Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Event: Icebug NOL # 12
 

A significant race - my 300th National League appearance. While a bush "sprint" (really more like a middle on a sprint map) wasn't the format I would have chosen for the occasion, the venue was definitely a homecoming - within a couple of kilometres of where I grew up (and at the venue and basically the same arena as one of my first wins of consequence, M11 at the 1982 ACT Schools Championships). Despite the area's proximity, I haven't really run on this area in its form today - the erosion and vegetation detail has never really been mapped properly before.

It was a bit of a running race despite the best efforts of the setters (with some tricky controls, particularly on the last loop). I kept telling myself that whatever tiredness I felt, those who had run the long course yesterday would be feeling it a lot more, but in fact this was a struggle - the back was playing up a bit today, and when it does the thing it has most trouble with is gentle uphills - which made the three rounds of the finish chute rather unpleasant (it can't have looked pretty). Reasonably consistent technically with three wobbles costing a few seconds apiece, but I was totally uncompetitive on pace today as the field progressively cruised past me.

It was dry with a chilly wind when we were running, but a strong front was due around midday, and it delivered; had this race been three hours later we would have been running in snow (falling but not settling). I was hoping we might get a bit on the way home but it didn't happen (and the others weren't enthused about an excursion via the Batlow-Tumbarumba road in search of it).

Event: Wildfire Ultralong - NOL 11
 

The ultralong day, but not an ultralong course - I was acting my age today (the decision point was in late July - after a fragmented year of training, if I was going to attempt the full M21 course, I wanted to be able to do 2.30 comfortably by then, and didn't). After an iffy week I wasn't too upset that I only had 8km and not 19, but it was still a reasonably long day's work - I've never gone much under 10s here and today wasn't going to spoil that record.

Never had a lot of strength running and had to walk most of the major hills (some, like 14 to 15, would have been unrunnable by anyone), but did improve a little in the later part of the course. Decent technically in the early stages and I think my route was decent on the first long leg to 7 (fairly straight), but wobbled a little at the end of the leg, and then struck major trouble at 9 - not being able to work out where the 4-metre cliff was in amongst all the rock - and dropped 3 minutes or so. (I suspect the 4 metres were measured using the same metres which are used to determine whether a kick has travelled 15 metres - whereas the climb on the course was measured using the metres used to determine whether someone's run 15 metres without bouncing the ball). Next time loss was about 2 minutes at 13, a small bit of bare rock in tiger-country steepness and big rock (in general I had a fair bit of trouble today working out what was mapped and what wasn't). From there, held it together reasonably technically with only minor losses at 20 and 23, and thought I was cruising in until realising, a bit too late, that Nathan Guinness was within striking distance of me at the top of the chute. He outsprinted me for 2nd; Eric did 76.

Probably dropped 6 minutes or so over the course, which I couldn't be happy with, although it worked out better physically than seemed likely over the last few days (or in the early stages of the course). Banged my knee a couple of times and it's feeling a bit sore and bruised this evening, but I'd need to have a broken leg not to front tomorrow.

C • Banged knee 2

Feeling OK in normal life but still rather weak and sluggish running; certainly noticed it going up Ruckers Hill (which is not very much of a hill). Will want to be better than this on the weekend, even if I'm acting my age tomorrow.

Still feeling a little out of sorts this morning (and logistics of the pool were easier today than they will be tomorrow) so took to the water today. A reasonably conventional session.

One of the regulars at the pool is a very keen Melbourne supporter. This week there was one thing we could definitely agree on: go Crows! (For those who haven't been following the AFL too closely, a Crows win over the Eagles means both Melbourne and Essendon make the finals, as long as the latter don't somehow lose to Freo at home).

C • Pessimist 4

Not sure what went wrong there - set out (early again) with the intention of an hour and ran into a brick wall. Temperature a bit elevated which may explain a bit (it was back to normal by later in the day) - don't want to take chances with illness this close to the NOL events (especially with a significant milestone pending).

Somewhat sleep-deprived this morning, in between having a teleconference which went until 11.45 last night and needing to make an earlier than usual start for a meeting starting at 8.45 this morning. Given that, I wasn't too surprised that this session fell a bit short of last week's equivalent, but it was still reasonably respectable by this year's standards.

Warm-up and down. As mentioned earlier, somewhat sleepy for the former.

A Monday recovery run, nothing sparkling but probably a bit better than the equivalent session has typically been this year (when it's happened at all). In a sleety rain for much of the way.

Still raining for the swim but I didn't notice once I was in the warm water below that there was cold water above. Another steady morning's work, and didn't drift out of it in the way that I sometimes do on these mornings.