Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Not as nice a morning for running as yesterday, thanks to heavy smoke haze - not that I would venture such an opinion locally as I suspect in these parts lamenting burn-off smoke is as much of a social faux pas as lamenting rain. (I didn't think there was actually much left to burn north-west of here, but obviously there is).

Didn't flow quite as well as yesterday. The hills were smaller but sharper than yesterday's and sometimes going up them was reasonably hard work, although by comparison with almost any run in the last two months it was still pretty reasonable. Groin continued to hold up OK with only very minor twinges at the bottom of a couple of the steeper hills.

A 6.30 start is well and truly in the dark now. On back roads this doesn't bother me (it did deter me from taking to some of the wilder forest tracks to the east, although the creation of a public trailbiking area in the vicinity since the last time I was here was an equally large disincentive), but it's a bit unnerving to be bailed up by a loose dog in the darkness.

Spotted the first termite mound I've seen in a southern Victorian forest.

The field days themselves went reasonably smoothly, and most people were friendly, although we always get one or two abusive climate change sceptics. These are almost invariably men over 70. I couldn't help noticing that the one who had a go at me yesterday (the conversation started with 'you don't believe this global warming garbage, do you?' and went downhill from there) had a number of teeth approximately equivalent to the likely number of degrees warming between now and 2070, although whether this was because of poor dental health (he probably thinks water flouridation is a conspiracy too) or because he gets into arguments with people who are more forceful in response than I am is an open question.

C • I'm pretty sure my grandfat... 1

First light. 5 degrees. Rolling green Gippsland hills. Patches of mist in the valleys. Couldn't ask for a nicer setting and the run was appropriately enjoyable. There's a fairly solid climb in the first half of this run to get onto the ridgetops (3km at 6-7%), but it hardly felt like an effort at all today - being on a dirt road snaking up through the hills helps. Greener than I expected (not that my expectations were very high), and didn't see or smell quite as many cows as usual. No soreness except for a slight twinge at the end of the long downhill towards the end, and that was gone quickly.

I'm feeling very positive after the last few days of running, which is usually a good thing for a sportsperson unless a drug test is involved. (John Howard once said something to the effect of "Australia has one of the most thorough drug-testing programs in international sport, and I'm pleased to be able to say that the results have all been very positive"). Nothing I've done in the last three days have really tested me; 90 hilly minutes tomorrow will be a bit more of an indicator, and speedwork on Tuesday more so.

Not quite as good as yesterday - injury noticeable today, but not above the 'slightly annoying niggle' stage and definitely still a lot better than it was on Sunday. A slower run than it felt, but still flowing nicely, especially later on. It's a pleasant change for training to be a joy after a difficult couple of months.

The two runs so far this week have been essentially flat. The next step will be to see how it handles the hills of Neerim South this weekend.

Attempting to resume some sort of normal training today - which in the case of swimming meant using the legs properly (or as properly as I manage in the pool, which probably isn't very). A very slow session - not obvious why.

A very encouraging return to action on several fronts. The most obvious one is that I got through this without a hint of trouble. Given the history of this injury for me (and even more so for Bruce, if his is similar) I'm not prepared to declare it fixed on the evidence of one run, but it's certainly good to get this one behind me.

The other encouraging thing is that it's the best I've felt on a run in the last couple of months (something which shows up in the pace, a good 0.3 min/km faster than most recent runs that felt like a similar level of effort). It appears that a few days off has done me some good. On the evidence of the equivalent trip in past years the upcoming weekend in Gippsland will also do me some good. Definitely in a positive mood after this performance (the most excited I've been about an easy 40-minute lunchtime run for a while, that's for sure).

This took me into territory I haven't been into since the last time I was sufficiently injured to spend significant time on the bike - out to the Ring Road, along for some distance and then coming into the city from the north. This includes quite a bit of industrial area which is not especially attractive but has wide roads and not many lights. Reacquainted myself with a few of the local landmarks, and was somewhat amused to see that the Mr. Bubbles car wash is still there. (Those of us who come from more northern parts know the name better as the centrepiece of a notorious 1980s NSW paedophilia case).

I haven't been on a bike for this long for a while, so some muscles got more work than they are used to. Otherwise a reasonable session which got better towards the end. There was a little rain from time to time, with predictable consequences for the standard of driving.

One consequence of these roundabout routes to work is that I am not going past the Hells Angels clubhouse as I usually do, so there isn't the opportunity to see if there is any abnormal action in the vicinity. Victoria seems (so far) to be resisting the clamour elsewhere for tough new laws to stop bikie gangs from trafficking drugs, doing drive-by shootings or beating people to death with airport bollards, all of which are of course currently perfectly legal activities.

On the running sidelines for the moment and back into something I haven't had cause to do for some years - the 'extend commute into training session' mode. I'm not sure this really qualifies as a proper training session - I have trouble getting a lot of intensity on these except up the hills - but it's better than nothing.

One thing you notice taking a route without much in the way of lights (mostly along the Yarra and associated roads) is that things that don't matter too much when you're stopping every few minutes for red lights, like the seat post slipping down, do matter when you're going continuously for an extended period (a sore knee being the result, although it disappeared quickly).

Also noted with interest that one of the new Queensland ministers is one Rachel Nolan (for those who don't remember her orienteering exploits, she was in the Queensland schools team in the early 1990s and came 6th in W20 in the 1993 Aus Champs). No allocation of portfolios at time of writing but there's speculation she may get Environment and Climate Change, in which case I may be having some dealings with her.

(Update: she got Transport. Hopefully this is a less challenging portfolio in Queensland than its Victorian equivalent).

Swim at Fitzroy, again not using the legs much as on Friday.