Training Log Archive: Nadim

QOC: Cabin John Regional Park. I ran the Red course, starting on the late side (after 2 trips to the bathroom), because I needed to do control pickup later. Advanced courses were run with no trails on the map (I'd made this map a few years back).

S-1 - I just didn't orient the map correctly starting out. Starting off in the wrong direction, it seemed like 10-15 seconds went by. After than I went past the amphitheater and administrative building right to it.

1-2 Down the tracks and off from a bend in the tracks when I could see the reentrant ahead. I already wasn't feeling that strong.

2-3 - I messed this up going straight initially, but dropping low enough that it seemed I should just drop further to the trail. Coming up, it seemed like the control wasn't on the right set of boulders, but I wasn't sure. AP says I lost 1:15 minutes.

3-4 - Down the trail to the road crossing - I moved carefully so as not to trip on the roots. I think the rain had started by this point.

4-5 - Road crossing, with the time supposed to have been removed - I waited for cars and took my time walking.

5-6 - I ran this mostly on memory. Had I read it better, I would have gone to the right set of rocks. The area was green and sloping so I didn't do much reading. I was just poking around high, when it was low. I probably lost 25 seconds though AP doesn't show any of it.

6-7 - I extricated myself from the green going backwards a bit. At this point, I was still avoiding the big puddles.

7-8 - Just up the hill and across the reentrant going straight. I could see it a long way off, but I wasn't strong enough to run the whole way through the low vegetation that's grown-up.

8-9 - I ran off to the right to avoid green and use the trails. I'm not sure if my route was efficient.

9-10 - I backtracked the trails to the pavilion, planning to use the road afterward. Partway down the road, I decided to save distance and climb by cutting across the low vegetation where it looked better. I still got slowed and never got as far as the trail along the highway. A young guy wearing something like a US Team o-top came up from the trail to the left and punched before me.

10-11 - I went straight initially. I could see the young guy who was at #10, off to my right, and pausing on the trail. I dropped toward the rock but the kid got there ahead of me.

11-12 - I dropped to the trail immediately while the kid had gone high. I stumbed on something at one point and had a slight right ankle twist. I was feeling this in my right calf, a little bit throughout the rest of the course. Later I could see him dropping to the trail too, but I was just ahead of him when he hit it. I figured he'd pass me and I offered to let him but we just kept running. I got there seconds ahead of him.

12-13 - The kid popped ahead of me on trail as we doubled-back. I ended up leaving the trail where he did, but I stayed more to the right where the vegetation looked better. It was better but took me across a marshy spot and it was farther than the kid ahead of me had gone. I ran along the creek a way where it was good running on the sands, then splashed across. The kid got there first of coarse, and was just getting back to the trail when I was leaving it to punch.

13-14 - Up the trail until I could see the control.

14-15 - I angled for the trail and could see the kid to my left below, pausing to figure out a way across a gully. I crossed small stream on the bridge and got ahead. Running up the reentrant, I was a bit off the the right and I moved slowly. The kid saw it before my and got there ahead of me.

15-16 - The kid started off going what seemed a little left. Then he cut right. I kept straight but soon realized we were off to the right. We corrected and the kid got there first.

16-17 - The kid took the trail around the first reentrant so I gained time by cutting across. I was going to drop earlier but the trail seduced me to stick it out. We both left the trail to get to the control at the bridge, with the kid still clearly ahead.

17-18 - This was the road crossing. A little tired, I walked it all and figured I wouldn't see the kid any more.

18-19 - I just stayed high going past the large rock cluster near the houses. Getting into the field was pretty easy today--not too many thorns. I crossed the hilltop in the power line ride and found a way in west of the large pylon.

19-20 - Up and over, I spiked it, skirting around the thicker stuff.

20-21 - I was tempted to cross the creek but at this point I was still avoiding puddles. That way also would have required getting through the unmapped green terrain that had grown-up over where the woods were mapped white. I cut right of straight until crossing the creek. I got on an animal trail that climbed diagonally. When descending the spur, I could see both the kid who'd passed me, and Dasa Merkova, ahead. After that, I stayed low like they had. The control seemed higher than I was expecting it, but placed correctly.

21-22 - I stayed low, taking the remnant of an old trail. This used to be better but had gotten overgrown near #21. Further ahead, water had filled it. It was too green to run along it so I decided to splash through most of it. I seemed to be losing time. I climbed across the big spur east of the control, then contoured across. I could see the control from far off, and then see Dasa descending to it. It was too green for me to run well. I had to actually drop lower than the control and climb back a little.

22-23 - I followed Dasa's basic route across the creek and gained ground. She kept straight at the field opening. I cut left going past the amphitheater. I kept running right up to the control as I could see Dasa coming over from my right.

23-24 - I stayed high, going to the top of the knoll before descending. It was actually a boulder, not a dot knoll as noted in the control description.

24-25 - Down to the trail and bridge, I went left around the hill. I kept on the trail, not sure which side of the reentrant it'd be - I was having trouble reading it but knew I had to go high enough to line up with the apartment building bend southward. Of course, the control was on the other side of the gully but it wasn't hard to cross just past the control.

25-26 - Straight over the saddle, but around on the left side of some unmapped deadfall.

26-27 - Down to the trail and bridge, past a happy mud splashing young orienteer and his mom. I think it'd started to sleet by this point. I stayed on the trail until I could see the control.

27-28 - Looking as the leg, I was thinking this would be the toughest leg. I should have doubled back to the trail since I knew it'd go close, but I ran up to the ballfield edge before getting back in the woods. Getting back to the trail from there was slow, but I did. I was somewhat surprised to see how close to the trail that the control was.

28-F - I stayed on the trail until a little before the cair, then dropped through lighter woods to the power line. The grasses had grown up on the far and low side to what looked like a very messy to impassable barrier. I kept on the trail to get around what had been mapped as the green edge of the barrier, then cut left. I crossed high and above the gully. It was surprisingly easy. I climbed up across the train tracks to the administrative parking lot near #1. From there, I reversed my route to the start/finish. The snow had let up but it was still raining.

I felt okay with slightly numb feet. My right calf didn't seem too hurt. I ran okay considering the weather and not having run the whole week before. According to my van, it was 34 F. after finishing My knees both felt okay.

QOC at Cabin John Regional Park, MD. Since I only had about 25 minutes and it didn't seem worth the trouble, I only changed out of my wet o-top. I left my other wet gear on and put rain gear on over them. I didn't even change out of my wet gloves, who's waterproofness appears to have expired. I hit the high controls along the train tracks first, then looped around clockwise. With 13 controls, I used 2 bags. By my 4th control, I had a stake to carry too. My next control, a while or yellow one, wasn't where I thought it'd be. I was still a little cold so I kept walking past the location to the next, then came back. I had to cross a wet gully (I slipped and got muddy) and other other side was cold marshy field. My feet were getting more numb but there was still no control. A little flustered, I misread the next one to be past the first control I'd picked-up. In fact it was the first one I'd picked-up. The next one was a water control. I dumped out most of 1 gallon picked-up 2 more, a trash bag, and another control stand. I struggled to carry it all and dropped stuff, getting a little frustrated. My arms got tired but I got a reprieve at the next control. I must have looked miserable as I finished. Don walked up to me from under the shelter to help.

I felt okay enough to do some drywall sanding after the event. That involved sanding on the ceiling. After that, my arm was tired and my back felt like it had achy tendon for a while. Standing up after watching a movie, I was surprised how much my right calf was hurting.

Red - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. I wasn't feeling so well in my gut.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I was once again carrying my laptop under my backpack. I ended up eating with friends at work instead of running like I'd planned. My stomach still wasn't feeling right.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. I felt like I was moving well, but I'd messed-up my watch timing starting out somehow.

I decided it best to take a rest day. My right knee was hurting both Sunday and Monday. It felt pretty good all day but I was sitting at a desk most of the day.

Peggy and I signed-up for the Jr. Training Weekend in PWF. We also signed-up for an adventure run/rogain in the Catoctin area near Thurmont, MD. It's the The Crooked Compass Adventure Trek and is being held on April 6th.

From Northfield Rd., to the Bethesda Metro Station. The winds had been blowing all night and since I rode with Samantha. I had a great tailwind and felt like I was going much faster than my time shows. There were some normal traffic stops and slowdowns.

From 12th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. I ran to Main Ave., then to the Tidal Basin to go clockwise around it. I passed the Jefferson Memorial on the water side but a little further out than usual, went through the Roosevelt Memorial, and passed the Martin Luther King Memorial on Independence Ave., too. The wind was still really strong. Making my way up wind on Main Ave. and the south side of the Tidal Basin was work. The Tidal Basin was as choppy as I've seen it. Whitecap waves of brown water up to +2 ft.(?) were splashing over the rim and pouring across the sidewalk. When I got to the bridge that joins the basin to the Potomac River, I could see bigger brown waves. There was some shelter in the trees around the Roosevelt Memorial and I stopped in the bathroom at the second one since the first one was closed. As I got to the Kutz Bridge on Independence Ave., the water was completely and very oddly different--flat and calm until a little less than half-way out. I could still see the choppy water at the far end where the wind was pushing the water. My right knee was hurting a little bit during this run (continuing from yesterday and no doubt related to the higher mileage I got in last week) and it felt best on the brief grassy spot leading up to 15th St. SW. After 14th St., it was flat with the wind at my back so I made-up time.

From the Bethesda Metro Station, to Northfield Rd. The winds continued and this time I had headwinds most of the way. I suppose that carrying my backpack and laptop didn't help either.