Training Log Archive: Nadim

Shenandoah National Park, VA. My mother agreed to have Samantha sleep over; my sister Rubina helped. Max had his first night home alone ever. Peggy and I got out to Shenandoah National Park without a map (I have plenty of maps of the park, but we weren't sure where we'd end up so I didn't bring them) or a plan. After a stop at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center which was closed, we settled on hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Mount Marshall area--Peggy noticed that there was to be a ranger led hike there the next day. The area is about 15 miles south of the north end of the park; above the Big Devil's Staircase (we'd hiked the Little Devil's Staircase further west on a previous anniversary). The brief descriptions we found indicated great views of the Shenandoah Valley. Having hiked through the green tunnel trails of the park many times, I knew that most of the viewpoints off the Skyline Drive take time and significant climbing to get to. I didn't recall hiking here earlier. It turned pretty nice! The hike was gentle with a little climb and several views not far in. That was perfect since we were pushing the daylight. We headed south first to a few viewpoints overlooking the Gooney Manor valley where Browntown is. The park kind of wraps around this secluded area. We saw the sun getting low over it. Turning around, we crossed the Skyline Drive and went past our car again, to go along the same ridge, but higher up. The views on rocky crags were mostly in the same direction westward. I did feel my legs being tired from the riding earlier in the week.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. I had a pretty nice tailwind.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. It was fairly hot. I had some headwinds getting to Georgetown and a half mile past that. It was better for a while after that but the home stretch had headwinds again. Though I'd left work late, I was trying to get back for an Eid celebration with my mom, sister, uncles and cousins. It turned out to be a pretty good evening.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. There was a tailwind most of the way. I rode alone though a pair passed me in Georgetown that I caught back up with before everyone scattered. I was definitely feeling tired. My time is estimated since my watch timing got messed-up at a traffic light.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Trailers from filming the next Wonder Woman movie were at the back of my building. They are filming there a few days this week. I left work late so the trail was somewhat empty. At one point, a guy caught up to me, after Georgetown. Though he would have passed me, he pulled off after following me a short way.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. There were headwinds. I rode alone.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. I had a tailwind, though being tired, I wasn't very fast with it. I got passed by one guy whom I'd caught earlier, and another who caught me outright. Both independently pulled off to the side of the trail shortly after passing me.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, DC. Some roads in DC were blocked off for what looked like bus parking. The police were gearing up for the Washington Capitals victory parade/celebration. At lunch time, there were plenty of people excited and wearing Caps colors, as well as activity on the Mall.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. Having had a headwind in the morning, I was disappointed to have one again for part of the way home.

Event: QOC Cunningham Falls
 

From the shelter below the visitor center at Cunningham Falls State Park, MD, I hiked up to the start of QOC's Platformpalooza put on by Jon Torrance. Along the way, I passed Florence T. who had been out during the worst of the rain and hadn't found any controls. She was cold and tired. As I got to the start area with a search and rescue crew there hanging around in tents, David Onkst was arriving too. He restarted, having been distracted by Florence and others who were lost earlier. David went out, and I waited. A black teenage woman arrived and a man did too. The teen asked me where the start was. I felt sorry for her since for the Yellow course that she was on. It was all the way back where I'd started. this hike--near the registration shelter. I pointed out the way. After she began her walk back I was ready.

QOC: Platformpalooza! at Cunningham Falls State Park, MD (near Thurmont). With my late start, just a few minutes behind David Onkst, I knew it'd be hard to finish on-time by 3pm.

S-1 - I messed-up with distance estimation. I got confused by a change in steepness as I descended matching one on the map, an unmapped boulder off to my right as a mapped one, and a charcoal platform that I hit right on. I found a cairn that was there too but with my wet glasses and the dim light I couldn't tell that the cairn was right on the line (unbroken line). I did a loop, finding another charcoal platform in the process. A younger guy came through, before I figured it out. I set my bearing and spiked it from there. The younger guy dropped off to my right. David Onkst was at the control as I got there.

1-2 - I contoured, then crossed the reentrant. From there I went straight through the green. I corrected my bearing at a small but distinct reentrant a little past middway. David Onkst was initially lower than I but came in behind me. I emerged through the green to spike the control. I let out a small hoot.

2-3 - I contoured to the reentrant, passing octogenarian Susanne Izzo along the way. She was trying to say something and looking confused. I didn't hear what it was but I told her that #123 was behind me. From the reentrant, I followed a ditch higher until it ended. That put me about 325m away to the SW. I came in a little high but realized it despite my foggy glasses and actual fog forming. I dropped in time to see it!

3-4 - I went straight. There were several boulders along the way. The leg line covered them and there probably were some other unmapped boulders too. This all made me a little unsure about my approach, but I hit the control rather well.

4-5 - Initially went straight. With deadfall often hidden by ferns, and stony ground with and without ferns, and with a constant climb, I didn't do much running. As I hit the steeper slope before the change in contour angle, I climbed more steeply and to the right; aiming off. After getting above the steepest part, I saw a break in the green. It seemed early but I went up anyway. Once sure it wasn't the platform I was looking for, I went on through the green and spiked it. I was rather glad to have done that as this was pretty much in the midst of green on an otherwise mostly bland hillside.

5-6 - I decided that approaching from above would not be efficient so I set out to drop down and go around the green. I didn't really drop enough, but that was probably good. It wasn't super slow getting through the green and I was more confident in not having to turn so much. I found what looked like an extension of a trail and figured I was getting close--actually what I saw was an extension of an intermittent mapped stream but I couldn't read it that well with the fog and my glasses. Emerging from the green I realized I was above the reentrant I was looking for--again, breaking the control circle would have helped me see how high above the charcoal platform I was. I turned at the top of the reentrant and found the control quickly.

6-7 - I was sloppy on this. I intended to aim off, hit the trail and attack from a trail bend. I wasn't careful reading along the way, though I think I did seen the cairn under the leg line. I kept pushing myself to the right/south so that I'd hit the trail. As I found the green, I was tempted to run along it in hopes of hitting the control--I probably had a 50% chance of success or more. I sucked it up to be accurate and punched through the green (found an unmapped rock dam on one ditch), and hit the trail. I misinterpreted where I was and thought I got below the control somehow (not too smart since I knew I'd gone through the green and had crossed a ditch). I cut right on the trail and hiked upward. When I saw the rescue searcher gear besides the trail, I knew I'd climbed to the start. I reversed direction and ran down to just past bend (ironically about where I'd hit the trail to begin with) and found the control quickly.

7-8 - I ran straight but like #1, I misjudged the distance. I punched a control on a charcoal platform and being in a rush to try to finish, I didn't check the code. It turned out that I'd mispunched. This sucked since it was the 3rd time in 3 courses that I'd mispunched :(

8-9 - I contoured out of what I thought was #8. It was taking a long time to hit the reentrant that I should have. I worried that I punched the wrong control at #8. I hit #1, and figured that there was now a high probably I had mispunched #8. Continuing on, I went fairly straight. There were a few things to help me know where I was. At a change in steepness, I aimed off a little but realized this wasn't going to help me a lot as it had at #5; the control was too far away from the change in steepness. I realized I wasn't going to finish the course pretty early in this leg, but now figuring that I was close to the control I wondered if I should turn back. Just about to turn around I found the end of a lonely ditch to my left. I hadn't seen it on the map until stopping to search for it. From there, I went directly to the control!

9-10 - Despite getting to #9 efficiently, it took me long time since it was climbing the whole way. I figured I had to drop to get back on my DNF so I figured I'd just get #10 along the way. I thought I was being a bit careful with my bearing but I drifted left and saw a charcoal platform further to my left. I went to it and thought it might be good but it wasn't. I had much farther to drop. I corrected my bearing but still was a bit hesitant and zig-zaggy getting there.

10-DNF - I set a rough bearing and tried to keep moving. I must have fallen 6 or more times along the way. Part of this was wet rocks and deadfall and part of it was probably being tired. I didn't feel that bad. I was trying to not drop too early and actually climbed at times to get around deadfall or drops that were too steep. On one of my falls, I must have hit the start/stop button on my watch. I realized it later when I was close to hitting the trail. People were picking up controls--a rough job on such a wet rainy day and on long steep slopes. I felt guilty not helping but Peggy and Samantha were already waiting for me a long while.

Regarding my DNF, a lot of people did the same. I was having fun on the course but started too late for it. It was too long for the terrain and day but I would have liked to have started early enough to finish it. I need long training runs and need to work up to them more like this.

C • Reading you and Peggy... 5

Blue - Splits