Training Log Archive: PrueD

Went up to the Killawarras for a social ride. This is the area north of the emu paddock where we parked for the Aus champs in October. The area is gently unulating and has a lot of tracks, making for good riding with lots of variety. I discovered an interesting creek network through the middle of it, which I will explore another day. I don't think that the area has been used for MTBO or even a Club O (or, if it has, not for some time) and I think it would be a nice area. Followed the ride with a BBQ. I am waiting for a less warm day to revisit my Aus Long Distance and the Aus Relay courses over the road. Saw an interesting sign in Wang on the way home "Bike, Car and Tattoo Expo" - I don't think that they were referring to our type of bike!

There was a risk of turning into a couch potato today. A fair bit of it was spent sending messages back and forth on the computer, writing Xmas cards and eating stollen (yes, a lovely fresh moist one with lots of almond filling). I also went shopping at Wang, but with no luck, only to return to Benalla and find exactly what I wanted (a present for my very fussy sister who has everything) at 12:55 (the shops shut at 13:00).

However I was disciplined to the extent of not writing anything until I did some exercise. So rode my bike around Benalla and out to Reef Hills and back.

Topped it off with a walk around the lake. Should have run but didn't have the right shoes and I have a slightly sore right hip.

Spent a rather frustrating day at work trying to get statements and annexures loaded in time for submitting to the RC on Monday. I am learning a lot about legal practices and rituals.

However the upside was that I didn't have to go to the CFA Xmas party (I was somewhat tricked into accepting the invitation - my boss asked me "What are you doing on Friday at lunchtime? There's something important I want you to go to". And when I replied that I could go, he announced "Good, you're going to the CFA Xmas party!" The real worry was that it was a Kris Kringle and I was somewhat concerned about what might be in MY parcel.

Drove back to Benalla in the evening so didn't do any exercise.

After a lovely long lunch in the Yarra Valley I thought I had better do some exercise this evening (after all, it is cheating a bit to write a story without any accompanying training). Tonight's street O was on the Mt Eagle map - one of my favourite maps, with lots of little walkways set amongst magnificent houses and gardens, along with a lovely section of Yarra Valley parkland. Fortunately the rain stopped for the duration of the event. I had eaten far too much to run so just did the PW event.

After the event, Russell Bulman suggested that a footbridge was needed midway so that the parkland on both sides of the river could be used. I reminded him that I had swum across the river in a metrogaine with control card held out of the water (and he had done the same) to get a control where we had misjudged its location and were on the wrong side. The event was a 10 hour event. My partner was Sarah Fuller, the 3rd of my rogaining partners who are no more (none of them due to me). Two of them (including Sarah) I ran into the ground. The other (Jim Ingham) ran me into the ground. This rogaine went from St Helena to Blackburn to Epping (including the swim across the river) which was quite a distance. Couldn't do it now!!

Rather hot and weary tonight, after trudging all over Melbourne CBD for meetings today in hot, windy and dusty conditions, so didn't go to street O. Will try for tomorrow although it is our work strategic planning day (Xmas party).

On the subject of state policy initiatives following this year's fires - CFA's newly revamped website (a major policy initiative) crashed today - the first hot day for the fire season and when there were minimal fires. The website was meant to be able to cope with much greater loads than those experienced on 7/2. The new system has a common entry portal called OSOM (pronounced "awesome") which stands for One Source One Message and then it uploads simultaneously to both the CFA and DSE websites. Last summer's problem was due to the two websites having to be separately loaded, and DSE's loading taking much longer than CFA's. DSE's website worked fine today.

The other interesting news (old news really) was that the MFB Chief Officer had his tyres slashed after giving RC evidence relating to MFB staff absences a week or so ago.

C • Website down 2

Walked around Blackburn, North Blackburn and Nunawading this evening. Normally I have an over-active brain when walking - but tonight I was in a state midway between asleep and awake. Dream land.

I had to stay back late at work tonight. I have been officially told not to go around looking so happy and telling everyone what a marvellous job I have - as it ruins the reputation of the section (who like to be seen as stressed out). I guess that happiness is a relative thing and it all depends upon where you've come from. I might not be smiling for too long though, as tonight's news told of the RC shutting down for the year and that next year's big contoversial topic will be the review of fuel reduction burning (my project). It might be a case of "out of the pot and into the fire" (especially if this year is a quiet fire season).

C • CFA 6

Nuthink. (Meaning "no think" today).