to find it. I probably lost 30 seconds.

1-2 - I went straight. I lost count of the entrants but it was easy enough to read the bigger one and spike the control.

2-3 - I went across the fields. An elephant trail helped. I ignored the mapped trail along the edge of the forest. I cut straight in and realized the control was on the side of the reentrant. It was actually an unmapped reentrant. David Onkst had been looking in the mapped reentrant so my presence clued him in.

3-4 - I reasoned it'd be easier to take the field/trail route to the left. As I was cutting in on the trail to the bridge, David popped out having taken a shorter route. I crossed the stream and ran along the hillside to the control.

4-5 - I climbed initially (walking) for a shorter route. David was behind somewhere and another guy was taking the longer way around the hill. I got across the first reentrant, then across the next--that was a mistake. As I kept going, I was trying to make things fit. At one point, I looked back and saw David Onkst going up the last reentrant that I crossed--the right way, I saw control #11 on my left but I wasn't close enough to read the code so I kept going. Eventually I turned back and did more climbing. I probably lost 2:30 minutes.

5-6 - I was feeling tired and so I opted to climb right initially and use the field, instead of the shorter straighter route. An elephant trail across the hot fields helped me get to the road. I passed the intersection and then was confused by the mapped field no longer being a field. I plunged into the woods since the road bends and intersection gave me high confidence of where I was. Somehow, I ended up at the power lines. I adjusted my attack, but I wasn't sure how far down the hill I was. With many spurs, I was having trouble matching them to the map. Visibility wasn't good so I banged along the edges of the spur I was on and eventually saw a spur that looked appropriate. I was very hesitant but I'd found the right spur. I probably lost 90 seconds or so.

6-7 - I ran low to the power lines and hit the trail. I came off a bend (the woods were not thick) and into a reentrant. I walked up the hill to spike the control.

7-8 - I walked over the top and read contours running down the control to spike it.

8-9 - I dropped immediately and read the contours along the stream. At one point, I passed the mapped 55 gallon drum. I climbed in the perfect spot and spiked it.

9-10 - I walked over the top. On the ridge, I didn't see the mapped road. However, only needed to continue on down past the reentrant junctions to the control. The feature seemed a little nondescript and away from the stream.

10-11 - I climbed left mostly walking. I noted another field not having been a field any more. I ran the road to the house, then somewhat along the thicker vegetation and change in slope to spike it.

11-12 - I ran along the stream mostly, perhaps climbing too much to save distance near the end.

12-13 - I walked, then ran along the ridge, eventually getting to the trail. I briefly hesitated when seeing Mark hunting on the hillside for something. I went on down to the bottom to spike it again.

13-14 - I waked up the spur and counted reentrants along the top, to spike it.

14-15 - This seemed a little tricky since it was a little flatter and there were changes in slope leading to the saddle. I went over part of the knoll and spiked it. Having passed it earlier helped me know what to look for.

15-16 - I went straight just about the whole way.

16-17 - I initially started in the wrong direction following the stream, but I quickly fixed that. I crossed 2 times and eventually was forced higher by unmapped earthbanks. I got onto an animal track that lead me there for the last part.

17-18 - I used the animal track again, and climbed prior to getting to the second reentrant.

18-F - I could tell where the finish would be from the break in the trees. I wasn't finishing strong but did pickup the pace with Max and Patrick cheering for me.

Red - Splits

Vienna, VA. After visiting my mom and sister, I picked out this run since it was somewhat on the way home. I'd run and biked the W&OD trail many times between Vienna and Reston. In 1999, I did some exploration of the side trails but they've proliferated. As I headed out, it was in the mid 80s F and I felt it pretty much from the start. I was happy to get on a side trail I hadn't been on before through North Park. It was rocky and hillier and somewhat short. I took a route which left me no other choice but to loop back to the W&OD.

As I got my rhythm going better, I saw a few other side trails, but I didn't try one again until crossing Bucktown Ln. I was thinking that his one was a short connecter that I'd found in 1999. It was identified this day as the Reston HOA Nature Trail, but I also found a marker for Fairfax's Cross County Trail. I followed it until dead ending at Lawyer's Rd., so I back tracked and continued another branch. This time I apparently missed a left turn. It turned-out okay since the trail was pleasant and ended up at Sunrise Valley Dr., very close to the W&OD Trail. Part of it was the one I found in 1999 (the other fork went to Twin Brook Rd.).

I felt I wasn't going to get enough distance if I turned back to Vienna, so I went west on the W&OD until Michael Faraday Ct. (just before Wiehle Ave. There was water on the trail near Sunset Hills Rd. which I stopped at both on the way out and when returning. The last part before the turn around was uphill. With the water and downhill, I recovered and my pace improved a lot.

After crossing Difficult Run (on the trail bridge), the way was gradually uphill. I took a phone call from Peggy on the run and knew there'd be Chipotle for dinner. That thought kept me going as my legs were heavy. I woke up from my daze as two cyclist approached from the east. Something happened with the first. He seem to twist his handlebars and maybe put on his brakes before he fell (not really apparent why--an animal?--I'd run within 5 ft. of a tame mother and it's tween-like fawn earlier. The father behind him didn't react well (slowly). He slowed a little but was surprised when his son fell. He slammed his brakes and went over the handlebar himself, landing on his shoulder in a way that looked bad. Even a woman walking 100m further up from them had time to turn around and see most of this. As I got up to them, both father and son were sort of jumping up with adrenalin and stated they were okay--I went on, but knew they'd feel it in the morning.

I grinded out the last few miles feeling cooler with the sun lower in the sky and being completely drenched from sweat. I drank more about half a mile from where I'd parked but not being able to read the small display on my watch, I wasn't sure if I'd get 12 miles going directly to the car. I ran around the field where football and baseball games were being played. The 12 mile alarm buzzed soon after starting this loop. I dragged around the rest.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I took my time riding in the dark, carrying my clothes from the day before, as well as my work laptop.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station to Tuckerman Ln., to Rockville Pike to Beach Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to Cedar Ln. On the Elemhirst Pkwy. to Connecticut Ave. to the Georgetown Branch Trail to the Bethesda Metro Station. I felt okay, but not fully recovered from working out and racing over the last week.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, then to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I got moving well enough starting out. I hit the intersections pretty well in regards to traffic. I started passing people as usual. Eventually I had about 4 people behind me. One was a woman who also works at my building. In Georgetown, the group broke-up with the mix of auto traffic. I felt the tailwind along the river. I finished a little further in the court under the cafeteria, that's closer to my relatively new office.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I was getting out past 6pm but it didn't matter as much from the courtyard I'd parked in, since they don't close it up. There was a little bit of headwind getting to Georgetown. My legs were feeling tired so I didn't push a lot. The way was fairly quiet. However as I climbed a bridge at the sewage treatment plan, I thought I saw David Onkst. I yelled back but didn't make eye contact. He had his helmet and headphones on too so I wasn't sure it was him (later I found out it was David, and he'd been out on a 50 miler). I finished up okay for not having ridden very much this month.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

Washington, D.C. From 12th & Independence Ave., SW, across The Mall and past the Washington Monument, to 17th St., along the Constitution Gardens to the Lincoln Memorial circle, to Ohio Dr. to the Rock Creek Trail, to P St., NW., to 20th St., NW., to the Dupont Circle Metro Station at Q St., NW. I was dragging a bit toward the end but overall, I was moving okay.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. The ride was cooling me off after the run.

From Northfield Rd. to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, Wisconsin Ave., to Chestnut St./Kentbury Dr., to Kentbury Dr., to Seaford Rd., to Tilsbury St., to Wisconsin Ave., and to the Bethesda Metro Station. This was to be an easy recovery run. I took it fairly calmly and didn't feel too bad. I was going to return a slightly longer route on the Georgetown Branch Trail but as I got to where I'd enter on Kentbury Dr., it was blocked-off. It looks like the Silver Line construction has started :(.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd.