Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Down the Peninsula for a couple of days. Hamstring a bit sore this morning (and a bit more so after driving down) so went for a ride instead out towards Point Nepean, discovering in the process that the area is almost as busy on a winter long weekend as it is in January (I wonder if this would be the case in a normal year?). A more continuous ride than usual with no traffic lights to deal with; this meant a bit faster than usual, but also a little more tired than usual (mostly in the quads). A few small sharp hills, mostly at the far end, and on the steepest of them a driver actually sat patiently behind me for a couple of hundred metres waiting for a safe place to pass (and, to make the event even more miraculous, there were no abusive comments or obscene gestures when they did pass).

C • Driver 6

Creswick Diggings. Numerous people had gathered to shoot for the two hours (Fredo had set a 60-control course for the purpose). I never expected to be that ambitious and wasn't sure if I'd cope with terrain at all, but thought I might try for something around an hour if I felt OK. I felt something a bit less than OK - no pain, but not really running with much freedom, especially in the rougher stuff - and thought 35-40 minutes would do me.

First time for a long time in anything technical. The rust was definitely there (it didn't help that I forgot my compass) with lots of small time losses in the circle, but I also struggled to read the small contour detail. I suspect at least some of this is to do with the ancient grimy map bag that I salvaged from the bottom of my running gear bag, but I'm also conscious that I've got further than most do without needing glasses or magnifiers (45 is often the magic number), so I'll be monitoring this over my next few events (whenever those might be).

Hamstring felt fine afterwards, so that was definitely one positive (and getting out into the bush is always a positive in any case).

C • Blair... 3

Finished up last night at 3.45am, surfaced this morning at 10.30 (though I don't think I slept that much after 8; my room lets in a fair bit of light) and was feeling rather sleepy by the time I came out of a meeting at 12.30. Decided to go for a ride in the hope of waking myself up a bit more. Strangely it didn't work (although at least my hamstring was OK).

Perhaps it's as well the rest of us can't go to WA at the moment: it seems there's been a certain amount of craziness in one of our regular haunts. (Perhaps they feel the need to fill the gap now that Prince Leonard is no longer with us?).

C • York 17

A step further today with a proper run, or something approximating to one. It was short and it was almost completely flat (bumps seem to have set the hamstring off in the past, so this will be one to watch). It was sluggish, but apart from some initial back tightness, it was OK in the injury department. Hamstring came up fine during and immediately post-run, although a bit of soreness after an afternoon sitting down, which in turn seemed to disappear when walking.

(My schedule has become completely detached from local reality by now; lunch was at 5.30, and as I write at 11.20, dinner is cooking).

A (sort of) run. Enough of a hint of soreness in the first couple of minutes that I thought it best not to attempt a continuous run first up, but switched to a 2 on/1 off sequence and it went OK - a hint of a twinge after one small hill but otherwise pretty good, and has come up fine. Not bad as comeback runs go.

Feels a bit strange to be getting up at 9, but probably not as strange as it will be to be getting up at noon or thereabouts on Friday.

Odd spot of the day is that the last recipient of a pension from the American Civil War has died (hopefully not just in time for the next one). The last widow of a Civil War veteran died in 2008 but the children of those whose parents died when the children were still minors could also receive them; the last one of these was born in 1930 to an 83-year-old (which makes it not hugely surprising that he didn't last until his daughter's 21st birthday).

C • New activities for Attackpoint 22

Starting to shift my body clock to new territory temporarily in anticipation of a string of late-night meetings from tomorrow onwards (2am Friday being the latest of them), and with meetings almost unbroken from 4 to 9 decided to head out for a bit before that. Not quite ready to run so was out on the bike instead, discovering in the process that end-of-school-day traffic is definitely still there even if only half the students are. Spent the first half of it in one of those showers which is just heavy enough to be annoying but not heavy enough to register in any gauges (unless there is a potentially historically significant run of consecutive dry days in progress, in which case it will just tip it over for a 0.2). Reasonable ride without being anything special.

Melbourne multiculturalism at its finest: in West Heidelberg I encountered a genuine Aussie bogan ute with all the trimmings, flying a Samoan flag. There was a bit of a Pacific Islands theme to this ride because a couple of kilometres later I spotted a truck from Tonga Excavations.

Some interesting (if not surprising) data on changes in Melbourne cycling patterns over the last couple of months.

A fairly standard Pilates session, on a day was it was better to be inside than out. The hamstring still seems to be improving, though; only very minor discomfort walking in the morning, and is probably just about at the point of being worth another attempt to run on it (could be famous last words).