Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

The second day of the Bendigo weekend. Running B again (certainly the way this went indicated I wouldn't have appreciated 10k). Took a few controls to loosen up physically, and a couple of controls to get myself into the map, but the navigation side was functioning OK for most of the course. Fading away in the later part, though, and walking more of the (modest) hills (although not on the scale of Thursday). Went out on the last loop about a minute behind Ted but didn't think I was likely to run that down, and in fact it blew out after I unwisely attempted to go straight through the green to #21 (probably dropping a minute or so there) and then equally unwisely attempted to bash through the bush at the base of the embankment on the way out.

A bit of a blast from the past on the way out seeing a partly covered up 'USA OUT OF IRAQ' on the back of a road sign. You used to see a lot more of this all around the world (often in English even in non-English speaking countries, although when it wasn't, the likes of the 'TROEPEN UIT AFGANISTAN' I saw in Utrecht needed little translation). Other notes of the return trip after some months away; the paddock at Kyneton which contains lots of demountable school classrooms is emptier than I've seen it, and the multi-story old bluestone mill next to the freeway near the Kyneton exit, which looks like it should be a haunted house, is on the market.

Back tightened up quite a bit in the afternoon, which is unusual (but then I guess I was asking it to do something this morning it hasn't done for a long time).

C • You didn't note the 10 degr... 3

Morning ride on the Yarra Bend Park loop. This wasn't exactly a double crossing of Macedon as a warm-up for this evening, but still useful to wake myself up if nothing else (squeezing this into the window between staying in bed as long as possible - it's been a long week - and a 9.30 coffee date). The cricketers were already out there not much after 8, and (less surprisingly) were the parkrunners (Yarra Bend is not a course you go to for a PB). Feeling good by the end.

Bush sprint as the first part of the Bendigo weekend - my first competitive outing in the bush since July (and second since March). Thought it was OK for the first couple of minutes but the first steep climb up an embankment triggered the back and it was a struggle thereafter, although started to free up a bit at the end. A bit hesitant on a couple of controls as I got my flow back (and #2 wasn't in quite the right spot, being on an unmapped pit 10-20 metres away). 33 degrees but the cloud came in as a started, so not as hard as it might have been.

I'm running B this weekend because I wasn't confident of getting through 10km tomorrow (with good reason if tonight is anything to go by). Finished up in front, although I wouldn't have done if Milla hadn't been diverted by chasing a slightly misbehaving dog.

C • Chasing a dog 2

C • misplaced control 1

Back to a Friday morning session at Fitzroy after a tough week (mostly for non-running reasons). Got into it after a sluggish start. Felt a little hamstring tightness at the end but doesn't feel like much to worry about (gave the physio something to work on at lunchtime, though).

It was over 30 degrees at 7pm, I was coming off a second successive night of midnight-3am meetings, and had been sitting all day. Strangely my run was rubbish. Can't work out why. (Back was not functioning on even the slightest hills).

Springthorpe did take me onto once-familiar territory (including the reserve which was a nice bit). Was with Jayne for a while (more or less) before she headed down into Macleod (probably not the best route-choice option, especially now the vacant lot on the west side I used to use as a gap has ceased to be vacant).

On what turned out to be the last day (for now) that it is relevant, I thought I'd look at one of the more distant parts of a 5km circle, on the west side of Northcote/Thornbury east of the golf course - wanted something flat, with a lot of zig-zagging in the name of collecting streets. (I didn't actually collect that many complete streets - most of the east/west streets here continue under the same name on the other side of St. Georges Road).

My expectations for this run were low after a meeting which ran to 3am overnight. It would be fair to say that these expectations were matched, although it did pick up a little right at the end (just as I'd taken the decision not to go to 40 minutes as I'd originally hoped). Hamstring was OK, though - not even a slight niggle this time.

There was a coffee van at the park where I started and finished (whilst visiting it post-run I saw Bruce disappearing into the distance); for added inner north bonus points it was a "social enterprise". (In contrast, when it was a waypoint en route from one lot of grandparents to the other back in the 1980s, the intersection of Normanby Road and St. Georges Road was one I remembered for its abundance of fast-food outlets, of which only the KFC survives).

C • What park had a coffee van ... 2

Yarra Boulevard with Darebin Trail extension. Didn't have a lot of energy today, especially early on, and noticeably slower than in recent outings on this route. Reasonable number of bikes, not a lot of cars. It's going to be a tiring week, I suspect (not much of this to do with training).

The bats seemed further up the river than they usually are. Maybe they heard rumours that the local MP was around.

Was feeling a little soreness in the morning and almost didn't go out, but gave it a go and it was OK after the first couple of minutes - muscle fatiguing a bit at times but certainly better than at the equivalent stage on Saturday. Not flowing especially well as a run but I'll take this in the circumstances. Even managed to fill in a couple of blank spaces on the map just outside a 2km circle.