Training Log Archive: blairtrewinIn the 7 days ending Jul 5, 2009:
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Sunday Jul 5, 2009 #
Run 1:17:42 [3] *** 10.6 km (7:20 / km) +310m 6:24 / km
spiked:16/19c
NT Long Championships. This was a more varied area than yesterday, with very rocky ridges, but also some flatter gully-spur terrain; again the burnt stuff was nice, the unburnt not so nice, although there was an attempt to map it using green stripe this time. Conditions were again kind with low humidity - in fact is was quite cool overnight (certainly cool enough to make for a somewhat uncomfortable night given that my sleeping bag and most of my warm clothes are on the docks with my car).
The first part of the course was rocky. My line into 1 wasn't great but I hit the control OK, and then plugged away through to the end of that section before stretching out in the next part. Around 30 minutes in the sole of my right foot started hurting quite a bit and I was wondering what was going on, thinking that perhaps my shoes didn't offer enough cushioning for the terrain. They certainly didn't - half the right sole had fallen off (although I didn't see the full damage until after I finished). That made the rest of the course a bit of a battle with pain an ever-present companion. I was a little wide on 9 and too high coming back into the rocks at 16, losing about 15 and 45 seconds respectively; didn't tire much but I think this might have been because the shoe problems constrained my running speed. I was quite happy to see the finish. Ended up about a minute clear of Lachlan.
I thought the sole of my right foot might have been a seriously ugly sight but it doesn't look too horrible, with no obvious signs of blisters, just bruising, and it feels better to walk on now than it did immediately afterwards, which is a good sign.
I now expect to be in Darwin until Thursday (which was the original plan anyway), unless the problems with the car are more serious than anticipated.
The first part of the course was rocky. My line into 1 wasn't great but I hit the control OK, and then plugged away through to the end of that section before stretching out in the next part. Around 30 minutes in the sole of my right foot started hurting quite a bit and I was wondering what was going on, thinking that perhaps my shoes didn't offer enough cushioning for the terrain. They certainly didn't - half the right sole had fallen off (although I didn't see the full damage until after I finished). That made the rest of the course a bit of a battle with pain an ever-present companion. I was a little wide on 9 and too high coming back into the rocks at 16, losing about 15 and 45 seconds respectively; didn't tire much but I think this might have been because the shoe problems constrained my running speed. I was quite happy to see the finish. Ended up about a minute clear of Lachlan.
I thought the sole of my right foot might have been a seriously ugly sight but it doesn't look too horrible, with no obvious signs of blisters, just bruising, and it feels better to walk on now than it did immediately afterwards, which is a good sign.
I now expect to be in Darwin until Thursday (which was the original plan anyway), unless the problems with the car are more serious than anticipated.
Saturday Jul 4, 2009 #
Run race ((orienteering)) 33:40 [4] *** 4.6 km (7:19 / km) +150m 6:18 / km
spiked:14/16c
NT Middle Championships at Manton Dam. The most notable feature of this map was the small rock underfoot - some of the heaviest I've come across (the closest match I can think of is a limestone area I ran a World Cup on - very badly - in France in 1996). Took a while to get my terrain-running legs, which isn't surprising given that I haven't been in the terrain for four weeks, and also seemed a bit down on sharpness, also not surprising after the last week. Started to stretch out a bit more in the second half but still wasn't surprised to be behind Lachlan, although was a bit disappointed with the gap of 2.5 minutes.
As usual with NT terrain, it was a bit of a lottery depending on which areas had been burnt and which areas hadn't. (Large areas of the Top End are routinely burnt early in the dry season; indeed, the event organisers have been known to do it themselves, with the landowners' blessing).
The humidity, which was very high last night, dropped around sunrise and running conditions were not unpleasant.
It was definitely good to make it to Darwin (and to know that my car is waiting on the Darwin docks, although the latest hurdle is that there is not a hire car to be had in Darwin which could make the Monday logistics challenging). Was also reminded we were in the Territory by the occasional leftover fireworks, which are supposed to be used only on Territory Day (1 July) but lingered on long enough to mark US Independence Day too (some of them probably make it as far as Bastille Day).
There was one interesting bit of local news from Kununurra: a pastoralist has been charged with arson and various other offences after reportedly running a group of men from an Aboriginal community off the road and then setting their vehicle on fire. (Interestingly, although the case hasn't made it anywhere near a court yet, the word 'allegedly' doesn't seem to have found its way this far north yet judging by the 'Kimberley Echo' report). I suspect we may hear more of this one, especially if the end result is an acquittal or a minimal sentence. I was also interested to read the matter-of-fact line "the men returned to Wyndham on foot" - if the incident happened where I think it did, this is a distance of somewhere between 50 and 80 kilometres.
As usual with NT terrain, it was a bit of a lottery depending on which areas had been burnt and which areas hadn't. (Large areas of the Top End are routinely burnt early in the dry season; indeed, the event organisers have been known to do it themselves, with the landowners' blessing).
The humidity, which was very high last night, dropped around sunrise and running conditions were not unpleasant.
It was definitely good to make it to Darwin (and to know that my car is waiting on the Darwin docks, although the latest hurdle is that there is not a hire car to be had in Darwin which could make the Monday logistics challenging). Was also reminded we were in the Territory by the occasional leftover fireworks, which are supposed to be used only on Territory Day (1 July) but lingered on long enough to mark US Independence Day too (some of them probably make it as far as Bastille Day).
There was one interesting bit of local news from Kununurra: a pastoralist has been charged with arson and various other offences after reportedly running a group of men from an Aboriginal community off the road and then setting their vehicle on fire. (Interestingly, although the case hasn't made it anywhere near a court yet, the word 'allegedly' doesn't seem to have found its way this far north yet judging by the 'Kimberley Echo' report). I suspect we may hear more of this one, especially if the end result is an acquittal or a minimal sentence. I was also interested to read the matter-of-fact line "the men returned to Wyndham on foot" - if the incident happened where I think it did, this is a distance of somewhere between 50 and 80 kilometres.
Friday Jul 3, 2009 #
Run 39:00 [3] 8.2 km (4:45 / km)
The last of my Kalumburu runs (barring further mishaps), once again going out to the upper part of the King Edward River gorge. (Hidden Valley sounds attractive, but mid-30s afternoon temperatures less attractive, and I might still have my full pack so I think I'll stick to walking there). I must be acclimatising a bit because it felt less humid and uncomfortable than previous days, but the numbers are more or less the same. Still felt a bit sluggish on this run. It's also the first time that any of the town's numerous wandering dogs have taken an interest in me (although not for long).
I note with interest that there was a major government announcement yesterday on improving the supply of healthy food in remote Aboriginal communities. It's good to see my log postings having such an immediate impact on public policy. Now, for those greenhouse gas emission targets....
Spending a week living in a remote Aboriginal community is not something I'd planned to do on this trip, but it has been a revealing experience nonetheless - one that not a lot of southern Australians get. Part of the reason I came here was because I didn't want my only experience of Aboriginal Australia to be the crowds milling around outside the bottle shop in Derby on dole day. This community has its share of squalor (although not everywhere - the school grounds and football oval are spotless), but also its share of positives - but it is hard to see what its future is other than purely to exist, and similarly hard to see what sort of economic activity could take roots here. Tourism is a possibility, but it would need some serious investment in the access road and other infrastructure, and I think the physical environment would suit some types of irrigated horticulture, but all the other problems that bedevil the Ord scheme (especially distance from markets) would apply doubly here. Perhaps the ultimate question is what we want to achieve with the remote communities; my view is that those who want to enter mainstream society should have the opportunities to do so, and those who want to lead a more traditional existence should be able to with dignity and a reasonable standard of health.
I note with interest that there was a major government announcement yesterday on improving the supply of healthy food in remote Aboriginal communities. It's good to see my log postings having such an immediate impact on public policy. Now, for those greenhouse gas emission targets....
Spending a week living in a remote Aboriginal community is not something I'd planned to do on this trip, but it has been a revealing experience nonetheless - one that not a lot of southern Australians get. Part of the reason I came here was because I didn't want my only experience of Aboriginal Australia to be the crowds milling around outside the bottle shop in Derby on dole day. This community has its share of squalor (although not everywhere - the school grounds and football oval are spotless), but also its share of positives - but it is hard to see what its future is other than purely to exist, and similarly hard to see what sort of economic activity could take roots here. Tourism is a possibility, but it would need some serious investment in the access road and other infrastructure, and I think the physical environment would suit some types of irrigated horticulture, but all the other problems that bedevil the Ord scheme (especially distance from markets) would apply doubly here. Perhaps the ultimate question is what we want to achieve with the remote communities; my view is that those who want to enter mainstream society should have the opportunities to do so, and those who want to lead a more traditional existence should be able to with dignity and a reasonable standard of health.
Thursday Jul 2, 2009 #
Run 1:02:00 [3] 13.0 km (4:46 / km)
Shorter than yesterday but back to the piercing sun of previous days, with an addition to the degree of difficulty because I didn't have water (the camelback went with the car in the interests of load-lightening). Felt reasonably strong at times, probably more so than on any other day this week, but also conscious that I was on the edge a bit. Wouldn't have wanted it to be much further.
The warmth has continued into the morning; it's running 1.5-2 degrees ahead of what it has at the same time on the last few days and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that I could witness the breaking of the Australian July record in the next few hours.
Today's run is the last I will see of the very impressive sandstone rock that abounds to the north of Kalumburu (tomorrow won't be long enough to get there). I do have some photos (how does one post them here?) but the morning light doesn't show it at its best. From a distance the stuff on the west side of the King Edward River looks even better, but it is totally inaccessible (except by sea).
I might have some company in Kununurra tomorrow - apparently the PM is going to be in town to announce something (believed to be an extension of the Ord River scheme).
An aside is that I'm juggling three factors while on the computer: a decent signal, shade and power. At this time of day nowhere has all three. I've decided power is the optional extra, at least for now.
The warmth has continued into the morning; it's running 1.5-2 degrees ahead of what it has at the same time on the last few days and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that I could witness the breaking of the Australian July record in the next few hours.
Today's run is the last I will see of the very impressive sandstone rock that abounds to the north of Kalumburu (tomorrow won't be long enough to get there). I do have some photos (how does one post them here?) but the morning light doesn't show it at its best. From a distance the stuff on the west side of the King Edward River looks even better, but it is totally inaccessible (except by sea).
I might have some company in Kununurra tomorrow - apparently the PM is going to be in town to announce something (believed to be an extension of the Ord River scheme).
An aside is that I'm juggling three factors while on the computer: a decent signal, shade and power. At this time of day nowhere has all three. I've decided power is the optional extra, at least for now.
Wednesday Jul 1, 2009 #
Run 1:32:00 [3] 19.0 km (4:51 / km)
Headed out a bit earlier this morning, remembering how much I'd struggled in the later stages on Sunday, although my distance was still rather unambitious - I've scaled back this week in recognition of (a) the conditions, (b) the fact I'm racing this weekend and (c) that I'm not eating terribly well at present. It ended up being the best I've felt since I've been here (with the possible exception of the first half of Saturday), due in no small measure to some high cloud that was around for most of the run. Actually had a bit of strength at the end.
I returned to some unexpected news: the barge was in a day early and the person I'd lined up to tow me out there in the early hours of tomorrow morning was looking for me. This made for a very hurried packing job but I'm not complaining. As one might expect barge arrival day is a big day in Kalumburu. Knowing that the car is on the way to Darwin (although not very fast - the barge has to wait for tonight's high tide to leave) is a relief - just have to get myself out now. If I'd known that the car would be gone today I might have been able to get out today myself, but I've already committed to flights on Friday. Still, the hard part's done.
I returned to some unexpected news: the barge was in a day early and the person I'd lined up to tow me out there in the early hours of tomorrow morning was looking for me. This made for a very hurried packing job but I'm not complaining. As one might expect barge arrival day is a big day in Kalumburu. Knowing that the car is on the way to Darwin (although not very fast - the barge has to wait for tonight's high tide to leave) is a relief - just have to get myself out now. If I'd known that the car would be gone today I might have been able to get out today myself, but I've already committed to flights on Friday. Still, the hard part's done.
Tuesday Jun 30, 2009 #
Run intervals 20:00 [4] 2.8 km (7:09 / km)
10x1 minute reps on an unexciting strip of dirt road. Headed out a little later than planned (with consequences for the conditions) because the former meteorological observer here dropped round for a chat - which extended to swapping stories of Canberra Grammar v St. Edmunds rugby matches. This isn't a bad session for a hot day though.
The food supplies I brought from Broome have just about run out so I'll be falling back on what's available from the local store. As you might imagine, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat are in short supply, expensive and often of poor quality, whereas less healthy packaged food (and soft drinks) are readily available and not much more expensive than in the city. Unsurprisingly this means that there isn't a lot of healthy eating happening here (and it's probably better here than in the desert communities because it's supplied by sea, and fishing locally is an option). It occurs to me that this would be a more useful area for governments to throw money at than some of the places where they've been throwing money in this part of the world, although our resident economist and our resident Aboriginal expert might want to come up with a plan as to how such a scheme would work without the money mostly ending up in the hands of the (usually white) store owners.
Also in the news is that the local federal member, one Barry Haase (whom I had thought was more reasonable than Wilson Tuckey, but perhaps I was mistaken), has backed the cause of the (white) publicans in Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing (in their guise as the Central Kimberley Chamber of Commerce) in challenging the bans on takeaway liquor sales in those towns, and had a swing at police harassing (white) people carrying lots of grog in from outside into the bargain. I won't pretend that everything is brilliant here - a chat with the local cop yesterday revealed some of the problems (sexual abuse is one, and gambling is another), but I've seen no evidence of street violence or substance abuse, and the fact that there is no grog within 600km has to be a factor in that.
The food supplies I brought from Broome have just about run out so I'll be falling back on what's available from the local store. As you might imagine, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat are in short supply, expensive and often of poor quality, whereas less healthy packaged food (and soft drinks) are readily available and not much more expensive than in the city. Unsurprisingly this means that there isn't a lot of healthy eating happening here (and it's probably better here than in the desert communities because it's supplied by sea, and fishing locally is an option). It occurs to me that this would be a more useful area for governments to throw money at than some of the places where they've been throwing money in this part of the world, although our resident economist and our resident Aboriginal expert might want to come up with a plan as to how such a scheme would work without the money mostly ending up in the hands of the (usually white) store owners.
Also in the news is that the local federal member, one Barry Haase (whom I had thought was more reasonable than Wilson Tuckey, but perhaps I was mistaken), has backed the cause of the (white) publicans in Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing (in their guise as the Central Kimberley Chamber of Commerce) in challenging the bans on takeaway liquor sales in those towns, and had a swing at police harassing (white) people carrying lots of grog in from outside into the bargain. I won't pretend that everything is brilliant here - a chat with the local cop yesterday revealed some of the problems (sexual abuse is one, and gambling is another), but I've seen no evidence of street violence or substance abuse, and the fact that there is no grog within 600km has to be a factor in that.
Run warm up/down 20:00 [2] 4.1 km (4:53 / km)
Warm up/down for the intervals session.
Monday Jun 29, 2009 #
Run 40:00 [3] 8.0 km (5:00 / km)
No music last night and slept a lot better. Conditions were also a little kinder this morning, but lacked a bit of energy - suspect I ran myself into the ground a bit yesterday but also think I may not be 100% well.
The rest of the morning was devoted to devising an exit strategy, which I now have - the car on the barge to Darwin on Thursday morning, myself on the mail plane to Kununurra on Friday morning then a flight to Darwin on Friday evening. Total cost of this is about $2000 (but with a bit of luck the RACV will pick up some of that), and I should get to two of the NT Champs races.
It's even hotter now than it was this time yesterday. No immediate change is forecast so it's possible I might be on the scene for the breaking of the Australian record for June (37.8) or July (37.3) - and I really am on the scene because I'm camped within sight of the weather station.
The rest of the morning was devoted to devising an exit strategy, which I now have - the car on the barge to Darwin on Thursday morning, myself on the mail plane to Kununurra on Friday morning then a flight to Darwin on Friday evening. Total cost of this is about $2000 (but with a bit of luck the RACV will pick up some of that), and I should get to two of the NT Champs races.
It's even hotter now than it was this time yesterday. No immediate change is forecast so it's possible I might be on the scene for the breaking of the Australian record for June (37.8) or July (37.3) - and I really am on the scene because I'm camped within sight of the weather station.