Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

State Series 2 at Chewton. A rather disappointing run in the end, with two careless errors on what should have been pretty straightforward controls, overrunning both 6 and 24. Probably lost about 45 seconds on each, which today was quite a few places - also lost a bit of time at 23 through finding myself at the top of a cliff I couldn't get down. Also slow again, lacking uphill strength again, and generally not really up for it. It's tempting to attach some blame to a late night (IOF Foot Commission hookup until 1am), but I slept well after that so I don't think that has much to do with it.

Lovely day to be out, though, and I had one of the less demanding jobs around - sitting in the sun at the finish telling people where they needed to go to download, and pointing them in the direction of the water and the Easter eggs.

Saturday morning on weekends when I've been at home has often been the most enjoyable session of the week - normally coming off an easy day and a decent sleep, and not starting super-early. It hasn't always been the case in recent times but today was a bit more like it, quite lively (on the flat, if not always uphill) on a very pleasant morning - possibly pumped up by watching Norwich City's win before I started out.

In essence this was along the Yarra up to Lower Templestowe and back through Bulleen, but slightly different to the usual because my usual singletrack route was still under the remnants of the midweek floodwaters - I don't think I've been through the middle of Banyule Flats before, even though I've been living here for 12 years. Plenty of runners (and walkers) out, and finished off alongside the cyclists starting an assault on what's known in the trade as the Col de Burgundy.

My knee has been a little uncertain at times in the last couple of days and was again this morning, nothing to cause any difficulty if it stays as it is, as long as it stays as it is.

A not-unpleasant recovery session (at least when not caught up in the backwash of the rather large person who was jumping in periodically). Managed to miss the showers that were passing through before I arrived. Nice to be back at Fitzroy doing this again - it's good to have the large area of deep water to work with (unlike Ivanhoe where you're continually going around in circles).

Saw someone with a rather understated T-shirt "celebrating mild success" - didn't see the other side so I didn't find out what it was about. This reminded me for no particular reason of the slogan on the gear of the Reserve Bank running group, "keeping interest at record lows".

This was a reality check. I had thought that perhaps I was travelling a little better than I was at the same stage last year, but in fact it's a little worse - 12 seconds slower than one done under similar conditions, of which only 3 or 4 (albeit a significant 3 or 4, for me and for Bruce for different reasons) can be accounted for by building work across the top.

It ended up being essentially a solo run - I had a meeting run late and missed the bunch. Felt like it took me a bit of time to find a pace because at the moment my body finds running fast to be an unnatural act (although as it turned out the first 500, when I felt like a blob, was the fastest I went all day). Didn't feel too bad on the rest of it, just slow, and back tightened up a bit briefly as I was in the process of launching myself for the last 500. I doubt that would have made anywhere near 12 seconds' difference either.

I'm pretty sure this is a PW for any day when I've been trying. Km splits 3.53, 4.07 (uphill/detour), 3.56, 3.53.

To/from the Tan, a bit longer than usual because I ran some of the way back with Bruce, in the process applying some persuasion to try to convince him to think again about nominating for WOC. He's in terrific form at the moment and I don't think it's by any means out of the question that he could make a sprint final (and I know that if it was me I wouldn't want to be looking back in 10 years' time wondering 'what if...').

C • Did it work? 4

An unusual sequence this week as noted earlier (and as it turned out I would have been flooded out of the regular fartlek loop yesterday anyway). Later in the morning than usual too, thanks to a 9am date with the OA auditor (all clear).

It's tempting to claim coming off a long(ish) run as an excuse, until realising that 15 years ago, doing 20km on Wednesday morning was my routine precursor to racing street-O on Wednesday night. Generally pretty similar to my last few outings on this loop, and still not getting down into single figures.

The forecast was for heavy rain but it was a small system so the forecast had the potential to go wrong (there was certainly going to be heavy rain somewhere, but the 'somewhere' could have been anywhere between us and central Gippsland). When the rain woke me up, more or less for good, around 3.30 it was obvious that the system hadn't missed us, and there were various times in the early hours when I thought I might be doing some baking (it is a Climate Analysis tradition that anyone who gets 100mm in a day at their place has to bring in a cake). In the end the score was 67, 62 of it in six hours between 1.30 and 7.30.

I headed out at 6.15, with rain still falling but the radar indicating a clearance not far away (although it took 45 minutes to properly reach us). Moisture above doesn't normally bother me and this was particularly unbothersome (felt like being under a shower - I suspect the droplet size was unusually small). Moisture below was a bit more of a concern, particularly in the first 15 minutes when it was still dark and I couldn't always see water until I was in it. I thought I might have had trouble getting across the Darebin Creek footbridges, but it hadn't risen as much as I was expecting it to.

After all that, the run felt reasonable (in a reshuffled week because I plan to run hard on Thursday; this will be my last one of any real length before Easter) - drifted out of it a bit in the third quarter but was OK in the last 15 minutes across some pretty steep hills in Eaglemont. Knee a bit stiff in last few minutes. Rather slow but I think the conditions probably had a fair bit to do with that.

As wet runs go, it's the wettest one I've done for a while, although still well short of my PB daily total of 359mm (Surfers Paradise, 10 May 1987 - one of numerous washed-out 1980s Gold Coast May holidays).

C • unbothersome 8

C • Somewhere 3

Now that I know that I don't have to work in the post-Easter week, I have four days in WA and no firm plans. If anyone else is in a similar position and is interested in sharing a vehicle/travel plans, let me know (I'm already organised for Easter itself).

C • Rain Dance 4

Latest sign of autumn: fog rising off the surface of Fitzroy Pool, on a rather cool morning. As always it's nice once you're in. Seemed to go quite quickly but wasn't all that quick.

Monday night from Ilka and Vanessa's. Very casual early but pace picked up once it came down to Kez, Reuben and myself for the second loop round Princes Park, and felt pretty good once this happened (another sign that yesterday didn't take so much out of me - and hence that perhaps I was a bit too conservative in my pacing there). Got in before the rain started.