Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

State League 6 at Jim Crow. Hilly but technically moderate, with a bit of route choice but not much fine navigation. The most unusual aspect of the terrain was that a fair bit of the map was the subject of a fuel reduction burn which was perhaps a little bit too effective (I don't think fuel reduction burns are supposed to get into the crowns). Without much ground cover the damp soil was soft and very slippery in places, and in the more heavily burnt areas the carpet of dead leaves reminded me of deciduous forests in winter in North America or Europe.

I ran a good race technically, with the only wobble, a few seconds, coming at 10 - I saw another control on a boulder 100 metres before mine, and while I knew it wasn't supposed to be mine I thought I'd better check the number just in case. However, my running was lacking intensity, perhaps not surprising after a lack of racing in the last 2 1/2 months. I wasn't surprised to be a few minutes down but will be the better for this workout.

This was the last race I will run in the current pair of shoes - they give me blisters when wet (and started to again today). Got some new ones after the run.

C • fuel reduction burn? 3

Sparkled early, then became a bit of a grind through the middle. Calves much improved but Achilles still an issue - I'd hoped it might have been a secondary symptom of calf tightness but perhaps not. Had to work hard up the hills later on but finished reasonably well.

There were a lot of trees down across the singletrack next to the river at Banyule Flats; not sure if this was a product of yesterday's squall or something that happened while I was away. Also saw a platypus in the river (with the help of someone who was looking for them more closely than I was).

This was coming off a pretty late night watching the WOC relays, from which all concerned emerge with great credit. (If karma means anything Thierry Gueorgiou or Anders Nordberg will win the long; Michal Smola isn't running). It was then followed by another equally late night thanks to a weather enthuasists' gathering in the city, which gave me the opportunity to see whether the central city on a Saturday night really is the hellhole that the Herald-Sun and Channel 7 would have you believe. I didn't see any evidence of it - in fact Russell Street, where we were, is a good deal less seedy than it was a decade ago when it was druggie central - although I still wouldn't go to King Street at 2am. Where the reporting is severely lacking in perspective is that none of this is remotely new (I've seen references to alcohol-related violence in central Melbourne in newspapers from 1851), nor is it anything which differs particularly from similar districts in just about any other city in the Western world. If people want to see what a dangerous city looks like they should try Johannesburg or Rio.

Swimming at Fitzroy. Thought I might be getting wet on the way in and out of the pool as well as in it but the promised rain failed to materialise (although I did cop the full force of the squall on the bike just before arriving at work). Never really got going this morning, which I probably can't attribute to getting up at 2 for a bit to watch Kathryn's run in the sprint.

Now at the end of the first full week back at work and starting to feel as if I'm making a bit of headway (although documenting all the records that are likely to be broken in the subtropics this weekend and Monday will be a major diversion next week).

This also means I'm exposed to the letters colmuns of the Weekly Times and its like again, but I now have evidence against one of their pet hates, allegedly higher country fuel prices. It was true once but, except in the really remote areas, it isn't any more. The most expensive fuel I saw on my way down the east coast was in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and the current Melbourne price is the highest I've seen anywhere since Normanton. (On that theme, one of life's little mysteries is why some particular places are anything from 10 to 20 cents cheaper than their neighbours - I already knew about Bairnsdale, but Kempsey and, more surprisingly, Mount Isa are also on this list).

I got up at 5, a little earlier than I might otherwise have done (even for a Thursday) to watch the 100m hurdles final - and found that SBS were showing soccer. Went back to bed for 30 mintues and predictably failed to sleep.

Hit the streets around 6.30 from Clifton Hill, in steady light rain almost throughout. A reasonably steady run in terms of endurance but calf tightness was again a significant problem; no pain, but definitely awkward on any sort of hill (so I didn't go up too many). Hopefully today's session with the needles will help here; past experience suggests it should. In any case I'll be swimming tomorrow as per my usual schedule.

C • Athletics 2

A reasonable morning run without reaching any great heights, taking in the south end of Ivanhoe and then up Darebin Creek. No sign of any further physical process on the bike path but apparently the decade-plus of legal trench warfare to build it is finally over. Achilles not particularly comfortable again.

I was a bit surprised to see a new pharmacy in a largely derelict small cluster of shops on Upper Heidelberg Road - and then recalled that you can't set up a new pharmacy within, I think, 1.5km of an existing one (anyone with more knowledge care to confirm?) and this location falls just outside that distance.

May also need to consider an alternative route choice to work - a couple of sets of lights in the city have been retimed with the effect of causing long waits in places where I used to get greens most of the time.

C • 1.5km 7

3 x 1 km on the Tan, jog recovery. First outing here since returning - much as it was (although a bit less crowded than it can be on a nice day). Couldn't find any pace with the fast kms only around 3.50 speed. Calves were very tight today, and are in serious need of some needlework (which they'll get tomorrow). They're in serious need of a massage too, but I will need to find somewhere else to get that done because my long-standing masseur has had a career change while I've been away and has decided to go into the running shoe business.

C • don't you just hate that? 2

Going to/from the Tan, a bit quicker than usual for no obvious reason. Unsurprisingly, the works on the Swan Street bridge which were supposed to be finished in June aren't.

Some readers will know that I'm a long-standing supporter of Norwich City, who after getting relegated last year started this season in League One (a.k.a. Division 3) for the first time in 50 years. They got a rude awakening - losing their first game 7-1 at home - and responded in the manner of unsuccessful football teams from Melbourne to Moscow - they sacked their coach. (I wasn't following things too closely while I was away so I don't know if he had received the board's total support two weeks earlier). Their next move, though, was original - they were obviously so impressed by the team that beat them 7-1 (Colchester) that they've hired Colchester's coach as the replacement.

Back to the old fartlek circuit. Achilles very touchy early on and the run never felt particularly smooth or strong, but a bit faster than I was in the weeks leading up to going away (fastest loop 9.28), which is pleasing. Planning to ramp up the intensity of training over the next 3-4 weeks before backing off in the lead-up to nationals.

The trip in to work on the bike revealed what's changed and what hasn't - mostly what hasn't. I suspect there may be one or more sleepless nights coming up over the next few weeks as there are a lot of new railway sleepers sitting next to the track outside my place and the line is going be shut down in the evenings for most of the next month. It would be nice if they would tell us when they're actually going to work on our section so we can go elsewhere if we feel it necessary - occasionally this happens but usually not.

Also noted (thanks to the Sunday Age) an unfortunately-named competitor at the World Athletics Championships, the Korean pole-vaulter Kim Yoo Suk. This reminded me of something I saw in the biography of ABC newsreader Richard Morecroft where he said that one of the greatest challenges of his career was keeping a straight face while reporting the 1983 assassination of Korean foreign minister Lee Bum Suk.

C • Impending trackworks 3

Back to Fitzroy Pool on a Monday morning after starting to get things back in order at home (getting up at 5.30 to watch the men's 100 in Berlin - now we know what Usain Bolt can do when he's trying all the way - helped). The Northern Territorians wouldn't cope too well with swimming in these conditions, but the locals were unperturbed. A fairly routine session.

C • cracker trip 4

A new Monday night location (at least for me) - Jess's place in North Melbourne. Most of this run was based around Royal and Princes Park. Started a bit slowly but ended up a reasonable pace for a Monday night, and felt OK.

Slowly settling back into Melbourne. It was certainly an interesting trip (a bit too interesting at times). I think if I do something like this again I'll want to do it with at least a bit of basic mechanical knowledge before going to really remote areas - not that it would have helped much as it turned out, but I felt pretty clueless out there and could have been a lot further from help than I actually was. I think I'd also go a bit later in the year if I did it again, especially if going to areas where water could be a factor (although not every year will have as big a wet season as 2008-09). Not sure when next time will be: perhaps in 2012?

Also finally heard from the insurers; the payout is going to be a couple of thousand more than I was expecting which is good news.