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 Friday, September 03 2010 @ 12:42 AM EDT

My Nordic Walking Diary, Part V

    
Thursday, September 02 2010 @ 11:48 AM EDT
Contributed by: Admin
Views: 2274

Had to give in to MySQL limits. Since the database exceeded the pre-set limit, the continuation of the diary resides here now. Link to the first, second, third and fourth parts of the diary are just below.

Results, so far - with no dieting, after 5,287.5 miles - lost some weight and body fat and in general I am staying in great shape due to regular Nordic Walking. This diary was started on May 16, 2005, as a way to keep track of my walks both publicly and for my own, private reference. Just think what kind of results YOU could achieve with Nordic Walking and a rational diet!I have also gotten faster, as proven by steadily tumbling personal records.

On June 6, 2009 I have been persuaded by Gottfried Kürmer to switch at least partly over to a regimen recommended by an Oxford University study, which proposes conducting relatively intensive workouts for 30 minutes a day - seven days per week. In reality, I usually walk four days per week, mixing 30 + minute workouts, with longer walks.

Therefore, my optimal mileage will hover around 15 miles per week, instead of the earlier 25.

The 1st part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 2nd part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 3rd part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 4th part of The Nordic Walking Diary



November 21, 2009 Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia. About 6 miles. 1:39. This route leads through hills and valleys and along the Upland Trail and the Potomac River.

With Ania. About 50F (10C), mostly cloudy, but very nice. Got to meet a surprising number of friendly dogs (and owners too).

21.25 miles for the week

November 22, 2009 A circuit of Lake Thoreau in Reston, Virginia, with a partial loop of Lake Audubon. About 3.5 miles. 1:01 With Ania.

55F (12.5 C), sunny and gorgeous.

November 24, 2009 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. 2 miles. 0:30. 47F (8.5C), with a light drizzle. (5.5).

November 25, 2009 Streets and parks of Vienna, including a 3/4-mile stretch of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:55:30.

52F (11C) and drizzling. (9.5).

November 26, 2009 Walk through the streets of Vienna, in the evening. Mostly to walk away the Thanksgiving dinner. About 1.5 miles 0:30. With Ania. (11).

November 28, 2009 A circuit of Lake Thoreau in Reston, Virginia, with a partial loop of Lake Audubon. About 3.5 miles. 1:04 With Ania.

50F (10C), sunny, but windy.

14.5 miles for the week

November 29, 2009 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, Carriage Road, Cross County/Difficult Run (all the way to the Potomac River), Ridge trails. Return by the Matildaville Trail.

About 6.5 miles. 1:35. With Ania. 64F (17.5C), sunny, gorgeous day.

December 1, 2009 Streets of Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. 4 miles. 0:54.

52F (11C), sunny, with a noticeable breeze. (10.5).

10.5 miles for the week - a couple of dentist's appointments prevented me from doing at least a couple of walks

December 6, 2008 Along the Glade Stream in Reston, Virginia. About 4.5 miles. 1:20.

With Ania. With about 2-3 inches of snow, which fell yesterday, it wasn't quite enough for cross country skiing, but quite icy and slippery on the paved paths, which made us walk mostly on the dirt trails - a bit muddy in places.

32F (0C), sunny and beautiful. Wish we got more snow, but the forecast says that in about 48 hours, more might be coming :)

December 8, 2009 Streets and parks of Vienna: Peterson Lane Park, Tanglewood and Glencannon Community Parks - including a delightfully hilly and shaded section of Lawyers Road. 3 miles. 0:45.

40F (4.5C), mostly sunny. About 1-2 inches of snow left on grassy areas. Paved paths and sidewalks mostly clear, with some slippery ice in shaded areas. (7.5).

December 11, 2009 Streets and parks of Vienna and Oakton. About 4.25 miles. 1:02.

35F (1.5C), sunny, but quite windy. (11.75).

December 12, 2009 W&OD Trail, to Lake Fairfax Park and return. Varied, hilly route through the woods, with several stream crossings. A longer route, with a bushwhacking section. About 5 miles. 1:20. With Ania.

38F(3.5C).

16.75 miles for the week

December 13, 2009 A two-mile walk with Ania through Vienna at night, checking out some of the more extravagant Christmas light displays. 0:30.

32F (0C). Foggy, but after today's rain, the stars were showing again.

December 14, 2009 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. 2.25 miles. 0:32.

47F (8C). mostly sunny, damp everywhere after yesterday's rain. (5.25).

December 15, 2009 Parks and streets of Vienna. About 3.75 miles. 0:52.

53F (11.5). Partly sunny, damp from last night's rain. (9).

December 17, 2009 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. 3 miles. 0:44:30.

30F (-1C), sunny, breezy and quite beautiful. (12).

December 19, 2009 Cross country skiing through the streets of Vienna. About 2.5 miles. 0:50. With Ania.

We got about 20 inches (55cm) of snow. And it is still falling. About 20F (-6.5C). Very little car traffic. A few walkers and a couple of other x-c skiers. Gorgeous, except for the need to shovel our long driveway :(

14.5 miles for the week

December 20, 2009 Cross country skiing through the parks and streets of Vienna. About 2.5 miles. 0:57.

Pretty heavy workout through the deep, largely untracked trails in the parks. About 23 inches (60cm) of snow. 32F (0C), sunny and gorgeous.

December, 27, 2009 Boston, Massachusetts. Downtown area, including the Boston Common, Public Gardens, the Esplanade, along the Charles River, the harbor area and the de rigeur Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall environs.

About 5 miles. With Ania, Monika, Sherry, Wojtek, Melina and Linnea. Fairly cold, but with little snow. Lots of Christmas visitors.

December 29, 2009 Parks of Vienna. About 3 miles. 0:49. With Ania.

27F (-2.5C), sunny, with numerous icy spots along the trails.

December 30, 2009 W&OD Trail, from Vienna, Virginia, west to Hunter Mill Road in Reston and return. 5 miles. 1:12.

29F (-1.5C), a bit windy, with numerous patches of thick ice in shady places.(13).

December 31, 2009 To cap off the first decade of the 21st Century, a walk through the streets and parks of Vienna - what I came to call "The Salsbury Spring loop". About 2.25. 0:37.

32F (0C), after this morning's freezing rain, there was a tricky layer of ice almost everywhere, requiring a slower pace and lots of attention to the footing. (15.25).

January 2, 2010 W&OD Trail, west from Hunter Mill Road, then on the Cross County Trail, north and return. About 4 miles. 1:05.

With Ania. 19F (-7C), sunny and windy. Quite a bit of snow and ice left in many places. The Difficult Run Stream was not frozen.

18.5 miles for the week, 3 miles for 2010

January 3, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna: Peterson Lane Park, Tanglewood and Glencannon Community Parks plus a hilly section of Lawyers Road. 3 miles. 0:42:30.

20F (-6.5C), sunny, but very windy. Many, packed, hard and slippery patches of ice.

January 5, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. 4 miles. 0:55.

28F (-2C), sunny and a bit windy. Still many patches of ice left all over the place. (7).

January 9, 2010 Streets, parks and trails of Vienna and Oakton, including a one-mile section of the W&OD Trail. About 5.75 miles. 1:30.

30F (-1C), sunny, a 1-2-inch layer of snow in many places, with patches of older, hard ice treacherously hiding underneath. Bare tips on my LEKI Speed Pacer Varios.

12.75 miles for the week

January 10, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Swamp, Cross County/Difficult Run and Ridge trails. Return by the Matildaville Trail. About 6 miles. 1:44.

This is a hilly route, not only providing beautiful views of Mather Gorge, the Potomac River, Difficult Run and other places, but also a great workout. With Ania. Just enough snow to make it super pretty :).

January 11, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. About 2 miles. 00:29:30.

28F (-2C), sunny. Quite a few icy patches here and there. (8).

January 12, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. 4 miles. 0:56.

27F (-2.5C) and cloudy. (12)

January 16, 2010 Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia. About 6 miles. 2 hours + With Ania and Ewa.

This route leads through hills and valleys and along the Upland Trail and the Potomac River. About 48F (9C). Mostly cloudy, with some left-over snow in places.

18 miles for the week

January 19, 2010 Streets of Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. 4 miles. 0:53:30. Pretty fast pace.

52F (11C), sunny and unseasonably warm. A bit of snow still left over in a few places.

January 20, 2010 W&OD Trail to Lake Fairfax Park and return. The route goes through a forest trail with quite a few hills and stream crossings.

About 5 miles. 1:13. 40F (4.5C). Lots of mud, squished up by mountain bikes. (9).

Just 9 miles for the week. Work commitments, plus an unpleasant dental procedure, didn't allow for any more miles

January 25, 2010 Northside Park in Vienna, Virginia, next to the W&OD Trail. About one mile. 15 minutes. Examining and photographing still another beaver dam on the Piney Branch stream.

January 27, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. 2 miles. 0:32. Fairly relaxed pace.

37F (2.5C) and sunny.

January 30, 2010 Cross country skiing on the W&OD Trail, from Vienna, to the Piney Branch bridge and return. About 3+ miles. Just over an hour. With Ania.

About 3-4 inches of snow on the ground and falling. 18F (-7.5C). Great skiing with blue wax. Saw a few people running, a few walking with dogs and about half a dozen deer. Glorious all around!

Getting back into a swing of things, after having to pretty much stop exercising for a week, after a dental procedure. Yes, it required stitches. Growl!

January 31, 2010 Cross country skiing around Burke Lake, counterclockwise. With Ania. 4.5 miles. About two hours.

Cloudless skies, 24F (-4.5C). Gorgeous. Hopefully the snow will stick around for at least another day.

February 1, 2010 Cross country skiing in Vienna parks. About 2 miles. 0:25. 30F (-1C), sunny and nice, but I have used a wax that was a bit too hard for the three-day-old snow. (6.5).

February 5, 2010 Cross country skiing in Vienna parks. About 2 miles. 0:35. With Ania. In evening, but in the great semi-lightness, that comes with the reflection from the snow.

26.5F (-3C). Falling snow, the predictions range all the way up to 30 inches by tomorrow afternoon. We shall see :)

February 6, 2010 Neither Nordic Walking, nor cross country skiing ( I was planning to do the former), but shoveling snow for about 2.5 hours. That must count as a good workout. Doesn't it?

Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and with nearly 30 inches of snow on the ground, cross country skiing should be very nice indeed :)

February 7, 2010 Cross country skiing in Vienna parks. Three miles. 0:45.

Tough going through almost untracked 2.5 feet of snow. Used too hard a wax for these conditions. Fast, but with little grip. As far as I can tell, a little klister would have gone a long way.

25F (-4C), sunny and gorgeous. After another 1.5 hours of shoveling snow.

February 11, 2010 Like seemingly every day for the past week, or so, neither Nordic Walking, nor cross country skiing, but shoveling snow for about 1.5 hours. A heck of a workout!

February 13, 2010 Cross country skiing to Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia and return. About 6 miles. About 2:30. This route leads through hills and valleys and along the Upland Trail and the Potomac River.

With Ania for the first two miles. Unfortunately her old skis have delaminated (I have never seen anything quite like that) and she had to turn back.

28F (-3.5C), gorgeous, with an at least two-foot snow cover. We have met several cross country skiers as well.

February 14, 2010 Cross country skiing in the Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville (quite a climb in the final section - glad I had klister on), Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails and the Carriage Road. About 6 miles. 2:21.

34F (-1C), sunny and beautiful. Too bad that despite trying really hard, we couldn't buy new skis for Ania today.

Quite a few walkers, trampling the ski tracks. It was kind of funny to see many people sinking up to their butts in snow. Snowshoes, or skis anyone? :)

February 16, 2010 Cross country skiing on the W&OD Trail, from Vienna, to the Piney Branch bridge and return, alternating between the now invisible, paved and flat railroad grade and the more natural and hilly, parallel horse trail. At the end did a circuit of the hilly Eudora Park. About 3.5 miles. About an hour.

32F (0C), sunny and beautiful. Pretty good ski tracks all over. A few inches of klister under the foot. Last night's 1-2 cm of snow didn't make much difference on the fast, crusty surface.

February 20, 2010 Cross country skiing in the Great Falls Park, Virginia: Mostly Matildaville Trail and the Carriage Road with a few forays into the woods. About 4 miles 1:10.

With Ania and her brand new skis.

42F (5.5C), sunny and beautiful. The snow was OK, but not as nice anymore as last weekend.

February 21, 2010 Cross country skiing around Burke Lake, clockwise. With Ania. 4.5 miles. About two hours.

47F (8.5C), mostly sunny, some bare patches in sunny areas, but still plenty of corn snow to ski on. For how long will this manna last? No idea :)

February 22, 2010 Cross country skiing on the W&OD Trail, from Vienna, to the Piney Branch bridge and return, alternating between the railroad grade and the more natural and hilly, parallel horse trail. 3 miles. 0:50.

42F (5.5C). partly sunny. Used Ania's waxless skis., mainly to test them and to avoid having to mess with klister on my waxable ones. Pretty good and convenient, but the performance of properly waxed skis is noticeably better. The snow cover is still quite good, but I wonder how it will change after the rain predicted for tonight...

February 27, 2010 Cross country skiing on the W&OD Trail, from Hunter Mill Road west. About 2.5 miles. 0:55. With Ania.

42F (5.5C), sunny. Snow conditions varied widely from nearly perfect, with 6-8 inches of snow, to extensive, bare areas. Found some nice hilly sections in wooded, shaded spots.

February 28, 2010 Cross country skiing in Lake Fairfax Park, Virginia. Again, about 2.5 miles and a faster-than-yesterday 0:45. With Ania.

40F (4.5C), mostly sunny and windy. The very extensive athletic fields had a pretty good layer of wet snow left. In fact there was more snow on the exposed fields than in the woods. The open areas must have had quite a bit more accumulation of the white stuff to begin with.

March 2, 2010 Nordic Walking on the streets of Vienna and Oakton. About 3 miles. 0:38:30.

Pretty good time, considering the need to go around very numerous 1-1.5-meter piles of snow left-over on sidewalks from shoveling, snow-blowing and plowing.

40F (4.5C).

March 6, 2010 Cross country skiing at the White Grass Touring Center in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. With Ania.

About two hours and some 5 miles through the lower parts of the mountain.

35F (1.5C), sunny, beautiful and plenty of snow. Lots of people as well. Finished the day with a great dinner at the White Grass Cafe, with live music and some friends.

This is Ania at about 4,000 feet, next to the "Upper Slope Outhouse", between Roundtop and Bald Knob. March 7, 2010 More cross country skiing at White Grass. This time, we climbed through the fairly easy, but long Three Mile Trail, above Roundtop, just below Bald Knob, to the altitude of about 4,000 feet. About 7 miles. Four hours.

The higher elevations have a markedly different type of snow and vegetation. Skied a tiny bit into the incredible Dolly Sods Wilderness area.

The weather and the snow are simply perfect!

March 8, 2010 Third day of country skiing at White Grass. After about an hour, I left Ania to enjoy the lower glades and trails and headed to explore some of the mid-mountain intermediate and expert trails, where I have never skied before.

About 6 miles and two hours. Some of the steeper, slicker and narrow trails had a definite "oops" factor to them, as my skis are not equipped with steel edges.

Another cloudless, gorgeous day - about 45F (7C).

It was hard to have to head home, as this could be the last hoorah for this winter season.

March 9, 2010 Nordic Walking in parks and streets of Vienna. About 3.75 miles. 0:48:30. Probably my fastest time for this particular, varied and somewhat hilly route.

59F (15C), sunny, with piles of snow left over here and there.

March 14, 2010 Nordic Walking along Glade Stream, in Reston, Virginia, from Twin Branches Road, to Soapstone Road and return and about one-third of the way around Lake Audubon and return. Around 4.75 miles. 1:18. With Ania.

Light rain and 45F (7C). Serious rehabilitation work going on along Glade Stream. Machinery, wide, wooden "roadways", etc. I seems to me like too many trees have been cut in the process...

March 16, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles. 0:54.

After three days of rain, the sun finally came out. 53F (11.5C).

March 17, 2010 - Saint Patrick's Day Complete circuit of Lake Thoreau and one of the shores of Lake Audubon in Reston, Virginia. About 4 miles. 0:52.

63F (17C), sunny and beautiful.

March 20, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville, Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails and the Carriage Road. About 6 miles. 1:31.

With Ania. 72F (22F). A beautiful, sunny day. We made it just in time. Only had to wait in line for about 15 minutes. When we were leaving, the line of cars, waiting to enter the park extended for at least 1.5 miles...

March 21, 2010 Turkey Run Park, Virginia. A loop of the park, including a section of the Potomac Heritage Trail, which wasn't easy to traverse in sections, because of the high water level in the Potomac River. About 3.5 miles. 1:05.

With Ania, 77 F (25C), sunny and nice. Met several hikers along the route, which included a very steep descent and ascent to and from the river.

March 23, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles. 0:53. My fastest time for this route.

48F (9C), cloudy and windy.

March 27, 2010 Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia. In the reverse direction from our usual tramp. About 6 miles. 1:38. This route leads through hills and valleys and along the Upland Trail and the Potomac River.

With Ania. About 50F (10C) and sunny.

March 28, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. Three miles, 0:43.

43F (6.5C), with a light drizzle - probably the start of the rain that is forecast to be with us for the next two days.

March 30, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles. 0:42.

This is a nice, varied route - a combination of suburban, residential streets, with both flat and hilly sections.

51F (10.5C), sunny and windy.

April 5, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles. 0:50:30. With Ania.

78F (25.5C), cloudless skies and frankly quite hot, despite a nice breeze. After a family Easter weekend in Princeton, which included a good deal of walking.

April 6, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. About 3.75 miles. 0:53:30.

Sunny and 80F (26.5C). A good route near my house, with some notable hilly sections.

April 10, 2010 C&O Canal path, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, from Violette's Lock, to Pennyfield Lock and return. About 5.5 miles. 1:47.

60F (15.5C), sunny and beautiful, albeit a bit chilly in shorts. With Ania and Ewa.

Lots and lots of snapping turtles sunning themselves on logs.

April 11, 2010 Trails Between Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park, Virginia. Hills, valleys and along the Potomac. About 5 miles 1:27.

75F (24C), sunny and warm. With Ania and Ewa. Quite a few people both on the trails and in the picnic areas of both parks.

April 13, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles. 0:43:30.

47F 98C) and light drizzle.

April 17, 2010 A forested park, near Ewa's house. About 1.5 miles, 0:30, then Scott's Run Nature Preserve on the shores of the Potomac River, about 3.5 miles 1:05. Total - about 5 miles.

With Ania and Ewa.

58F (14.5C), sunny and windy.

April 18, 2010 Complete circuit of Lake Thoreau and one of the shores of Lake Audubon in Reston, Virginia. About 4 miles. 0:57. With Ania.

Sunny, but only 52F (11.5C) and windy.

April 20, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles, 0:53. One of my best times for this route.

63F (17C) and sunny.

April 24, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, Cross County/Difficult Run and Ridge trails. Return by the Matildaville Trail. About 6 miles. 1:26.

This is a hilly route, not only providing beautiful views of Mather Gorge, the Potomac River, Difficult Run and other places, but also a great workout. With Ania.

56F (13C) with a very slight drizzle at times.

April 26, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna. Three miles. 0:42. With Ania.

70F (21C), sunny and humid. Storms predicted for later in the day and night.

April 26, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna. About 1.25 miles, 0:17:30.

Was planning a three-mile walk, but gave up that idea, when it started raining more heavily. 53F (11.5C).

April 28, 2010 Lunch/walk on the National Mall. Sponsored by HHS, with many notables, including Secretary Sebelius attending.

About one mile. Sunny, windy and a bit chilly.

April 29, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna, including a 3/4-mile stretch of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:55.

59F (15C). Beautiful day with cloudless skies.

April 30, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna. About 1.25 miles. With Ania. Warm and sunny.

May 1, 2010 Trails Between Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park, Virginia. Starting and ending at Riverbend Park.

A hilly, wooded route, and a flatter walk along a section of the Potomac Heritage Trail. About 5 miles 1:15. With Ania.

Sunny and 83 (28.5C) and quite humid.

In the early evening: A walk through Vienna streets and a section of the W&OD Trail with Ania. About 2 miles.

May 2, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville, Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails and the Carriage Road. About 6 miles. 1:50.

With Ania and Ewa. 83F (28.5C), more humid than yesterday.

May 4, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles, 0:53:30. One of my best times for this route. Maintained a cadence of between 110 and 120 steps per minute.

74F (23.5C), sunny and nice.

May 6, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. Three miles, 0:43.

74F (23.5C), sunny and a bit humid. In the early evening.

May 7, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna and Oakton. About 3 miles, 0:43.

72F (22C), sunny and beautiful, with low humidity.

May 9, 2010 Fraser Nature Preserve and series of trails along the Potomac River. About 6 miles. Roughly two hours. With Ania.

A varied route, from wooded and hilly, to somewhat swampy areas.

Beautiful, sunny day. Much cooler than usual at this time of the year - 58F (14.5C).

May 10, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. 2.25 miles. 0:30. My fastest time for this route.

52F (11C) and sunny.

May 11, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna - what I came to call "The Salsbury Spring loop". About 2.25, 0:30:30. A very good time for this route.

50F (10C), with a light drizzle.

May 15, 2010 Trails Between Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park, Virginia. Hills, valleys and along the Potomac. About 4.5 miles. 1:12. With Ania.

Beautiful, sunny day - 72F (22C).

May 16, 2010 C&O Canal (on the left, Maryland side of the Potomac River), from Swain's Lock, to Great Falls Park and return, with a bit of extra mileage at Great Falls, because the usual bridge was closed for the operation of the mule-drawn tourist canal boat.

About 6 miles. 2:20. With Ania and Ewa.

72F (22C and sunny.

May 18, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. 4 miles, 0:55.

53F (11.5C), damp, but with no rain.

May 22, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, Cross County/Difficult Run and Ridge trails. Return by the Matildaville Trail. About 6 miles. 1:33. With Ania.

Mostly sunny, 75F (24C).

16 miles for the week

May 24, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna - a route, which I have been privately calling "The Salsbury Spring loop". About 2.25 miles. 0:32.

Cloudy, humid and 67F (19.5C).

May 29, 2010 A circuit of Lake Thoreau in Reston, Virginia, with a partial loop of Lake Audubon. About 3.5 miles. 0:58. With Ania.

Mostly sunny, 72F (22C) and humid.

Lots of activity around Reston, as all the pools have been opened for the Memorial Day weekend.

May 30, 2010 Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia and return. About 4.5 miles, 1:08. With Ania.Through the hilly, wooded Upland Trail to Great Falls, returning along the Potomac.

85F (29.5C), sunny and humid. Both parks were quite crowded, because of the Memorial Day weekend.

May 31, 2010 - Memorial Day Streets and parks of Vienna, including a 3/4-mile stretch of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:54.

Hot, sunny and humid, 83F (28.5C). Had to go through the annual Viva Vienna extravaganza, with an amusement park, dozens of vendors' stalls and seemingly thousands of overheated people milling about.

June 1, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Two miles, 0:30 (26.5C), sunny and humid, but not as hot as it was yesterday.

May 5, 2010 A circuit of Lake Thoreau in Reston, Virginia, with a partial loop of Lake Audubon. About 3.5 miles. 0:58. With Ania.

Partly sunny, 81F (27C) and humid.

May 6, 2010 Along the W&OD Trail, from one Piney Run crossing to another and return. About 1.5 miles. 0:21. 80F and very humid.

Made it just before some heavy thunderstorms. A tornado watch is posted in the area until 8 pm tonight.

Please tell me all of you climate change deniers that the weather patterns haven't gotten totally screwed up :(

May 7, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna and Oakton. About 3 miles, 0:43.

72F (22C), sunny and beautiful, with low humidity.

May 8, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna, including a 3/4-mile stretch of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:54.

Sunny and beautiful - 67F (19.5C).

May 11, 2010 Cross County Trail, south of Vienna, along Holmes Run. About 2 miles. 0:35. With Ania.

75F and humid. In the evening. Saw several deer, a blue heron and a huge owl.

May 12, 2010 Complete circuit of Lakes Audubon and Thoreau in Reston, Virginia. Six miles, 1:35. With Ania.

83F (29C), sunny and humid, but the air seemed reasonably fresh.

16.5 miles for the week

May 13, 2010 Audubon Society's Woodend Nature Sanctuary. About 1.5 miles. With Ania.

A beautiful, old former 40-acre estate, with huge trees, meadows and streams.

May 14, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, next to Vienna. About 3.25 miles, 0:53.25. Hot, sunny and humid, 80F (26.5).

May 15, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna: Peterson Lane Park, Tanglewood and Glencannon Community Parks - including a delightfully hilly and shaded section of Lawyers Road, then through part of Vienna's historic Windover Street, by Salsbury Spring. 3.75 miles, 0:53.

76F (24.5C), still fairly humid, but a huge improvement over the past few days.

May 19, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville, Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails and the Carriage Road. About 6 miles. 1:52.

With Ania and Ewa. Sunny, hot and humid, 88F (31C).

14.5 miles for the week

May 20, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna. Among them the Peterson Lane Park, Tanglewood and Glencannon Community Parks. Three miles, 0:45.

Sunny and even more humid than yesterday, 83F (28.5C), making it feel quite a bit hotter.

May 21, 2001 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville, River, Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails, and a little, very steep trail, connecting the Difficult Run and Ridge Trails - which gives new meaning to the term "hill training" :).

About 4.5 miles, 1:10.

86F (30C), sunny, hot and humid.

June 22, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. About 2 miles. 0:31.

86F (30C), sunny, very hot and humid, with a "code orange" air quality.

June 26, 2010 Rock Meadow Conservation Area and the old State Hospital grounds, Belmont, Massachusetts. About 3.5 miles, 0:51.

Did the circuit twice. Very nice meadows, woods, wetlands. Trails both in the woods and through high grasses. Fairly hot, about 85F and sunny, but much cooler than in Virginia.

June 27, 2010 Rock Meadow Conservation Area and the old State Hospital grounds, Belmont, Massachusetts again.

This time did a much longer route through the State hospital grounds and only about 1.5 circuits through Rock Meadow, Again, about 3.5 miles, 0:50.

Still quite hot, about 85F and humid.

June 29, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville, Ridge, Difficult Run/Cross Country Trails. Return by a section of the Matildaville and to the end of the River Trail. About 5 miles. 1:23.

Met a cute, female, mounted policewoman. We discussed all kinds of trail issues :)

85F (29.5 C). sunny and humid. Cooler weather and lower humidity are predicted starting tonight.

June 30, 2010 W&OD Trail, to Lake Fairfax Park and return. About 5 miles. 1:07.

This trail winds through the woods, crosses several streams, has several noticeable hills providing a very varied workout. Not as nice as Great Falls Park, but a few miles closer to home.

70F (21C), sunny, nice and much less humid..

Saw acres of environmental devastation off to the side in one part of the route. A developer has destroyed a large section of what was formerly a wooded area. It seems that this is another example of regression, under the label of "progress".

July 1, 2010 Around Burke Lake, Virginia. 4.5 miles. 1:02. Fast pace, but wasn't able to beat my long-standing record of 1:00:18.

Beautiful, sunny day, 73F (23C), with low humidity. Lots of runners, walkers and cyclists.

July 2, 2010 2009 Streets and parks of Vienna: Peterson Lane Park, Tanglewood and Glencannon Community Parks - including a section of Lawyers Road. 3 miles. 0:48.

With Ania. Sunny and dry, 71F (21.5C).

July 3, 2010 Complete circuit of Lake Thoreau and one of the shores of Lake Audubon in Reston, Virginia. About 3.5 miles. 0:58:30. With Ania.

Beautiful, sunny day, 79F (26C), but with fairly low humidity.

24 miles for the week

July 4, 2010 - U.S. Independence Day Trails Between Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park, Virginia. Starting and ending at Riverbend Park. About 5 miles. 1:40 (including around 15 minutes watching the falls and kayakers from two different lookout points).

A hilly, wooded route, and a flatter walk along a section of the Potomac Heritage Trail. With Ania.

90F (32C), sunny and noticeably more humid than the past four days.

July 5, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles, 0:43.

87F (30.5C), with a very high humidity. The heat index is reported somewhere around 100F and the air quality is supposed to be 'Code Red'. That could be true, but besides the obvious heat and humidity, the air felt fine to me.

July 6, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna - my "Salsbury Spring loop". About 2.25 miles. 0:33.

Sunny, humid and very hot, 90F (32C).

July 9, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. About four miles, 0:53.

Mostly sunny and humid, but only 83F (28.5C). Still very hot, but much better than the last few days.

July 10, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. Three miles, 0:45. With Ania.

Light drizzle (finally got some rain!!!) and only 70F (21C) and very humid.

17.25 miles for the week

July 11, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, Cross County/Difficult Run and Ridge trails. Return by the Matildaville Trail. About 4.25 miles. 1:15.

This is a hilly route, providing beautiful views of Mather Gorge, the Potomac River, Difficult Run and other places. With Ania. Lots of people on the trails today. Sunny, 84F (28.5C).

Made it back home to watch most of the World Cup final game :)

July 12, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles, 0:38. Quite fast.

80F (26.5C), partly sunny and very humid.

This is a route through suburban, residential streets, with enough elevation changes to make it a very good workout.

July 13, 2010 Street and parks of Vienna (Salsbury Spring loop), 2.25 miles, 0:31:30.

A bit of sun, 74F (23.5C), very humid, still damp in places after last night's storms and downpours. More predicted for today.

July 15, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, west of our house. About four miles, 0:54:30.

Sunny and humid, 81F (27C).

July 17, 2010 Trails Between Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park, Virginia. Starting and ending at Riverbend Park. Through the hills and on the flats, along the Potomac River.

3.25.miles, 1:03, 84F (30C), sunny, hot and humid. With Ania.

16.75 miles for the week

July 18, 2010 Cunningham Falls State Park (adjoining Catoctin Mountain Park, where Camp David is located).

About 1.5 on Cliff Trail to the falls and return to the North Beach of the Hunting Lake., where we took a very welcome and pleasant dip :)

Quite hot and humid. With Ania.

July 19, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna and Oakton. About 4.25 miles, 0:58. Quite fast.

84F (30C), mostly sunny and very humid.

July 20, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna. About 3.75 miles, 0:51:30.

80F (26.5C), which was not that bad, except for the tropical humidity.

July 24, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. About 3 miles, 0:46. With Ania.

Sunny, hot and humid - 90F (32C), but not nearly as terrible as the television stations have been trying to make it sound for the past several days.

July 25, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia: Matildaville and River Trails. About 3.5 miles, 0:50. With Ania.

Very, very hot, about 100F (37.5C) during the walk. Violent storms on the way back knocked the temperature down to 75F (24C) on the way back.

July 27, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles, 0:53:30.

Sunny, a bit humid (much better than the last few weeks) and 81F (27C). Still hot by any definition, but much, much nicer.

July 31, 2010 Around Burke Lake, Virginia, counterclockwise. 4.5 miles, 1:10. With Ania.

Sunny and warm, 83F (28.5C). Lots of walkers, runners and cyclists.

August 1, 2010 Riverbend Park, from Great Falls Park, Virginia. About 3.5 miles. 1:16.

This is just a small version of the map, produced by the Map My Run app in my Droid cell phone. Isn't GPS a useful gizmo?

This route leads through hills and valleys and along the Upland Trail and the Potomac River. With Ania. Sunny, humid, but only 76F (24.5).

In the evening: W&OD Trail, from downtown Vienna, west and return. About 2 miles. With Ania. Nice, warm, but not hot for a change weather.

August 2, 2010 From my house,through the Lakevale subdivision, Trott and Garrett Roads, returning through a series of stream valley parks. About 4 miles, 0:57.

Partly sunny, 75F (24C) and humid.

August 3, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. About 2.25 miles, 0:32.

Mostly sunny, 78F (25.5C) and humid.

August 7, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, River and Ridge trails. About 4 miles. 1:15. With Ania and Ewa.

After a short Nordic Walking demo in the park.

Sunny, less humid, about 83F (28.5C).

13.75 miles for the week

August 8, 2010 Complete circuit of Lakes Thoreau and Audubon in Reston, Virginia. About 5 miles, 1:23.

Sunny, less humid, but still 86F (29.4C). Very nice, but sweaty walk.

August 9, 2010 Streets and parks of Vienna, including a 3/4-mile stretch of the W&OD Trail. About 4 miles, 0:54.

Sunny and humid, 84F (29C). Code orange air quality.

August 11, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. Three miles, 0:44.

Sunny and humid, with a very light, life-saving breeze, 85F (29.5).

August 14, 2010 C&O Canal, on the left side of the Potomac River, from Swain's Lock, to Great Falls Par and return. About 5.75 miles, 2:20. The time and distance include walking across the canal for hot dogs.

With Ania and Ewa. Nice, mostly sunny day, with lower humidity. About 78F (25.5C).

16.75 miles for the week

August 15, 2010 From the W&OD Trail, through a loop trail, around Lake Fairfax Park and return. About 4.25 miles and around 1:25. With Ania.

74F (23.5C), wet and a bit muddy with occasional drizzle, but not a washout by any means.

August 16, 2010 Streets of Vienna and Oakton. About 3 miles, 0:45.

Sunny, very humid, 80F (26.5C).

August 19, 2010 Parks and streets of Vienna. Three miles, about 0:50. With Ania.

In the evening. A balmy and humid 78F (25.5C).

August 20, 2010 W&OD Trail, to Lake Fairfax Park and return. Varied, hilly route through the woods, with several stream crossings. A longer route, with a semi-bushwhacking section. A very popular route with mountain bikers. About 4.5 miles, 1:13.

Sunny and less humid, 83F (28.5C).

14.75 miles for the week

August 22, 2010 Beaches of Salter's Point in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. About four miles, 1:02. About 70 F, cloudy, light drizzle and very windy, with white caps on Buzzards Bay.

August 24, 2010 South beach off Salter's Point. About 1.5 miles, again strong wind and drizzle. About 67F.

August 25, 2010 South beach off Salter's Point. About 1.5 miles. The weather is getting considerably better.

In the afternoon boogie boarding at Horseneck Beach.

August 27, 2010 South beach off Salter's Point. About 1.5 miles, then kayaking for about an hour along the coast and through the boat anchorage.

August 30, 2010 Boogie boarding at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, and a 2-mile walk along the beach, towards Rehoboth.

August 31, 2010 Great Falls Park, Virginia. Matildaville, Cross County/Difficult Run, Ridge and River trails, with a visit to one of the falls overlooks. About 4.25 miles, 1:25.

Sunny and humid, 90F (32C). Officially a "Code Red" air quality day, but I must say that the supposed pollution in the air wasn't noticeable.

In the evening: a walk through Vienna's streets and parks. Just over a mile. With Ania.

September 1, 2010 Streets of the Lakevale neighborhood, near our house. Four miles, 0:57.

Despite 'code orange' air quality warnings, the sky was blue and cloudless, with only the Moon showing. Humid, 80F (26.5C).

September 2, 2010 Peterson's, Tanglewood and Glencannon parks in Vienna. Return through the residential streets of Oakton and Lakevale. 3.25 miles, 0:49.

Sunny, humid, 84F (29C).




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My Nordic Walking Diary, Part V | 4 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
My Nordic Walking Diary, Part V
Authored by: ironmaned on Saturday, December 19 2009 @ 08:45 PM EST
Hey Marek! You should now be ready for the Birkie! Merry Christmas!

Ed
My Nordic Walking Diary, Part V
Authored by: ironmaned on Saturday, February 06 2010 @ 11:46 AM EST
Marek, you will probably have more "ski time" than 50% of the Birkie participants this year! Have fun!
Ed
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