Training Log Archive: Nadim

Event: Cancelled? QOC PWF Night-O
 

Hoyles Mill Conservation Park. I started from the Hoyles Mill Trailhead parking lot on White Ground Rd. I cleared-up some things along the trail and the small power lines in the north. Later I made my way across the big slope that has the large field. Picking up more boulders in the open areas, I left the big hillside and continued working southward across flatter grounds. When I turned northward, I worked my way up the stream getting smaller things, but mostly the vegetation. Getting out of the stream valley, I turned southward again, linking-up areas that I'd mapped before. This got me onto what amounts to the main ridge on this part of the map. I was running out of time as I was heading back north to finish-up, picking up nicely scattered rock features in fairly open terrain. I left a good amount of the open forest to explore and look forward to coming back.

Though I'd gotten a bottle of water ready to take along, I'd forgotten to put it in my backpack before I'd left home and I knew I'd pay for it. It got to around 80 F today. On the way home I stopped to get a drink. As I was finishing dinner, I got nasty killer cramps in both hamstrings at the same time. After about 5 minutes of that I was fine. I also found my first tick of the season, after getting home.

From Northfield Rd., Moorland St./Grant St. to Madison St., to Garfield St., to Northfield Rd. Samantha and I walked after dinner. There was a fully moon shining through the clouds and it'd cooled off to the low 60s F.

From Northfield Rd., Jefferson St., to Lincoln St., to Garfield St., left on the trail to Heampstead Ave., to McKinley St., to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd. I',m still resting but sushi the night before has my weight up. On this outing, Samantha and I walked.

With a rainy day and my left knee being increasingly sore, I decided some days off would be good.

Cabin John Regional Park, MD. From the Beach Volleyball parking lot, I headed west to get onto the Cabin John Trail, crossed Tuckerman Ln. to get onto the lower part of the campground loop, got on the lower trail that parallels the creek on the east side, crossed Cabin John Creek at the last trail crossing point inside the park, returned to Tuckerman Ln. on trail paralleling the west side of the creek, got back on the Cabin John Trail, then used unnamed trails to get back to the Beach Volleyball parking lot from the east. At first, I figured I was a little slow from the hills. My left knee hurt some more and I think part of my slow speed had to do with my knee. I had come here to run on softer ground. It was a nice day in the low 60s F. I didn't see a lot of people.

From Northfield Rd., Greenwich Park, to Old Georgetown Rd. to Beech Dr. to Singleton Dr. to Startmont Rd., to Friars Rd., to Fernwood Pl. to Fernwood Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Moorland Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was 63 F with a lot of light still in the sky. I started out figuring I'd finish-up a different way to get 5 miles, but with the extra light, I thought it'd be good to get to areas that I've rarely been in. I felt okay starting out, but slow on hills. After the climb on Singleton Dr., I slowed, even while going downhill. There was a long climb on Bradley Blvd., and Huntington Pkwy. for the last mile and I slowed the most on it. My left knee continues to bother me. I may need to back off the training a little to get it stronger again. It definitely slowed me.

30 sit-ups.

Event: QOC Mason Neck
 

QOC: Mason Neck State Park, VA. I ran the Blue course. I warmed-up just a tiny bit since I was feeling tired and stiff from my run and long field checking outings yesterday. The courses were a bit shorter and easier than normal today since the park authority restricted some areas that the event could pass through. Some legs could have been made harder by eliminating some closely that were spaced close together. Except for the first control, I was on target.

S-1 - I started shortly after Ken Walker but didn't know what course he was running. I ended up going to the paved trail head as he had. I was having a hard time getting into reading the map. This was partly from ducking branches and, partly getting confused by the finish leg going to control #17. Additionally, the number for #1 was printed amongst a blue marsh and green background. Partway there I read the leg such that I had to cross 2 reentrants to get to a 3rd. Really I only had to cross one. I also confused the dashed intermittent stream in reentrant before the one with the control, as a trail that I was seeing in a reentrant. I got all the way to 3rd reentrant before stopping and figuring out that I needed to make a correction. When I came back, I saw the control on the bridge and was lamenting not having read the control description. I probably lost 1:15 minutes.

1-2 - Out to the road, and around the corner. After 2 white course controls, I was starting to think this way too easy.

2-3 - I got onto the paved trail and turned left to get a closer attack point. Like is some earlier years, I drifted left and hit the little trail. I was only on it a very short way before finding the bend and seeing the control from it.

3-4 - Straight, ignoring the trail. I did drift right but with the leg being short, I was able to see the control and adjust.

4-5 - Straight.

5-6 - Straight but I paused partway there. I was thinking to aim off a bit but I didn't need to.

6-7 - I went straight, reading the reentrants as I did.

7-8 - Straight but I drifted right a little before seeing it.

8-9 - Straight again to spike it.

9-10 - Straight, reading the reentrants as I went. I got a little concerned as I closed-in. That's when I came across Max who was walking. He was really tired from his workouts the day before. I paused to let him tell me that he was just going to focus on his navigation this day. I hit it afterward.

10-11 - It took me a while to find #11. Afterward, I ran straight and used the reentrant as a handrail. I was able to see the control about 70m away.

11-12 - I angled out to the road. I read the curves and could see the reentrant coming-up. It surprised me to be able to see the control from the road.

12-13 - I stayed in the forest, but did angle left to avoid having to cross the big reentrant. I crossed the marsh at a relatively dry spot and entered the mapped holly trees I attacked at the edge of the holly trees and then upon nearing #14, I realized that I had to go on. A young guy was coming into #14 from my left and I ran right past it after he left. #13 was visible a few steps further.

13-14 - I doubled back to #14 going on bearing.

14-15 - Leaving #14, I went south, rather than straight. After crossing the reentrant, I paralleled it and read the larger contours. As the forest got thicker, I used the trail twice, leaving it when it dropped. I attacked the control from the trail bend and came in close behind the guy whom I'd seen at #14 when I was going to #13..

15-16 - After crossing the road, I cut left a little since the forest was more open there. I hit some marsh and realized it was mapped. Going further, I ran into the open area--the area mapped as open was more rough open than open. I saw #4 and actually punched it before realizing that I needed to get to #16. After a few steps away from #4 on bearing, I could seen #16.

16-17 - I went straight until I hit the trail. Taking that through the green, eventually left it to continue straight. I emerged right at the trail bend that I'd used to get to #3. Like before, I went to the next bend closer to the road before going straight again. The mapped green extended further east than mapped, so I went around it. I was looking for the general bend of the large reentrant but hit it at the trail which I should have been looking for. I knew where the trail was crossing the big reentrant, so I attacked successfully from there.

17-F - I walked up the hill a little before going on bearing. I thought I might use the trails some but ended up just going straight. The woods were pretty open. Once to the road, I didn't have a lot of energy to run hard on the run in.

It was unfortunate that I lost time on the first control but just about everything else was close enough to consider it to have been a spike. I thought I might finish in under an hour and I could have. The course measured to 7.4K and my route only 7.789K. I think the listed course climb of 115m was incorrect. My watch recorded only 35m on my route.

After the event, we had lunch with my sister.

Blue - Splits