Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: Susquehanna Stumble XX - Pine Grove Furnace State Park
 

Event: Harriman Orienteering Festival
 

Harriman State Park, NY; at Lake Welch Beach. This was the walk to the mass start.

Harriman Orienteering Festival in Harriman State Park, NY. Greg Alswede set the mass start goat course as a Junior Team fund raiser. It raised around $3,000 which they'll use for traveling. The weather turned out to be pretty well.

S-1 I lined-up near the back but got a decent start going to the road. My son Max was running the Baby Goat, his first time running more than Yellow in Harriman. He had seen a road route to #1 which turned out to be my #1 too, but Joe Brautigam had pulled over to go that way just in front of me, after we got through the tunnel. I felt okay running and that was good. I kept the pace comfortable. There was a big group of people converging after we left the trail and went down a reentrant. I had to wait a minute at the control where there was only one punch and a line of people waiting.

1-2 - I went fairly straight but got pulled right, into the briars. Once out of them I used the walls to get close but I felt a little lucky coming out of the briars close to it.

2-3 - I went fairly straight. Pavalina Brautigam was up ahead and I closed the distance.

3-4 - Behind Pavalina in the blueberry, we were on our line when we came to a control. It seemed early and again there was a line. I was hurrying to punch because of the line behind me, and I didn't check the code. Kristen turned off and I started to follow when I heard Peggy behind me say this isn't our control. That made sense so I doubled back, then down the hill much further. I have navigated well in this area previously. I can only think it was me running too fast, getting distracted by people, and fog on my glasses that made me make this bonehead error. Peggy had punched just behind me.

4-5 - I chased a group upward along the hillside. Jeff Seager was leading but Bernie was near me too. I was on a good line kept my basic position.

5-6 - I went straight with the group. Again Jeff was ahead and seemingly pulling away. I wasn't climbing so well. The vegetation clued me in at the end, but the group was pulling me along.

6 - 7 - I went straight like those around me. Along the way heard others talk about skipping and I'd just about forgotten we could! I thought skipping #8 would be good. Half-way there, Jeff Saeger was ahead and leading again. JJ Cote was off to my right but he converged behind Jeff. Once we hit the mountain laurel a few went left and a few went right. Peggy was falling behind. I went more to the right but not so far as Jeff. I climbed a bit of a ridge and should have realized it. I broke into the open and went more right but I was high and past the control already. I cut right seeing more people going that way, and then realized how far above and past the control I was. I turned quickly but it probably took me over a minute running to the control.

7 - 8 - As I was intending to skip 8 by taking the trail to #9, Daniel Schaublin passed me and quietly suggested skipping #18. While I was evaluating that and behind him, I committed to getting to #8. JJ led us there up a trail. I concluded that skipping #8 would have been better but it didn't matter at that point.

8 - 9 - I liked running straight down the gradual hillside. I was on target parallel to JJ, when just before the control I saw Max. Max looked worried and said he thought he'd run off the map. I had to let JJ and Daniel go. I didn't want Max to have a bad experience his first time deep into the back woods of Harriman. Max told me he was going to #108, where I'd just come from. Max's map had a different scale and I think he had run off the printed map. I eventually got it oriented and pointed him in the direction he needed to go in. I found out later that he was able to find it, even with it being 300m away. I punched after that and I figured I lost almost 2 minutes.

9-10 - I ran straight but got a bit to the left. I'd been reading up and down incorrectly. People started crossing my path--the were coming from #11 and going to #12. I corrected and hit the control with little time lost.

10-11 - I ran straight and got gained ground on a man I'd see later.

11-12 - I was again fairly straight. Another guy was on my right. That probably pulled me right since I had to turn left near the end. I was able guess the control location from far off before I descended to the bottom of the hill.

12-13 - I hit the road after breaking through some mountain laurel. I gained ground and caught Daniel Schaublin. It turned out that he and JJ had a slight error getting to #10.

13 - 14 I went around the right side of the mountain laurel. JJ Cote passed me on the right, but after we turned left, he slowed later. I was able to get to the control ahead of a group, and I was feeling like I was reading the map better.

14-15 - I didn't consider the trail option to #15. I went straight. JJ and Daniel S. seemed to be doing the same. I and the guy I'd caught at #11 were on the right side while they were on the left. At one point, I saw a distinctive edge of some mountain laurel ahead, and correlated it to green on the map. I ran confidently to get passed it before cutting more to the right. What I found out later was that I was seeing a second patch of green, and that I was already passing the control. At the bottom, people were running toward me from my right. Pavalina was leading a group and asked me where I was going. When I told her #15, she pointed back where she was coming from. I was over a minute getting to it from there.

15 - 16 - I ran and walked straight. The other guy I'd been with passed me on the climb but we both got to the control at about the same time.

16 - 17 - I was slow going up the steep climb. As we climbed we thought about skipping #18, as Daniel had suggested long ago. The other guy got ahead and to the right a bit. He'd corrected at the top by the time I got there.

17 - 18 - The other guy paused for me and recommended going to #18 since it was just along the ridge along an intermittent trail. We moved well and got there w/no problem.

18 - 20 - We decided to run trails to 20. My glasses were just foggy enough and I was out of breath keeping up with the other guy enough that I just didn't see this leg being forked! We came down the trail south of #18. At the intersection, we went straight, w/me leading. It was a bit rough. We popped out on the big trail near #19B, but I still didn't see it. The other guy had gotten ahead of me and I was trying to catch-up. We moved well on the trail but I slowed as we started to climb. Three West Point runners led by a woman passed me. The all passed the point I wanted to jump off the trail. I yelled ahead as the other guy was thinking about it. We cut right and SW on a trail through some stone walls. We stayed with the walls too long, and then made a general run down to the stream to correct. We hit it well. The other guy got there first, and David Oxertierna was just coming in on my right.

20-21 - I chased the other guy and was trying to get some ground on David too. I fell back a few steps by the time we'd gotten to the tunnel. On the other side, I went a bit further to get past the worst of the green. It sounded like the other guy had gone in early but I wasn't sure. I hit the open woods and moved well. I could see Carl Alswede ahead of me near the end but I couldn't run down the hill very fast without fear of falling.

21-F - I chased Carl, making up all the 30m distance except for the last step. When I realized he'd get there ahead of me, I slowed and punched the left control, less than a second behind.

It was nice running in Harriman again. Peggy remarked that she was having a hard time imagining running another 15K like the Hudson Highlander usually does. She hasn't missed any of the Highlanders and this race unfortunately took the weekend for it. I didn't feel like I navigated well and neither did Peggy. I think the fog on my glasses had a lot to do with that. I found myself reading around them a lot. I was happy that I felt strong enough to run the whole time. I even finished with an almost sprint. I cramped up a lot, later in the car when I was trying to put my dry socks on.

Fall Goat - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. There was a bit of traffic early but I got through the intersections quickly later on. I was heavy from a late dinner with my mother and sister.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. There was light rain falling with more on the way. Predicted rain was one reason I didn't bring clothes to work for it, but in retrospect, I could have run at lunchtime.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station. It was stop and go getting there and in the upper 30s F.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.

From Northfield Rd to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, up Wisconsin Ave., to Battery Ln.

From Battery Ln. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Maple Ridge Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Edgemoor Ln. to the Bethesda Metro Station. This was at a very leisurely pace, after an appointment.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired.

From Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD, to 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. It was warmer this morning; only about 40 F when I started out. I was probably dressed well. I sweated just enough. The trail was very busy with cyclist. Just about all of us were probably not wanting to miss the nice weather as it is forecast to reach 66 F. The winds were calm. I was tiring out at Fletcher's Boathouse but cruised in. One guy passed me. I messed up the timing with my watch so my overall time is estimated.

From 13th & C St. SW, Washington, D.C. to Northfield Rd., Bethesda, MD. There were some slight headwinds. I'd gotten to the water past the Jefferson Memorial when some other riders were coming off Haines Point. Two women from that group passed me but I got ahead again. Upon leaving Georgetown, I caught 2 riders and eventually set into a pace behind one as the other fell off the pace. After Fletcher's Boathouse, where the climbing begins I led and continued to the water treatment plant. I lost the guy I'd been riding with on the bridge ramp. I cruised up toward Falls Rd. On the River Rd. overpass another woman passed me--she was older than the first 2. I was wondering if she was very strong or if it was that I am just weak, fat, and in not so good shape. I did make it home before dark. I also messed up my timing by accidentally saving instead of restarting at a light. The overall time is estimated.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station to Northfield Rd.