Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Would have been a lovely morning for running - there's nothing like the clarity of a sunny morning after steady overnight rain - so it was a pity that I wasn't doing it. Feel as if I got a bit closer today, very slowly.

Got a couple of biggish things done (finishing my responses to the current round of IPCC comments, and getting a paper submitted), so at least I feel I achieved something today. Also discovered on a lunchtime walk that a pop-up bookshop has appeared in the used-to-be-DFO at the other end of Southern Cross station, which means I finished the walk carrying a bit more than when I started. (I miss the days in our old office when there were several good bookshops within lunchtime walking distance, although most of those have now closed anyway).

C • WoC stats 8

Had a go at running. Didn't work out - the soreness is becoming more localised but probably still as pronounced in the relevant bits. At least the other problem area now seems to be healing after a couple of false starts.

Today's WOC fun facts of the day involve good records in qualifying - and Tash's is a particularly impressive one, having run 16 qualifying races and successfully qualified from all 16 of them. Others with perfect records include Tracy (8 out of 8) and Tom (6 out of 6). (In case you're wondering, Hanny's score is 15 out of 16, with one miss in the 2009 sprint; another with an impressive record is Grace, with 11 out of 12).

I've now got the Australian WOC history online - see here.

Not training as such but longer-than-usual commute rides (once again on Chinese visa business); a bit tired at the end in much the same way as last week. Weather wasn't as nice for riding as yesterday (and I was reminded that the shores of Albert Park Lake are a windy place), but on the other hand the rides didn't feature any incidents like yesterday, so I'll take that as a net gain.

Foot continuing to heal, very slowly. Depending on what it feels like in the morning I may have a go at running on it tomorrow.

Fun fact: Australia's first WOC competitor, Rod Dominish, spent longer on his course in that one event than Henry McNulty has in total in his nine WOC races so far.

C • Rod 8

Regular Monday morning pilates session. Seemed to handle it OK, although still pretty tender on the affected areas (basically the left side of my ankle). The commute ride was also OK, although I probably could have done without seeing something which looked awfully like what gets euphemised as a "police incident" on one of the back streets on the way home. (Nothing in the news, and I'm assuming the numerous police in attendance wouldn't have let me go past if it was a crime or accident scene, so not sure what happened).

C • PI 3

Continued to feel improved today and felt as if I could just about have tried an easy run, but didn't think rough terrain was a good first test for it so headed out on the bike instead for a lap of the Yarra Boulevard (a bit easier to access now with the Chandler Bridge redevelopment). Seemed to go more or less OK. Not as much bike bling on display as I'd expected here on a Sunday morning - they must all be at Beach Road instead.

Some signs, which I imagine are honoured in the breach more than the observance, have appeared saying that riding is only allowed on paved paths at Yarra Bend.

Headed out after this to the Melbourne Bush O event at Tikalara - I said I'd help out and was down for a finish shift at 12pm, but the juniors running the show beforehand seemed in no hurry to relinquish their duties so I didn't have a lot to do other than stand around and be social and/or presidential. Took the opportunity afterwards to explore a few riverside nooks in the Warrandyte areas which I haven't been to before. (Even if I didn't get to add to the numbers, the turnout today was in the 170s, which was very pleasing).

And my latest project is to collate a full set of Australian WOC results. Made it as far today as getting them all on paper, now just need to enter them into an electronic file.

Some improvement today - definitely walking more comfortably than the last couple of days - but the affected area still seems a bit delicate to subject it to any undue stress. Feels like it's not too far away, but I have said that before now.

Much as yesterday, but the process of shedding skin is now almost complete, so hopefully the process of healing what's underneath can get properly under way.

My historical wanderings lately took me to the 2013 Australian Sprint Championships. The M14 field contained five of this year's JWOC team but the results weren't exactly predictive of what was to come; Aston was 18th (a bit below halfway) and the others were 6th, 7th, 12th and 19th.