Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Had a bit of a setback with the heel today, perhaps through doing a fair bit of driving yesterday. Still felt manageable on the run but not as good as it has been the last couple of days, and this length (which was what I'd always intended) was plenty.

Did this one with Bruce from his place - a fairly standard run based on the Yarra at Studley Park, with a section at the end up to Merri Creek. Like areas further up the river, this has dried out a lot in recent weeks with no signs of mud or slipperiness anywhere. No shortage of people out today.

There is apparently a suggestion to turn Kryal Castle into a Harry Potter theme park, not the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard. It would presumably generate a bit less work for the local hospital than its current function of playing host to raves.

Earlier than I usually go out on a Saturday due to other commitments, and felt a little bit out of sorts at times. Still handled things OK for the most part. Heel soreness gradually receding but not gone yet, and still a factor on the steeper hills, but this won't give me pause for thought unless it's still troubling me when I next try to go hard on Wednesday.

Longest run of this week so far (which isn't saying a lot), early in the morning along the Yarra up to Finns reserve, then doing a bit extra in Banksia Park to add on distance at the end. (I don't normally get into Banksia Park as it's a bit of a dead-end and too close to be an end-point target). Soreness continuing to recede, and is now only at nuisance-niggle level on the flat, although a bit more significant on hills. Started well but didn't quite finish off; still enjoyed myself though.

It was the first time I've been on the Banyule Flats singletrack for a few weeks. Last time it was a skating rink. Now it's just about bone dry except in the lowest-lying patches. Everyone was getting excited about Melbourne being a few millimetres above average for September, but we're probably going to be at least 40 below average for October. (There is still an outside chance that Melbourne could have its driest year on average, although a rank somewhere between 3rd and 6th is more likely). The local rabbits, however, have been breeding like, well, rabbits - they were everywhere.

I didn't go past any schools so didn't get to see any end-of-Year 12 exploits. These have attracted a bit of media attention in recent days, and some outrage from that portion of the community who think it should be a crime to be under 30 in a public place (and that portion of the media that panders to their prejudices). This year's shocking highlights was that someone threw an egg at a school (there must have been a severe news shortage because that scored number two position on the ABC radio news), and traffic was briefly disrupted when a group spilled out onto a road outside a school. One wonders what would have been made these days of the exploits some years ago of the Knox Year 12s who successfully impersonated RTA workers and diverted the Pacific Highway through the school grounds.

C • Yr 12 shenanigans 1

It won't be long before the 5am Thursday start again becomes part of my routine (something I wouldn't have appreciated this morning because I did a climate change presentation out at Steels Creek yesterday evening, and didn't get to bed until 11.30), but it's not quite happening yet. Today was reshuffled a bit further, partly because of a date with the dentist and partly to give the Achilles a bit more recovery time - it had gone backwards a bit this morning (probably because of racing up hills yesterday) but seems to have settled well this afternoon.

Anyway, it was a short and fairly easy run, from a Hawthorn base out to the Yarra. Lacking power up the hills but otherwise pretty smooth. A nice morning.

I'm currently in the process of going through information related to our long-term stations and noticed a bit of a problem with some of our co-ordinates: according to our database the old Darwin Post Office was a couple of kilometres out to sea (WNW of East Point). That said, that might have been where bits of it ended up once the Japanese Air Force had finished with it. (Previously during this exercise, I've discovered that a site purporting to be 'Dubbo State Forest' was plonked squarely in the middle of suburban Dubbo).

Second part of the morning's work was a rather slow and ponderous swim at the Hawthorn pool. Definitely late enough to miss all of the crowds.

The Tan. A catch-up run for missing last week. I don't expect a lot of these - typically a solo run will be 20 seconds or so slower than a race one - and was a bit apprehensive about the injury too.

This wasn't quite a solo run as a couple of colleagues who were running in the low 14s came with me, which meant I had someone to run with for the first 500 at least, to get me started. Tailed off after that and lacked a bit of power on the hills, although no signifcant pain; definitely seem to be on the improve. Quite an encouraging performance and suggests I may be able to have a decent crack at sub-13.30 next week.

Km splits 3.35, 3.47, 3.38, 3.34.

Getting to/from the Tan. The building works under the Swan Street bridge are finished at last (a bit closer to 30 September than I thought they might have been), although we didn't go that way.

Testing the Achilles out, always noticeable but it only impeded me on the hills (which meant I chose a route without too many of them). The rest of the body was working pretty well, especially in the second half.

It has been a very cool October so far in southeastern Australia (as WMOC attendees found out), but that is changing, and today was the first day for a while with a warm north wind (the last one was the Saturday of SA Champs weekend). Unlike last time it doesn't seem to have brought any dust with it.

Monday morning back at work, starting with the Fitzroy pool. Languishing a bit for most of the way but brought it home reasonably well. Achilles not great in the morning but had improved somewhat in the afternoon; will see what it is like tomorrow.