Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Binna Burra to O'Reillys via the Coomera River extension. This was one I'd been looking forward to for a while, the longest (and best) of four successive runs largely on national park tracks. It was also a good group run (more or less required by the logistics of a route where the two ends are 70km apart by road). We had two bunches heading in opposite directions, with my company being Mark Gregson, Olly Mitchell and James Sheldon. I haven't been here since walking the track (in the opposite direction) as a 15-year-old (by which stage I had already more or less grown out of Surfers and looked forward to our then-regular Gold Coast trips mainly for the mountains).

Most of the climbing was in the first half. This also featured the roughest part of the track (with quite a bit of rock-hopping and several creek crossings), and most of the best scenery, along the waterfalls of the upper Coomera Valley. (A later lookout from the divide down into northern NSW was pretty spectacular too, though). The gradients were never steep, and the last 7km was all gently downhill.

It was a steady run, although I had a bit of a scare with a twinge in my groin about 10km from home - it's a long way out from there had it packed up. (It didn't - was tight after finishing but seems fine now). The pace definitely picked up on the final downhill with the later sections well under 5 min/km - James went off the front but drifted back again towards the end.

A very enjoyable day; thanks to everyone else for helping to make it happen.

(And I obviously missed the news that the Australian Grand Prix was rescheduled to take place on the road up to O'Reillys today).