Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Cedar Ln., north on the paved Rock Creek Trail to the trail intersection/bend at Clearbrook Ln , then back. Samantha came along on bicycle, though she hung back 30m most of the time. She was slow on the slightest hill. There was one worth some caution to cyclists and runners that I went past about 1/3 of a mile before I turned around. I waited near the turn around because I was going to use the closed Beach Dr. to come back on, but Samantha never showed-up. She'd turned around at the hill. I saw her again at the playground just about where we started. We got lunch afterward. On the run, I was weak after the first mile and a half. It was in the low 80s F, but with high humidity again.

Great Falls, MD. From the main parking lot north of the Tavern, I went to Lock 20 to crossover to the towpath, then north on the C&O Canal Towpath, past mile Mark 16, and the pumping station, to a point where there was a prominent cliff across the canal from me. I had hoped to get up to Swain's (Lock 21) Lock, but that was still out of sight where I turned around, already past my planned mileage. Swain's Lock was another half a mile up. It was around 79 F when I ran, but also about 79% humidity. I'd avoided using the river trail since I figured that would be muddy. There were some hikers but more cyclists. The cyclists included a group of older riders who appeared to have been camping earlier. I didn't feel very strong for the run. Peggy had come along to walk while I ran and we got some lunch afterward.

From Northfield Rd., to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to Ewing Dr., to Bradmore Dr./Rolston Dr., to Greentree Rd., to Heampstead Ave., to McKinley St., to Garfield St., to Roosevelt St., to Jefferson St., to Northfield Rd. I was a little full still from dinner. There was light rain falling the whole run--obviously it was humid but in the upper 70s F. I felt okay but would have liked to have run earlier.

From Northfield Rd., to Custer Rd., to Park Ln. to Battery Ln. to Exeter Rd., to Edgemore Ln. to Glenbrook Rd, to Moorland Ln. to Wilson Blvd., to Hampden Ln. to Charlcotte Rd., to Northfield Rd. I was feeling tired and still full from eating. I'd missed my chance to run prior to dinner, when dinner was delivered earlier than expected.

Event: RESCHEDULED North American Orienteering Championship
 

From Northfield Rd. to Greenwich Park to Old Georgetown Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail at Charles St. to the Capital Beltway bridge and back. About half a mile out, rain drops started falling. It was the edge of a storm that had looked like it was going to split around Bethesda. However, a little while later it was pouring hard. The pavement got covered for what were not short stretches, one inch deep. My shoes got heavy but feeling the cool air and rain was a nice change.

From Northfield Rd. I ran up to Custer Rd., to Wilson La., to Exeter Rd. to Glenbrook Rd. to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to the NIH grounds, to Maple Ridge Rd. to Georgetown Pike, to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd. to Northfield Rd. I was full after dinner, and tired.

Wheaton Regional Park, MD. Starting near the dog park and soccer pavilion, I ran trails along the perimeter down to Kemp Mill Rd., then ran out and back to the trail intersection with the Rachel Carson Trail. Looping past the Nature Center on my return, I noted one trail having been closed. A little further, I passed a new trail intersection, but it didn't look very new. I looped back expecting to find it by taking the next left, before Pine Lake, only I never saw it. I had to do a much bigger loop to find it, and thereby I extended my run about 0.7 miles. I felt it best to go back to get a GPS track, so that I can update the map. It was 89 F when I started and when I left. I moved slowly and didn't feel strong.

Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park, MD. This was supposed to be 6.1K. I got to the park sometime after 3pm and it was in the 90s F (92 F, while driving over). I was tired from my run in the heat earlier, and I'd had lunch too. I walked almost the whole thing. I pulled-up streamers from the temporary courses that I'd set at the very end of March, and I put night-o ready controls and streamers at some completely new sites.

Just as I was getting ready to leave my car at the start of this, I realized that I'd left my gaiters behind. I guess that's better than leaving behind the streamers, like I did at the Soccerplex and Hoyles Mill in May. I walked around as many thorns as I could. I was wearing the really low socks that stop at the shoe; the kind I almost never wear. I'd set the new courses to avoid as much of the thorny areas as possible, but I still had to retrieve the old streamers among them. I got a little scratched in the thorny areas, but it was nothing that a decent set of gaiters wouldn't have completely protected me from. Sometimes in the more open areas, I'd come across a surprise thorn. Most of the terrain was free of stilt grasses but it did grow in the lower and normally wetter places.

I hit most of the controls well but I was glad that I was merely finding most of them rather than setting them, since the summertime visibility makes it harder to be sure about some things. At least twice, I had to do some walking around to verify that I had the right rootstock. I found a new one too, since it was near a control and the trunk had fallen on top of part of the mapped feature. I'm giving Peggy the details to make an announcement for anyone who wants to try the new courses. I weighed out at 197lbs today, and most of this is sure to be water. I was getting pretty tired in the heat even though I had water to drink.