Training Log Archive: blairtrewinIn the 31 days ending Dec 31, 2017:
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Sunday Dec 31, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 2:05:00 [3] 22.2 km (5:38 / km)
Finished off the year with my longest run of the year in terms of distance (there was one in July which was slightly longer in time), and it was a pretty reasonable one. Knew from early on that I was up for it (a sub-6 first kilometre is a pretty good sign for me these days) and was steady more or less throughout, only fading a little in the last 10 minutes (don't think I can blame a brief stop to talk with the recently-returned Rosie Dalheim for this). Occasional Achilles twinges (and/or more generalised slight ankle soreness) but nothing as sharp as last week, perhaps because there were no descents as steep as last week. Good morning for it too - cool and not humid. This gives me a bit of confidence that it's not going to be a total disaster in two weeks' time, although I'll probably need to find another 40 minutes or so on top of today.
It's been a year when I've struggled to get much momentum in training and the results have mostly been consistent with that (although 3rd in the Australian Long M45 was one positive to take away); getting to 300 NOL races was a highlight, too, although I would have liked to have done that a bit more convincingly. The Australian Long was the best result, although the two runs I was happiest with were the WMOC sprint qualifier, and a Victorian State Series at Spring Gully in late June. As for runs in general, probably the pick was one down on the Peninsula in mid-August.
Was left feeling a bit inadequate later in the day by a few other social media posts: the tallies of Jess Trengove and Lisa Weightman for 2017 were 7500 and 6800km respectively. (My best is just over 6000; haven't added up all the 2017 numbers yet but they will be somewhat short of half that amount).
It's been a year when I've struggled to get much momentum in training and the results have mostly been consistent with that (although 3rd in the Australian Long M45 was one positive to take away); getting to 300 NOL races was a highlight, too, although I would have liked to have done that a bit more convincingly. The Australian Long was the best result, although the two runs I was happiest with were the WMOC sprint qualifier, and a Victorian State Series at Spring Gully in late June. As for runs in general, probably the pick was one down on the Peninsula in mid-August.
Was left feeling a bit inadequate later in the day by a few other social media posts: the tallies of Jess Trengove and Lisa Weightman for 2017 were 7500 and 6800km respectively. (My best is just over 6000; haven't added up all the 2017 numbers yet but they will be somewhat short of half that amount).
Saturday Dec 30, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 45:00 [3] 8.0 km (5:38 / km)
Headed for the north side of the river for the first time in a while (it's a bit harder to access now because you can no longer get down to it from the Chandler Highway bridge). Probably another small step upwards from yesterday although still not exactly sparkling. Nice to have cooler and less humid conditions today.
I think it would be fair to say that spending today at the MCG was relaxing.
I think it would be fair to say that spending today at the MCG was relaxing.
Friday Dec 29, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 1:14:00 [3] 13.0 km (5:42 / km)
Definitely felt better than yesterday, but still struggling a bit. Had some thoughts of pushing out to 90 but want to make sure I have something left to go long this weekend - which is the plan (especially as it's looking increasingly likely that next weekend will be very hot). Got a bit better right at the end. Once again, a longish descent on hard ground set off the Achilles, although not as much so as on Sunday.
Thursday Dec 28, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 12:00 [3] 2.0 km (6:00 / km)
Not happening today - lacking energy as much as anything. Will have another go tomorrow.
8 AM
Swimming 39:00 [2] 1.0 km (39:00 / km)
Tried the pool as a plan B - more crowded than I expected, probably because it opened at 8 (instead of the usual 6) so the 6am, 7am and 8am crowds were all there at once. Not much energy here either, but felt as if I was not going too badly, so a bit surprised that this was just about the slowest I can ever remember going.
One thought is a lack of carbs in the last few days of Christmas food and then Christmas leftovers; if that's the problem, I did a certain amount of addressing it in the remainder of the day.
One thought is a lack of carbs in the last few days of Christmas food and then Christmas leftovers; if that's the problem, I did a certain amount of addressing it in the remainder of the day.
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017 #
8 AM
Run intervals 20:00 [4] 3.2 km (6:15 / km)
All Nations intervals. As is becoming a standard pattern for this session, spent most of the warm-up wondering if I was going to be able to do this, but fine once I actually got going on the reps (and didn't go as lactic on the last couple as I did last time, either). This is a good session for a warm day, as this was (tomorrow may not be quite so well-suited).
Illegally unrestrained dogs count: 4.
Illegally unrestrained dogs count: 4.
Run warm up/down 24:00 [3] 4.0 km (6:00 / km)
Warm-up and down. As one might expect, the road crossings were considerably easier than they normally would be at 8 on a Wednesday morning.
Tuesday Dec 26, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 1:00:00 [3] 10.1 km (5:56 / km)
A pretty ordinary run on the whole, finding the dunes hard work, especially the bigger ones in the second half of the run. (The sand is mostly fairly firm on the tracks, but there are still numerous sharp ups and downs). Achilles did settle after early soreness.
This run combined the very familiar (the back beach track which features almost every time I come here - now better maintained, and better signposted, than it once was) with the new (cutting across through the housing estate which has been built on a former golf course). Didn't check out the dead whale that has caused the closure of Diamond Bay beach for the last week or so - not so much because of the whale itself but because the powers-that-be think that a dead whale has the potential to attract sharks.
The post-Christmas season has started: the queue for coffee was stretching out the door at the local shops at 8.15.
This run combined the very familiar (the back beach track which features almost every time I come here - now better maintained, and better signposted, than it once was) with the new (cutting across through the housing estate which has been built on a former golf course). Didn't check out the dead whale that has caused the closure of Diamond Bay beach for the last week or so - not so much because of the whale itself but because the powers-that-be think that a dead whale has the potential to attract sharks.
The post-Christmas season has started: the queue for coffee was stretching out the door at the local shops at 8.15.
Monday Dec 25, 2017 #
9 AM
Run 43:00 [3] 7.1 km (6:03 / km)
Definitely a much quieter Christmas morning this year compared with last year (which probably has something to do with the youngest person in the house being 46, compared with three under 6 last year). Didn't get up particularly early and didn't rush to get out, then headed for a recovery run out to the back beach. Stiff early and hard work on the sandy bits (and slow there too), with Achilles iffy without ever being quite as bad as yesterday's worst, but improved in the second half. Came back by a route I haven't used before, taking in a Bell Street which is definitely not the same as the one I'm more familiar with, both in a traffic sense and as a socio-political boundary.
Somewhat to my surprise, I didn't see any kids on bikes (new or otherwise). Perhaps they knew about the presence of the driver with a large anti-coal mining sticker who seemed much more enthusiastic about stopping Adani than about stopping at intersections.
Somewhat to my surprise, I didn't see any kids on bikes (new or otherwise). Perhaps they knew about the presence of the driver with a large anti-coal mining sticker who seemed much more enthusiastic about stopping Adani than about stopping at intersections.
7 PM
Pool running 45:00 [3] 0.7 km (1:04:17 / km)
Took advantage of the lap pool to do something I don't think I've done before on Christmas Day - a second session, which cleared some of the evidence of a day of overindulgence. A bit ho-hum early on but felt as if I was doing some pretty solid work by the end of it.
Sunday Dec 24, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 1:52:00 [3] 19.4 km (5:46 / km)
Had a proper crack at a long run this morning. Was hoping for 2 hours but didn't quite get there, mainly because my Achilles flared up about 35 minutes in, on the downhill past my old place, and was intermittently troublesome thereafter. Felt like a decent run from a running perspective, though - seemed to have a bit left in the endurance department when I called it a day. Still not totally confident that I'll be up to something which will probably be close to an hour longer (and have some steep downhills, although not on concrete) in three weeks' time, but I guess we'll find out in due course. Conditions excellent for summer, cool and cloudy.
There's quite a bit happening in my old street; in addition to the railway works which I've mentioned previously, quite a few of the old houses towards the top end of the street are in the process of being replaced by more intensive developments. (I think this is a good thing in general - if you're going to have more intensive development, it makes sense for it to be happening somewhere within easy walking distance of a station and a major employment centre, the Austin hospital).
You often underestimate how much fluid you lose on a cool day, which may be why I felt a bit wiped out later in the afternoon.
There's quite a bit happening in my old street; in addition to the railway works which I've mentioned previously, quite a few of the old houses towards the top end of the street are in the process of being replaced by more intensive developments. (I think this is a good thing in general - if you're going to have more intensive development, it makes sense for it to be happening somewhere within easy walking distance of a station and a major employment centre, the Austin hospital).
You often underestimate how much fluid you lose on a cool day, which may be why I felt a bit wiped out later in the afternoon.
6 PM
Note
I managed to largely avoid shopping malls (and their car parks) in the couple of weeks before Christmas this year (although Northland didn't seem too crazy from what I could see across the creek at 9.15 this morning). The Age ran a piece today which was vox-pops with various people who had been shopping in the city, finishing off with "Alex, 14, had been in the city with his mother since lunchtime. "It's so dumb", he said, "Why didn't she just buy it all online like a normal person?"".
Saturday Dec 23, 2017 #
9 AM
Run 1:03:00 [3] 11.0 km (5:44 / km)
A much more enjoyable session down in the Yarra Bend parklands, including a fair quota on the tracks on the far side of the river - actually felt like I had some energy and even handled the hills with some vestige of comfort. Still not quite sure if I'm up to doing twice this amount tomorrow, but at least have some element of hope that it might be a possibility.
Finished across the Chandler Highway bridge, where construction of the new bridge is well advanced (they've done a better job of maintaining pedestrian access through the site than I thought they might). It might be a bit of an optical illusion, but the bridge supports did give a sense of not being quite straight.
I'm making a bit of a habit of seeing Peter whilst he's running - today it was with Pat, heading in the opposite direction, on Thursday I was in the car.
Finished across the Chandler Highway bridge, where construction of the new bridge is well advanced (they've done a better job of maintaining pedestrian access through the site than I thought they might). It might be a bit of an optical illusion, but the bridge supports did give a sense of not being quite straight.
I'm making a bit of a habit of seeing Peter whilst he's running - today it was with Pat, heading in the opposite direction, on Thursday I was in the car.
Friday Dec 22, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 52:00 [3] 9.0 km (5:47 / km)
The good news from this run is that I didn't feel any significant impact from injuries. The bad news is that I felt terrible for most of it - one of those days where you feel as if you're running up a big hill the whole way even though it's mostly flat (the few actual hills were even more challenging). Hopefully that's just a passing phase. Started with vague thoughts of trying to stretch it out to 90 if it went well (and sufficient time to do so), but that didn't happen.
Might not be doing this route again for a while: there was a sign saying that the Darebin Creek footbridge between Thornbury and Bellfield is being replaced from February and will be closed for four months. (By way of comparison, a few years back, the Burgundy Street rail bridge was replaced in a single weekend - a seriously impressive bit of engineering and construction).
Think I've done all my necessary shopping now (it helps that others are handling the food side), without venturing into a single shopping mall (or, perhaps worse, its car park) in the last couple of weeks.
There are often sightings at this time of year of the political-correctness-gone-mad crowd jumping at shadows - a highlight this year has been Senator Eric Abetz demanding to see all end-of-year messages sent within government departments, presumably to check that they've made sufficient reference to Christmas with none of this happy-holidays stuff. Today's feature was a news story about "controversial calls" to call "Father Christmas" "Person Christmas". In such stories it's usually worthwhile to try to trace where the "controversial calls" are coming from, and in this case it appears to have been one person (who may well have been taking the piss) tweeting.
Might not be doing this route again for a while: there was a sign saying that the Darebin Creek footbridge between Thornbury and Bellfield is being replaced from February and will be closed for four months. (By way of comparison, a few years back, the Burgundy Street rail bridge was replaced in a single weekend - a seriously impressive bit of engineering and construction).
Think I've done all my necessary shopping now (it helps that others are handling the food side), without venturing into a single shopping mall (or, perhaps worse, its car park) in the last couple of weeks.
There are often sightings at this time of year of the political-correctness-gone-mad crowd jumping at shadows - a highlight this year has been Senator Eric Abetz demanding to see all end-of-year messages sent within government departments, presumably to check that they've made sufficient reference to Christmas with none of this happy-holidays stuff. Today's feature was a news story about "controversial calls" to call "Father Christmas" "Person Christmas". In such stories it's usually worthwhile to try to trace where the "controversial calls" are coming from, and in this case it appears to have been one person (who may well have been taking the piss) tweeting.
Thursday Dec 21, 2017 #
7 AM
Swimming 38:00 [3] 1.0 km (38:00 / km)
At Fitzroy. Didn't feel that slow but was, for no obvious reason.
I rarely use Flinders Street in the afternoons (it's a decent riding route from east to west in the mornings, but shocking from west to east in the evenings). The northern alternative around the CBD was definitely a good option today.
I might be old and slow, but surely I can still consider myself young if there's still someone playing in the Big Bash who's older than me?
I rarely use Flinders Street in the afternoons (it's a decent riding route from east to west in the mornings, but shocking from west to east in the evenings). The northern alternative around the CBD was definitely a good option today.
I might be old and slow, but surely I can still consider myself young if there's still someone playing in the Big Bash who's older than me?
Wednesday Dec 20, 2017 #
7 PM
Run 10:00 [3] * 1.8 km (5:33 / km)
spiked:4/4c
Another Wednesday night of frustration, despite doing a lot of getting up and walking around during the afternoon (perhaps not so much of a surprise because I wasn't feeling great during the morning). Missed a decent running night too - certainly much better running conditions than either last week or last night.
Tuesday Dec 19, 2017 #
8 AM
Pool running 40:00 [3] 0.7 km (57:09 / km)
Needed a recovery session after a fairly hard weekend (and a late return home last night), and this fitted the bill pretty well. The clock was broken so I guessed the time, but it turned out to be a bit on the short side compared with what I usually do.
As well that I wasn't trying to do this in the evening - quite a bit of storm action in northern and eastern Melbourne, although Fairfield missed the very worst of it.
As well that I wasn't trying to do this in the evening - quite a bit of storm action in northern and eastern Melbourne, although Fairfield missed the very worst of it.
Monday Dec 18, 2017 #
2 PM
Run 38:02 [3] *** 3.8 km (10:01 / km)
spiked:8/10c
Passed up the morning (after a brief start) - not feeling great this morning and instead set myself up near a control and looked at how people attacked it. (Note to some: when the control is just the other side of a flat one-contour spur in granite country, it's usually much faster to attack over the spur than to come around the end of it).
The session that I actually did was the course at Mount Gladstone - an area I haven't been on since 1990. Lots of scrappy rock. A reasonable but not brilliant run for much of the way, but made a 2-minuter on #7, coming in too low and not seeing the control above me. I then ran out of steam with about 10 minutes to go and really struggled on the last bit (the uphill finish was just about as much as I could handle).
This was an excellent camp with a great turnout (maybe 60-70 juniors from all over the country, and a decent number of adults too). In addition to the bits and pieces of coaching that I was involved with, it was a reminder that I'm technically rusty and not really fit enough to handle three days like this. Good training though (and I wasn't quite as wrecked as I thought I'd be on the drive back through Gippsland).
The session that I actually did was the course at Mount Gladstone - an area I haven't been on since 1990. Lots of scrappy rock. A reasonable but not brilliant run for much of the way, but made a 2-minuter on #7, coming in too low and not seeing the control above me. I then ran out of steam with about 10 minutes to go and really struggled on the last bit (the uphill finish was just about as much as I could handle).
This was an excellent camp with a great turnout (maybe 60-70 juniors from all over the country, and a decent number of adults too). In addition to the bits and pieces of coaching that I was involved with, it was a reminder that I'm technically rusty and not really fit enough to handle three days like this. Good training though (and I wasn't quite as wrecked as I thought I'd be on the drive back through Gippsland).
5 PM
Note
Obviously not a lot was happening in Cooma (a town which does give a sense of its best days being behind it, being a bit too far away to benefit much from the ski business in the way that Jindabyne has); our gathering at the summit of Mount Gladstone was of sufficient interest that the local constabulary paid us a visit to find out what was going on.
Made a slight deviation on the way home in the name of visiting one of the relatively small number of Victorian national parks I haven't yet visited, Coopacambra (driving along its side doesn't count). The aim was to visit Beehive Falls - which I suspect would have been dry or almost dry anyway - but the road in was closed after a couple of kilometres, presumably because of a fire that's been burning for a couple of weeks about 15km away.
Made a slight deviation on the way home in the name of visiting one of the relatively small number of Victorian national parks I haven't yet visited, Coopacambra (driving along its side doesn't count). The aim was to visit Beehive Falls - which I suspect would have been dry or almost dry anyway - but the road in was closed after a couple of kilometres, presumably because of a fire that's been burning for a couple of weeks about 15km away.
Sunday Dec 17, 2017 #
10 AM
Run ((orienteering)) 1:08:00 [3] *** 4.5 km (15:07 / km) +190m 12:29 / km
spiked:12/14c
Line course then control picking on the forested range above the Buckenderra camp (nice on top, not so nice on the sides). Went out with three of the juniors (Tristan Miller, Ryan Gray, Amy Enkelaar) and shadowed each of them from time to time (though only one leg with Tristan). Quite a lot of stopping and waiting so not much intensity to this, although I didn't get the sense that there was much intensity to be found.
3 PM
Run ((orienteering)) 25:30 [3] *** 2.6 km (9:48 / km) +110m 8:06 / km
spiked:12/16c
First part of a prologue and chasing start, with mass starts in groups of 8 (the bunch I was in was mostly junior girls). Struggling a bit on the hills, and also struggling to pinpoint rocks in the circle with several small mistakes across the top, although the most embarrassing one came at the end - I ran to the wrong last control (no codes, just tapes) and was coming into the finish when Simon (the setter) suggested I might want to go back. Not a lot of pace to this, and Joanna and Mikayla were outrunning me in the open stuff early, although I'd picked that up before the last-control misadventure.
4 PM
Run ((orienteering)) 34:00 [3] *** 3.0 km (11:20 / km) +140m 9:11 / km
spiked:14/18c
I might have struggled yesterday with two sessions in a day but really struggled today with three (it will do me good, I told myself). Had problems running up the hills (and there were a few), but perhaps the biggest problem was with a fence crossing from 4 to 5 - others got through a gap I couldn't and I had to drop down lower and lost probably at least 30 seconds. That then set the scene for another stretch of erratic navigation (losing 30 seconds apiece on 6, 7 and 8), but did improve significantly in the second half, until a small miss at the second last. Took one actual fall and one near-fall, which somehow ended up with whacking my left arm with my right arm (decent bruise now). Not happy with my erratic navigation - didn't really get the rock mapping properly sorted out on this section of the map with either run.
Saturday Dec 16, 2017 #
10 AM
Run ((orienteering)) 58:00 [3] *** 4.5 km (12:53 / km) +170m 10:50 / km
spiked:8/11c
Junior development training camp, at Boboyan Divide. This session was to go out in a group with one person taking the lead on each leg and explaining what they were doing as they went along. I went out with a group which was basically the JWOC girls - hope I managed to pass on a few bits of wisdom (especially the wisdom which comes from having grown up on Namadgi granite - and there are some seriously nice bits on this area). Felt OK physically, although the pace wasn't especially hard.
6 PM
Run ((orienteering)) 26:50 [3] 3.1 km (8:39 / km) +90m 7:34 / km
Sprint relay at Buckenderra with a certain amount of randomness in the teams (I ran second for a team which also included Sam Garbellini, Aston, and Felicity Crosato). Sam put us in a good position to start but I couldn't really carry it on - felt pretty ordinary throughout (perhaps something to do with it being the first time in ages I've run twice in a day), and had trouble getting into the map too, especially in the caravan park sections. Still good to get into training camp mode.
Friday Dec 15, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 51:00 [3] 9.1 km (5:36 / km)
Headed for the Tan for the first time in a while after driving in early (in preparation for the afternoon road trip to Canberra). Was moving at a reasonable pace but felt like a bit of a struggle, especially the Anderson Street bit. As usual, plenty of people out (including bikes, because it's still being used as a diversion from the months-overdue Swan Street bridge works).
Up to Canberra this afternoon/evening to help out with the junior squad camp.
Up to Canberra this afternoon/evening to help out with the junior squad camp.
Thursday Dec 14, 2017 #
7 AM
Pool running 45:00 [3] 0.7 km (1:04:17 / km)
Still not feeling great this morning so switched to the water. A fairly mundane session, a little earlier in the day than usual. Change started to come through properly while I was there.
The list of announced transport shutdowns during January makes me glad that I do most of my commuting by bicycle.
The list of announced transport shutdowns during January makes me glad that I do most of my commuting by bicycle.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2017 #
7 PM
Run 12:00 [3] * 2.0 km (6:00 / km)
spiked:4/4c
No, I still can't seem to be able to do evening runs after a day sitting at work (maybe I'll have to try standing up next Wednesday afternoon and see how that works). This is frustrating.
This one wasn't a bad one to cut short - 36 degrees and a long one (would have been close to an hour).
One positive from today: it's now been demonstrated that there are limits on what you can do and still get elected as a Republican in Alabama.
This one wasn't a bad one to cut short - 36 degrees and a long one (would have been close to an hour).
One positive from today: it's now been demonstrated that there are limits on what you can do and still get elected as a Republican in Alabama.
Tuesday Dec 12, 2017 #
7 AM
Run intervals 20:00 [4] 3.2 km (6:15 / km)
Didn't feel great on the warm-up and still a bit light-headed when I started running hard, but the actual performance level was reasonable, perhaps downright good on the last few (think I might have had a season's fastest time for the last couple).
Whether or not my rep times were a season's best, the number of illegally unrestrained dogs certainly was (13). At least none of them caused any trouble.
Whether or not my rep times were a season's best, the number of illegally unrestrained dogs certainly was (13). At least none of them caused any trouble.
Run warm up/down 24:00 [3] 4.0 km (6:00 / km)
Warm-up and down. Fewer traffic breaks than is sometimes the case.
Monday Dec 11, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 41:00 [3] 7.0 km (5:51 / km)
One of those post-travel mornings where I woke up before the alarm, for a certain value of "woke up", but then remained 50% awake for an extended period. Possibly unhelpful in this respect was a flight where I was in the close company of someone whose weight was well into triple figures, followed by a taxi ride which was more indirect than it needed to be (the Bell Street exit was closed for works, but my suggestion that the driver might actually want to follow the signposted detour, and not try his own alternative on a route which also turned out to be closed, fell on deaf ears).
Headed down into Yarra Bend and back up the creek. Not very energetic (and that applied to the rest of the day too), but at least got through it without any significant injury issues.
Headed down into Yarra Bend and back up the creek. Not very energetic (and that applied to the rest of the day too), but at least got through it without any significant injury issues.
6 PM
Swimming 38:00 [2] 1.0 km (38:00 / km)
Headed home at lunchtime to wait for an electrician (and review some papers whilst doing so), the circuit that runs my lights having failed during the storm the weekend before last. (The problem turned out to be a faulty circuit-breaker and the fact that it went during the storm was probably coincidental).
He didn't end up coming until around 5, which left my planned post-visit swim a little later than I'd planned on, but that was no drama. It was one of those nice summer evenings Melbourne sometimes turns on - a cool southerly breeze but lots of sunshine after morning cloud - but it was clearly too cool for most because the outdoor pool was fairly empty of people (perhaps the fact that it was close to dinnertime cleared most of the kids out). Felt reasonable on the swim but slower than I expected. A little soreness on the inside of my right knee towards the end.
Five of California's 20 most damaging fires in history have occurred this year. The October fire in the Napa valley and surrounds are, by some margin, the most damaging bushfires in world history in terms of property loss (something like US$9 billion at last count). I'm not sure whether or not that includes something like half of northern California's (legal) marijuana crop going up in (presumably sweet-smelling) smoke. (A fair proportion of the proceeds of previous harvests also reportedly went up in smoke, this still being largely a cash-based business).
He didn't end up coming until around 5, which left my planned post-visit swim a little later than I'd planned on, but that was no drama. It was one of those nice summer evenings Melbourne sometimes turns on - a cool southerly breeze but lots of sunshine after morning cloud - but it was clearly too cool for most because the outdoor pool was fairly empty of people (perhaps the fact that it was close to dinnertime cleared most of the kids out). Felt reasonable on the swim but slower than I expected. A little soreness on the inside of my right knee towards the end.
Five of California's 20 most damaging fires in history have occurred this year. The October fire in the Napa valley and surrounds are, by some margin, the most damaging bushfires in world history in terms of property loss (something like US$9 billion at last count). I'm not sure whether or not that includes something like half of northern California's (legal) marijuana crop going up in (presumably sweet-smelling) smoke. (A fair proportion of the proceeds of previous harvests also reportedly went up in smoke, this still being largely a cash-based business).
Sunday Dec 10, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 1:30:00 [3] 16.0 km (5:38 / km)
Run along the rail trail from Opua towards Karekare - dead flat apart from two steep pinches (one in each direction) to get around a closed tunnel. The first of these knocked my quads around a bit and I didn't really settle properly until after a brief stop at the turnaround. Much better after that, but the steep bit caused a different problem second time around - a shower 10 minutes beforehand had turned the surface into the sort of yellow clay that (a) makes everything very slippery and (b) cakes on your shoes. Achilles starting to play up from around 75 minutes onwards, but still felt sufficiently OK to do a short out-and-back at the other end to take it up to 90; I'd perhaps hoped for a bit more had everything gone well, but this was a step in the right direction.
Spent the rest of the day making my way down the coast (as much as the road network and the topography allows) - some stunning bays off the coast road from Russell. These roads are slow, but I'd rather be driving 60 because the road winds a lot than because I'm stuck behind 20 other cars and a milk truck.
Eventually everything converges on the one spot, namely the main drag of Warkworth, and the traffic was consequently ugly. (It wasn't too great on the Auckland motorway either, and I ended up swinging west via the Upper Harbour Highway before making use of the tunnel, which is open now).
Naming note: according to what I read whilst there, Paihia (a somewhat unlovely town in a lovely area) got its name from one of the early settlers who knew the Maori word for good was "pai" and asked a chief "pai here?". Perhaps this is the equivalent of the numerous places in Australia which are reputed to be named for whatever the local Aboriginal language was for "I don't know" or "I don't understand you".
In six days in New Zealand, I did not see a single sheep. (It's all cows up north these days).
Spent the rest of the day making my way down the coast (as much as the road network and the topography allows) - some stunning bays off the coast road from Russell. These roads are slow, but I'd rather be driving 60 because the road winds a lot than because I'm stuck behind 20 other cars and a milk truck.
Eventually everything converges on the one spot, namely the main drag of Warkworth, and the traffic was consequently ugly. (It wasn't too great on the Auckland motorway either, and I ended up swinging west via the Upper Harbour Highway before making use of the tunnel, which is open now).
Naming note: according to what I read whilst there, Paihia (a somewhat unlovely town in a lovely area) got its name from one of the early settlers who knew the Maori word for good was "pai" and asked a chief "pai here?". Perhaps this is the equivalent of the numerous places in Australia which are reputed to be named for whatever the local Aboriginal language was for "I don't know" or "I don't understand you".
In six days in New Zealand, I did not see a single sheep. (It's all cows up north these days).
Saturday Dec 9, 2017 #
8 AM
Run 52:00 [3] 8.5 km (6:07 / km)
A run which definitely didn't live up to its surroundings - felt weak and sluggish throughout. Headed down to the river in Whangarei and then on a track on the east side of the river (NZ reminder: track along rivers cannot be assumed to be flat) - nice twisting in amongst the kauri. Back through the suburbs and hoped the gentle downhill might get me going again, but it didn't. Suspect I wasn't getting full value from my GPS in the kauri section.
Perhaps fortunately, I didn't need to be too energetic through the rest of the day, some of which was devoted to a cruise in the Bay of Islands - definitely not a letdown when it came to the scenery. The weather was kind to us, too, with a few morning showers clearing out.
Perhaps fortunately, I didn't need to be too energetic through the rest of the day, some of which was devoted to a cruise in the Bay of Islands - definitely not a letdown when it came to the scenery. The weather was kind to us, too, with a few morning showers clearing out.
Friday Dec 8, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 37:00 [3] 6.3 km (5:52 / km)
A recovery run of sorts, although still some hills to deal with - nothing too drastic. Headed out west towards Grey Lynn, mainly in the name of a lack of main roads to cross after the first bit. Didn't feel especially energetic, but do seem to be feeling slightly stronger uphill than on the last couple of days.
For the last couple of days I've been surrounded by people who are as much into finding obscure sources of information about historical climate as I am. At the moment we're particularly interested in the Southern Ocean - a real data void before the satellite era - and trying to track down as much ship data as we can. One unexpected source that someone has begun exploring is evidence that whaling has done something for scientific research (although not via the Japanese) - in the first half of the 20th century, whalers had to lodge a form for each catch with the marine authorities in Wellington (and perhaps other ports), and those forms contained information on the position, weather conditions, and ice if there was any.
The workshop finished this afternoon and I've now headed up to the Bay of Islands for the weekend (getting as far as Whangarei tonight), before flying back Sunday night. This meant braving Auckland's traffic, although I'm glad I was heading north - west or south would probably have been horrific. (There was a train strike today, but that shouldn't have affected northern traffic because there are no trains that go in that direction).
For the last couple of days I've been surrounded by people who are as much into finding obscure sources of information about historical climate as I am. At the moment we're particularly interested in the Southern Ocean - a real data void before the satellite era - and trying to track down as much ship data as we can. One unexpected source that someone has begun exploring is evidence that whaling has done something for scientific research (although not via the Japanese) - in the first half of the 20th century, whalers had to lodge a form for each catch with the marine authorities in Wellington (and perhaps other ports), and those forms contained information on the position, weather conditions, and ice if there was any.
The workshop finished this afternoon and I've now headed up to the Bay of Islands for the weekend (getting as far as Whangarei tonight), before flying back Sunday night. This meant braving Auckland's traffic, although I'm glad I was heading north - west or south would probably have been horrific. (There was a train strike today, but that shouldn't have affected northern traffic because there are no trains that go in that direction).
Thursday Dec 7, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 1:18:00 [3] 13.0 km (6:00 / km) +300m 5:23 / km
Most ambitious yet in terms of terrain, starting out by heading up Mt. Eden (predictably spectacular views, and predictably large numbers of people using it for morning exercise). Pleased that my injuries didn't cause any issues either up or down, although my fitness for the climb was definitely lacking (no doubt a consequence of not having done any proper hills for weeks). Quads a bit iffy for a while after coming off the mountain but ran that off (a good sign for Two Bays, where I'll have a hill half as big again to deal with early on). Bit of a plod on the last section, coming back initially through Remuera (a suburb with a reputation as Auckland's poshest, though I think these days it's a bit like the North Shore in Sydney - solidly upper-middle class but the really serious money is closer to the water), then past the Domain. Had initially had thoughts of 90, but thought it best not to push both climb and distance boundaries in the same run; will have the chance for more on Sunday. Pulled up OK.
Again plenty of traffic interruptions; it seems fairly unavoidable here in the inner suburbs. One also has to keep one's wits about one because of some of the driving, such as people (illegally) failing to give way when turning into a side street, possibly because they're distracted by talking (illegally) on their mobile phone.
Again plenty of traffic interruptions; it seems fairly unavoidable here in the inner suburbs. One also has to keep one's wits about one because of some of the driving, such as people (illegally) failing to give way when turning into a side street, possibly because they're distracted by talking (illegally) on their mobile phone.
6 PM
Swimming 35:00 [2] 1.0 km (35:00 / km)
Wouldn't normally back up like this, but the logistics of a swim tomorrow were going to be difficult, whereas the combination of a 90-minute break between workshop finish and workshop dinner, and a pool a couple of minutes away, was a tempting one.
The Auckland Tepid Baths doesn't sound like the most inspiring of names, but it's Auckland's original indoor pool - more than 100 years old - and has the character which comes with that. It was closed for a couple of years around 2010 after being found to be structurally unsafe - presumably translating as "if there's an earthquake the roof might fall on you". (If a volcano erupts in the harbour, not a totally impossible scenario at some point in the next few centuries, it's not going to matter much how good the engineering is).
Was a bit worried about the swim when in the first couple of laps my hamstring felt like it was threatening to cramp - memories of the Mildura session in June - but settled down after that. Not the most energetic of swims but enough to loosen me up a bit.
The Auckland Tepid Baths doesn't sound like the most inspiring of names, but it's Auckland's original indoor pool - more than 100 years old - and has the character which comes with that. It was closed for a couple of years around 2010 after being found to be structurally unsafe - presumably translating as "if there's an earthquake the roof might fall on you". (If a volcano erupts in the harbour, not a totally impossible scenario at some point in the next few centuries, it's not going to matter much how good the engineering is).
Was a bit worried about the swim when in the first couple of laps my hamstring felt like it was threatening to cramp - memories of the Mildura session in June - but settled down after that. Not the most energetic of swims but enough to loosen me up a bit.
Wednesday Dec 6, 2017 #
7 AM
Run 1:00:00 [3] 10.2 km (5:53 / km)
From central Auckland out to Herne Bay, sort of along the shoreline, then back through Ponsonby. Not terribly awake at the start (not surprising given that it was 5am Melbourne time); also not a run to get terribly excited about, and Achilles was a little more touchy than yesterday, but still one to put in the book. Whilst you could certainly make much hillier inner Auckland runs, this still had more hills than anything else I've done in the last month or so, so good to see that I didn't fall completely apart.
Stopped to unfold and consult the map I'd brought with me a few times; normally in foreign parts I quite like to head in a direction and not worry too much about the finer points of a route, but despite having the very large target of SkyTower to aim for (I'm staying a block away from it), I didn't trust myself to find a way across Spaghetti Junction without cartographic assistance.
The workshop field trip today took in, among other places, the location in Albert Park which was the main Auckland observing site for most of the 20th century. Perhaps it's as well I didn't know its status earlier or I might have been distracted on an important occasion; I passed within 20 metres of it twice in the WMOC sprint final.
Stopped to unfold and consult the map I'd brought with me a few times; normally in foreign parts I quite like to head in a direction and not worry too much about the finer points of a route, but despite having the very large target of SkyTower to aim for (I'm staying a block away from it), I didn't trust myself to find a way across Spaghetti Junction without cartographic assistance.
The workshop field trip today took in, among other places, the location in Albert Park which was the main Auckland observing site for most of the 20th century. Perhaps it's as well I didn't know its status earlier or I might have been distracted on an important occasion; I passed within 20 metres of it twice in the WMOC sprint final.
Tuesday Dec 5, 2017 #
3 PM
Run intervals 20:00 [4] 3.2 km (6:15 / km)
A very early start today (at least a 4.30 alarm got me on NZ time half a day early); obviously no time to do anything before flying out so instead headed out more or less as soon as I'd checked into the hotel in Auckland. I'm on the west side of the CBD so Victoria Park seemed a good target - central Auckland is not the most pedestrian-friendly place on the planet so I wanted to minimise the number of road crossings. Dead flat for this set (and mostly shady, which counts on a warmish afternoon), and a reasonable set, although definitely feeling lactic in the last bit of the final three reps, which may be because (a) some hangover from doing it just off the plane (b) an indication of being out of form or (c) an indication that I was trying hard. Naturally I'll assume (c).
Run warm up/down 21:00 [3] 3.5 km (6:00 / km)
Warm-up and down, with a bit of a detour on the way because the mischief that long-haul flying plays with your internal signals clearly applies as much to four hours on a plane as to 24. Tired coming back, but in a been-working-hard sense - no injury issues, with the steep climb back up being hard work but not painful.
Monday Dec 4, 2017 #
7 AM
Pool running 45:00 [3] 0.7 km (1:04:17 / km)
Swapping around sessions since I won't have the running belt in NZ. Once again at Ivanhoe because of the showery weather (and because getting to Fitzroy would have been a nightmare with a critical intersection closed for tram works - even as far back as Station Street, the traffic was the worst I can remember seeing). A reasonably straightforward session; Achilles seems to have pulled up OK after yesterday.
Had planned to go out for a run at lunchtime (taking advantage of the coolest lunchtime likely for another three months or so), but discovered I hadn't brought any running shorts.
US gun laws absurdity (an occasional series): Wisconsin recently passed a law that introduced such a thing as a 'mentored' hunting licence (one which allows you to hunt in the company of a fully licenced hunter), with no lower age limit. Since the law was introduced last month, 24 such licences have been issued to people under 5, 10 of them to people under 1. (Presumably what is actually happening is that some hunters are taking the opportunity to take their kid along and instantly double their quota).
Had planned to go out for a run at lunchtime (taking advantage of the coolest lunchtime likely for another three months or so), but discovered I hadn't brought any running shorts.
US gun laws absurdity (an occasional series): Wisconsin recently passed a law that introduced such a thing as a 'mentored' hunting licence (one which allows you to hunt in the company of a fully licenced hunter), with no lower age limit. Since the law was introduced last month, 24 such licences have been issued to people under 5, 10 of them to people under 1. (Presumably what is actually happening is that some hunters are taking the opportunity to take their kid along and instantly double their quota).
Sunday Dec 3, 2017 #
6 AM
Run 1:21:00 [3] 13.3 km (6:05 / km)
An early one with Jenny from the AIS (where we're staying for the OA Conference), trying to leave enough time for a visit afterwards to a certain Aranda coffee establishment (that mission was accomplished). Headed around the edge of Aranda down to the bottom of the bushlands, then the lower part of Black Mountain Reserve and Bruce Ridge. The rain had cleared out, but still plenty of water around (not as much mud as I thought, though).
Not the fastest of runs (partly due to the slippery tracks), but pleased to hold up OK - Achilles started to deteriorate in the last 5-10 minutes, but that's 20 minutes further in than last week, and this was hillier than anything I've done in the last fortnight (although still nothing steep) - as well that I can now handle going up and down because I wouldn't have a lot of running options in Auckland next week if I couldn't.
The OA Conference went pretty well although I suspect I'll hit the wall tonight - chairing for two days is fairly draining. I think the Conference is evolving well into being largely a forum for the states to share information, now that it no longer has much of a role in formally making decisions. Lots of good ideas floating round; consolidating it all (and finding a way to pay for it) is the next challenge.
Not the fastest of runs (partly due to the slippery tracks), but pleased to hold up OK - Achilles started to deteriorate in the last 5-10 minutes, but that's 20 minutes further in than last week, and this was hillier than anything I've done in the last fortnight (although still nothing steep) - as well that I can now handle going up and down because I wouldn't have a lot of running options in Auckland next week if I couldn't.
The OA Conference went pretty well although I suspect I'll hit the wall tonight - chairing for two days is fairly draining. I think the Conference is evolving well into being largely a forum for the states to share information, now that it no longer has much of a role in formally making decisions. Lots of good ideas floating round; consolidating it all (and finding a way to pay for it) is the next challenge.
Saturday Dec 2, 2017 #
6 PM
Run ((orienteering)) 13:00 [3] *** 2.2 km (5:55 / km)
spiked:6/7c
Really shouldn't have been surprised that my back wouldn't like doing this after 8 hours sitting at the OA Conference. Attempt at the post-Conference park-street event at Bruce. At least the rain had cleared. (I did take the precaution of bringing shoes with me that I don't intend to take to New Zealand).
Friday Dec 1, 2017 #
7 AM
Pool running 45:00 [3] 0.7 km (1:04:17 / km)
Headed for the indoor pool at Ivanhoe given the threatening weather (although the threat was mostly unrealised whilst I was there). This involves going round and round in circles a lot because Ivanhoe doesn't have much of a deep end.
The weather was a big talking point in Melbourne today, with a major storm spinning up over today and the weekend. Most of the action today was east of the central city (although a brief downpour found me in the course of walking to the station), but Melbourne stands to get a fair bit more on the back side of the system Saturday night into Sunday. Canberra's turn comes tomorrow, which means it's just as well we'll be spending more time talking about orienteering than actually doing it (it's OA Conference weekend).
I wish some religious people could make up their minds; apparently some have claimed the storm is the result of God's wrath for same-sex marriage passing through the Senate, and some have claimed it's the result of God's wrath for Victoria legalising voluntary euthanasia. Clearly none of these people paid attention to the bit in the Bible about taking the Lord's name in vain.
The weather was a big talking point in Melbourne today, with a major storm spinning up over today and the weekend. Most of the action today was east of the central city (although a brief downpour found me in the course of walking to the station), but Melbourne stands to get a fair bit more on the back side of the system Saturday night into Sunday. Canberra's turn comes tomorrow, which means it's just as well we'll be spending more time talking about orienteering than actually doing it (it's OA Conference weekend).
I wish some religious people could make up their minds; apparently some have claimed the storm is the result of God's wrath for same-sex marriage passing through the Senate, and some have claimed it's the result of God's wrath for Victoria legalising voluntary euthanasia. Clearly none of these people paid attention to the bit in the Bible about taking the Lord's name in vain.
C • Hmm 3