Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Some technical training at Nerrina set up by Roch. I was keen to get to this as I'll be away for the next two weekends. Rob and Kathryn came up with me. First (and longest) part was a pairs relocation course with Rob, then a bit of map-memory stuff before a short course.

Technically it was quite reasonable once I got the feel of reading the map again. Physically, I was OK while in cruise mode (and I wasn't trying to run too hard on the course generally), but struggling with anything harder, such as up hills (and Nerrina is hillier than it looks) - suggesting I'm still not 100% well. It was a good session for me to do on such a day - otherwise I'd probably have tried to go 2 hours plus and probably done myself some damage in the process.

One definite change to the terrain: the gorse is thinning out significantly (probably because of the drought), and some areas mapped as medium/dark green are now quite passable. Normally this would be an unreservedly good thing, although at Nerrina the green contributes to setting up good route-choice legs.

From the intensity point of view this week has been pretty much a write-off at a stage when I could have done without writing off weeks. This, in turn, now makes it important for me to get some quality training done when in Seoul next week, as I can't really afford to lose another week. Not sure how conducive the environment in Seoul will be to quality training (apart from the issue of finding good places to run, I'm expecting most of my runs, at least for the first few days, to be in temperatures between -5 and -10) but I guess we'll find out.

Spent most of the rest of the day at the cricket - an interesting game if not quite in the form we're used to. One lingering question: surely at least one of the other 49,000 present would be interested in eating something healthy at the MCG? Finding something at the ground which has some semblance of nutritional value is definitely a greater challenge than finding a pit in the middle of gorse at Nerrina. I would have thought there would be some sort of market for something different to pies, chips and burgers (if nothing else, with large numbers of Indians present one would expect a decent market for mass-produced curry), but obviously whoever has the catering contract is severely lacking in imagination. I headed outside in search of other options and found them in Bridge Road (after first discovering that none of the eight eating establishments on Wellington Parade near the ground considered it worthwhile to open on a match-day Sunday), but was only able to do that because Australia's dismal batting extended the break between innings by 25 minutes over its usual duration.

Took advantage of a lunchtime BBQ at Mount Macedon to go for a terrain run on the Macedon map - first time I've been out in the Australian bush for about three months (unless you count Studley Park). Definitely nice to be out in the terrain again, and once I got the feel of running on rough ground and through fallen timber again - which took about 10 minutes - it was a fairly good run, definitely my best of the week (although that isn't saying much). Excellent running conditions too, even if it was on the cool side for most other activities.

Felt better this morning than I have for a few days, but still didn't want to push it too hard. A decent night's sleep helped (with one brief interruption when a possum fried itself on the power lines outside, something which happens a couple of times a year). Slow early but picked up a bit later on. Back a little tight at times.

On the way home last night I went past Melbourne's version of Super Tuesday - polling for the Democrats Abroad primary (American expats elect a small number of delegates - 20 or so, I think). Somewhat incongruously, it was taking place in a Carlton pub, with the 'U.S. Presidential Primary - Vote Here' signs along those advertising 'Thursday $12 Parma Night'. (At least you can't accuse the local American community of failing to integrate with the Australian culture!). I'm not sure whether the greatest number of votes was achieved by Hillary, Barack or the $12 parmas. I also presume that there are rules to stop the supporters of Hillary or Barack adopting student election traditions by offering free beer to potential voters.

(My one contribution of note to student politics in my ANU days was an unsuccessful attempt to ban alcohol from Students Association meetings. This was nothing to do with any moral position - it was because the Liberals had more money than us and we wanted to stop them using free beer to woo people to meetings).

Another poor run in a week which is turning into a write-off, and I did something which happens once in a blue moon (and probably should happen more often than it does) - cut short a run because I was feeling terrible (I was aiming for 2 hours). I tend to view doing such a thing as a sign of failure above the shoulders, and can be too bloody-minded for my own good. It's a consequence of having made relentlessness the defining feature of my career.

The run itself started poorly, settled into a grind in its middle stages along the Yarra - not brilliant but not horrible - but fell apart around the 90-minute mark. At times I thought I might have to start walking but at least avoided that. I'm hoping that all this is a temporary consequence of having a cold (not a particularly bad one in terms of cold-like symptoms) and beign run-down from an overloaded schedule in recent weeks. A rest day from running tomorrow should help.

One pity of it was that I wasted as nice a morning for running as you'll find in a Melbourne February these days.

C • 4.40m/k 3

Feeling a bit better than yesterday, although still lacking somewhat in energy. Improved considerably in the last 20 minutes. Another humid day, but the end of that is in sight (and nothing over 25 is in the forecast, which is about as good as one can hope for as a runner in February - even if it isn't doing wonders for acclimatisation to potential conditions in Dubbo).

First street-O for a month (Valley Reserve). This was supposed to be the start of a switch to speed but that's not the way things are working out this week, and instead it was another token effort, especially up the hills. About the only time I had the advantage was on the first leg when I took the dangerously radical step of reading my map in detail and ended up with a (quickly swallowed) lead as everyone else hit dead ends.

An excellent course - the top five went five different ways, none of which were optimal. The closest approach to the optimal route was by Rachel Johnson, and she was rewarded by claiming my scalp for the first time. She's been running decently on the track (10.40 for 3000) but I should still be doing a fair bit faster (and hopefully will be once I'm 100% healthy again). Adam and Bryan were about 90 seconds ahead, which given the way I was running suggests their routes were worse.

This hardly qualified as a speedwork session - something of a token effort, especially on the second lap. Fastest loop 9.45 (ouch!), although I had the feeling that I was relatively slower, compared to usual, in the rest sections than the sprints (and the uphill ones felt OK). Generally feeling pretty run-down, even though the cold symptoms have eased; might have to ease back a little on what I had planned for the next few days.

On other matters, someone who appears to be a few boulders short of a full cluster has discovered the apparently magical alignment of boulders in central NSW granite country and is putting it up as "evidence" of prehistoric Stonehenge-like structures in Australia. If you feel like it, you can read more (much more) at http://www.rexgilroy.com/uru_chapter7.html.

Strictly a recovery session, although muscle stiffness not as bad as I'd feared. Nice to be at Fitzroy again, although more crowded than usual in the morning (a warm morning will do this). Foot cramps made their presence felt at times, which partially explains why it was slow even by my usual standards. Hints of cold from the last few days have developed a bit more today but nothing too drastic.

I had plenty of reason to expect this to be a shocker:

(a) it was hot and humid
(b) I ran three hours yesterday
(c) I wasn't 100% well
(d) I realised at 6.20 that I'd forgotten to eat lunch - and by then the ants had invaded my lunchbox

(there are probably a few other excuses too, but that will do)

It wasn't a brilliant run by any stretch of the imagination, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be going faster, longer or hillier, but it wasn't as awful as I'd feared. The typical MFR Monday night pace (it was the first of these I'd been to for a month) helped - very slow early and picking up a bit later on. Horribly stiff in the first couple of minutes but OK thereafter, although calves tight afterwards.

There was what looked like a film or music video shoot happening on the bridge over the freeway at Kew. Not sure if we're about to become stars (or at least passing scenery). Perhaps we should ask Clare to keep her eyes open.