Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

The rain over the last couple of days has had numerous positive impacts, including giving a new lease of life to gardens, topping up tanks and dams, and giving John Daly a rare opportunity to play golf on a Saturday (the abandonment of Friday's play due to heavy rain meant he had to wait another day to miss the cut).

It also provided a good opportunity for an epic. I didn't actually have anything quite this epic in mind - the original plan was around 2.40-2.45 - but I'm not complaining. Started well which gave me some early confidence, before hitting some serious hills through Greensborough and Eltham North in the middle. (The latter took me into unexplored territory, but I know enough about the local topography to know that a straight road on the map was going to be steep, which it was).

The second half was fairly flat. Tired a little, but even the worst bits today were better than the good bits of last week. Finished along the Yarra from Westerfolds Park; unusually for a Sunday morning, there were more runners than cyclists (the weather must have scared the cyclists off, although apart from a two-minute downpour and a bit of drizzle it was mostly dry). Saw Lisa Jane Weightman with about 6km to go (going the other way, which was a pity as I could have used a tow at that stage), and then took on the interestingly slippery single track on the Banyule Flats. By this stage it was apparent that going the short way home was going to be about 2.57 or 2.58, and I was feeling OK so I thought I might as well do some minor deviations to crack the three hours. Longest run in time since early 2006, and one which will do a lot for my confidence.

The Saturday run on this program is a bit of a nothing run, but often one of the more enjoyable ones of the week, as it was today.

We were coming off Melbourne's wettest day in nearly four years so naturally I headed straight for Darebin Creek to check out the spectacle (definitely running very strongly). Started out in the morning dry slot mentioned yesterday but it didn't last long, with solid rain from 20 minutes onwards. Once I'd finished with flood-watching, headed for the Boulevard in Ivanhoe where the annual Christmas lights are just getting under way (don't like their chances of having carols by candlelight tonight, though).

The run was pleasant, but rather on the slow side.

Another early start today, waking up to the distinctly retro news that the Victorian police had shot somebody overnight - when I first moved here this seemed to happen just about every week.

Swim session at Richmond, a bit earlier than usual. Very slow early on but settled down quite well in the second half. A bit of shin soreness early on, not something one would normally associate with swimming (especially as I hadn't experienced it on the run), but it disappeared within a couple of laps (and wasn't discernable during the follow-up massage either).

We're now eagerly anticipating the closest Melbourne gets these days to a Big Wet. Suspect I might end up taking the train home tonight; Friday evening CBD traffic is crazy enough at this time of year (last night was bad enough) without being lubricated by water as well as alcohol. Might miss most of it for training because tomorrow morning, at this stage, looks like the best chance for a dry slot in between the two main periods of rain.

A similar start to yesterday with 30 minutes of sleepiness. Kept expecting the run to catch alight as it did in the last 15 minutes yesterday, but it didn't happen (despite the perfect conditions). Still plugged away steadily and at its best on the hills, a pleasing sign. A bit slower than I thought it might have been. Finished well.

Spotted outside a Toorak house: an expensive red sports car with the number plate '007'. I imagine both the car and the number plate cost a fair bit.

Whilst on the subject of numbers and making money, I notice that next year's Scottish 6-Day auctioned off its number 1 on Ebay - an interesting fundraising idea (although I think they made the grand total of 21 pounds). Back in the deep dark ages of the mid-1990s, before you had to be good to get number 1, I managed to score it at the Australian Championships three times in four years (thanks to my habit of sending in entries for events I know I'm going to as soon as I see the form, so I don't forget).

Zatopek night tonight. There was talk some of the Africans would stay on from the 15km but no sign of it on the start list. I expect most of the focus tonight will be on someone who isn't there rather than those who are.

To vary a cliche, this was a run of three thirds; a half-asleep and light-headed first third where I was grateful that it was mostly downhill, a mundane middle third, and a good final third with more strength than I've had for a while, particularly on the finishing climbs to Wattle Park and through Surrey Hills (where I was finishing at the station). Having an incentive (in the form of an 8.15 train which, unlike most this week, was actually on time) may have helped in the later stages.

Street-O at Blackburn South. Not as much route choice as last week - this week there were three nasties and we had to get one of them, otherwise there weren't a lot of decisions to take. Ended up as a drag race with Bryan. We were together for the first half but he edged away in the second; at first I wasn't too upset to see him in front at a key decision point, but then the 10 metres turned into 20, and then 30, and then 40. Thought I might have been a chance of pulling the gap back when we did the last two in different orders; got caught a bit on an unmapped wall, but not by enough to alter the result. Lost by about 100 metres in the end.

It was a very pleasant night indeed - enjoying it while it lasts - and felt better and sharper than I have on a Wednesday night for some time; the confidence gained in this morning's finish will have helped. An encouraging day despite the result.

Woke up a bit earlier than planned - I'd forgotten to reset my alarm from yesterday.

Felt better on the run than I have the last couple of days, but still pretty ordinary - rather on the slow side (fastest loop 9.35). I mused the last time I ran here that the Banyule Flats might have a freeway bulldozed through them in the not-too-distant future - instead it looks like they will have a freeway drilled under them (although I still won't be hugely shocked if this government, or the next one, ends up wanting to put it above ground on grounds of cost). The shambolic trains this morning certainly weren't a good advertisement for the transport system as it currently exists.

Swim at Belconnen early in the morning before going back to Canberra. A tiring week caught up with me yesterday evening - I felt like I could have quite happily crashed at 7 but did manage to last until close to 10.

The swim wasn't great, although not terrible. Still pretty sluggish.

C • swim 3

MFR Monday night from Torgeir's place (the second attempt after last week's false start). A pretty slow session, but not a great one; felt like anything much more than this would have been a struggle, although it might not have worked like that in practice. Tomorrow will be a bit more of a test.

Noticed on the weekend that one of the ACT Government's funding conditions for Summernats is that the organisers do something about behaviour towards women. I wish them the best of luck - this is an event where, some years ago, the then Chief Minister got about four words into her opening speech before someone yelled out 'show us yer tits'. I guess at least it keeps Australia's bogan population in the one place for four days.

Also saw that there are limits to the tolerance of New Orleans for political corruption - the Congressman who had several hundred thousands dollars in $50 bills in bags in his freezer when the FBI visited narrowly lost his bid for re-election.