Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

I've made a late decision to go to the 5-days and am weighing up logistical options. One of them is flying to Newcastle on the morning of the 27th; is there anyone who might be interested in sharing transport from there?

Longest run since September. With Bruce, starting on the fairly standard east bank of the Yarra, but didn't come back through the Kew hills, mainly because I wasn't particularly confident I would get to two hours if we took on a challenging route home, on a day which was a bit of an improvement on earlier in the week but still one with absolutely no uphill strength. A struggle for much of the second half but didn't get any worse, and ended up with a decent last 15 minutes as the pace picked up a little, which gives me a bit of a note of optimism to finish on.

The east bank of the Yarra was a bit more adventurous than it had been the last time I was there, with parts of the track having become part of the river (either through flooding or landslips). The river had dropped below flood level but was still flowing strongly enough (and was brown enough) to make it obvious that falling in would seriously endanger your health. Also had my first encounter with something which will become a regular feature of this summer, long grass (and seeds thereof).

Encountered plenty of familiar faces en route, including Ilka, Bruce and Louise Fairfax, and Jasmine.

I don't seem to be making an awful lot of progress at the moment. This run was another struggle, although a little bit of the explanation came through its being hillier than some others this week, through Bulleen and the north end of North Balwyn. Was expecting to see the Yarra in flood but it wasn't really in flood by the time I got there. I have been wondering whether I've been trying to shake off an illness this week, although it probably didn't help matters that I got into not-leaving-until-I-get-this-done mode yesterday and didn't end up leaving until after 10.30 (and, not for the first time this week, was in bed within 10 minutes of walking in the door).

C • Food being optional? 2

In the pool this morning at Fitzroy, loosening myself up quite nicely. Felt much better after a decent night's sleep (the drop in humidity probably helped a fair bit too).

First attempt since the summer of 2008/09 to do the Summer Series/long run combination (of sorts - the Summer Series wasn't that fast and this run wasn't that long). Still struggling for form, but not as dire as Tuesday. Felt like it was falling apart a bit around 90 minutes but got a bit of a second wind at the end. Slow, though newsletter delivery had a bit to do with that.

Ended up very tired indeed in the afternoon and evening as lack of sleep caught up with me.

Meteorological news of the day was that major flooding hit Queanbeyan this morning. The rising Queanbeyan River cut the town in two, stranding the bulk of the population on the opposite side of the river to McDonalds and KFC. I trust the SES will do helicopter drops if required.

I challenge people to get to the end of the second paragraph of this without bursting out in laughter:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.ht...

C • Fail 3

The principal purpose of this event was to ensure that next week was an improvement. It was my first attempt at anything with any sustained intensity since the comeback started, but it was quickly apparent that the legs didn't really want to move today. I lost a bit more interest with a dud route choice early, and still more with a misplaced control at which I dropped a couple of minutes. Weak and sluggish, if not quite as bad as yesterday.

There was heavy rain in the lead-up to the event, and not-quite-as-heavy rain after it finished, but the run itself took place in a not-so-wet window. Heaps of water underfoot though. Also a bit more 'terrain' than usual for a street-O.

OK, so trying to plunge straight back into things (not just running) at the level of intensity I was at before leaving didn't quite work out. Very weak and sluggish throughout this run; thought it might improve as it got going but that didn't happen. Warm (25) for the early morning, and humid, which didn't help. Did get to check out some Yarra flood debris (there might be a bit more by the weekend if tomorrow's forecast comes off).

Now that the knee no longer seems to be an issue I also did the full bike commute for the first time in several weeks, which took a little getting used to. Harbour Esplanade is still a mess and still worth avoiding.

MFR Monday night from Kew. Didn't expect a lot from this on a humid day after almost falling asleep on the train (which was 20 minutes late - you mean Ted hasn't fixed everything in his first week in the job?). It wasn't great, but certainly better than yesterday - which wouldn't be hard. Wouldn't have wanted to go much further. Much talk en route of cricket and Australia's less-than-sparkling bowling performance; much talk afterwards of Warren's canine-related legal issues with the Boorondara Council (if they're that harsh it's a pity they're not responsible for enforcing dog laws in the vicinity of the Clifton Hill athletics track).

C • The canine issue is... ? 2