Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Eureka Challenge at Petticoat Gully (under a new name) - the first time we've raced on this part of the map for about 10 years. It's still got plenty of goldmining detail and we saw plenty of it in the first two-thirds of the course.

This was a good technical race though the detail, although my running was still patchy. Bruce caught me two minutes at 9. I was able to stay in touch through the rough stuff, but he blew me away once things opened out after 16 and got three minutes on me from there - I drifted a bit on both 17 and 18 which will have contributed to this. I still don't have the pace to attack gentle to moderate climbs, which counted for a bit in the pine forest section at the end which had plenty of them. Ended up fourth, thereby narrowly missing out on what would have been my first career prizemoney (which after entry fees would have been a net $4), but just heading the cluster of M40+ (one M40++) of Jim, Eddie and Liggo. Warmish again, returning to the 1990s tradition whereby the Eureka Challenge weekend coincided with Melbourne's last 30+ day of the summer on, if I recall correctly, four years out of six.

A few hints of right knee soreness at times, although in a different place to the area that troubled me late last year.

An evening run after I'd been up in Ararat with the comrades for the day - not my usual timing but not such a bad thing, if only because I should be taking all available opportunities to run in relative warmth (23) in the lead-up to WA. Didn't feel great at the start; never sparkled but gradually improved as it went on, and quite reasonable on the later hills climbing back through Ivanhoe.

Part of this run involved checking out the small tracks on the east side of the Yarra down towards the Veneto Club. A lot of this area has been flooded and it showed - plenty of mud and lots of debris in places - but nothing to seriously impede a run.

One for the this-wasn't-quite-thought-through-properly department, from the upcoming Tasmanian NOL events:

Advertised middle distance first start: 3.00
Middle distance last start if men's field is the same size as it was at the equivalent event in Tasmania in 2008: 4.32
Sunset on 21 May at Diddleum: 4.57

Not sure what they're going to be able to do about it, as the gap between the sprint and middle is already tight and I know people who have already booked flights on the basis of the advertised 11.00 sprint start.

C • WA 5

It's that time of year - starting a session in the pool in the dark, which always feels a bit weird in the couple of weeks a year when it happens. A bit more crowded than usual, including a couple of water polo players (I later found out) who were doing short sharp bursts and hard to stay out of the way of. At least they didn't appear to be practising their underwater scratching, gouging and squirrel-gripping. A reasonable session which blew out a few cobwebs.

As well that Easter's late this year; York has had only one day under 30 so far this month.

Last night may have built up confidence but today knocked a bit of it down again - never woke up properly despite again going out a bit later than usual (this time because of a 9am meeting with the OA auditors). At least, unlike last week, I didn't fall apart at the end but instead felt uniformly mediocre throughout. I suspect my recovery skills are not yet back up to handling the summer series/long run double - which means it may be as well that next week is the last week of the summer series.

Had my first road rage encounter for a while - someone who took exception to my running straight when he was wanting to turn right and accelerated and swerved at me. It's probably an exaggeration to say he tried to run me down because I'm fairly sure the intent was to scare rather than anything worse. Unpleasantries were exchanged (from a safe distance).

C • road rage 3

A morning run from Canterbury Station out through Surrey Hills and Balwyn, a bit hillier than some of the runs I've been doing of late. Fairly similar to most recent runs, a slow start, hills less than inspriring, but a few good patches at times through the middle. Did manage to find a bit in the last 10 minutes when I thought I'd be struggling to get the train I wanted to (which, as it turned out, was 10 minutes late and a sardine-tin when it arrived - we're rather spoilt on the Hurstbridge line).

Street-O at Canterbury. I thought 'here we go again' when I struggled up the first hill and Bruce was at least 30 metres clear of me by the first control, but it got better after that, not exactly sparkling but moving OK on flat and downhills. My route was slightly better through the first few, after which we split more significantly and I was on my own through the middle. Went through Martin Steer on the steep Union Road hill at about three-quarters distance - as strongly as I've attacked a hill for a while. Martin, though, hung in there and was still only 30 metres behind me with three controls to go, at which point I knew I was in a contest. Unlike some other races of this type this season (being dropped comprehensively by Rachel Johnson and Ian Davies at Croydon comes to mind), I actually felt like having a crack at this. Martin clearly felt likewise which set the scene for my best kilometre of the season; it wasn't quite as fast as his, but just enough to hold on by a few metres.

I'm not getting too carried away about this - I'm still short of the 4.30 pace I would consider acceptable, let alone the 4.15 I'd be reasonably happy with - but it's the first time for ages that I've felt as if I've actually been racing, and as such will hopefully be good for my confidence.

Not as lethargic as last week but no faster, which is something of a worry. The weekend's activities do provide a bit of an explanation but not one I'm happy with, especially as in six weeks' time we'll have to come up from a long race, probably in similar conditions to Sunday, the next day. It probably won't be 2.07 but it could well be 1.40 or 1.50. Nice morning to be out with a hint of autumnal mist.

A bit of a twinge before starting in my left hip; a non-issue on the run but noticeable at times during the day. Will need watching.

And everyone's favourite ACT orienteer is back making a nuisance of himself again...

C • At least point us where we can learn more 11

Recovery run before a swim at Ivanhoe, venturing into Darebin Parklands for the first time in a while. The creek was up - obviously there was more rain in the northern suburbs than there was in the city - but not enough to cut off the footbridge. A few new fences have sprouted there - didn't check out where the bike path ends now. More of a surprise was the number of new buildings being erected near Banksia Secondary College with a federal economic stimulus sign out the front - only a surprise because I thought the school was closing at the end of this year and being merged into another school to the north. Either I was mistaken or the buildings are for something else.

As far as the run went, I felt rather heavy but not as stiff or sore as I might have expected after yesterday's effort, and was reasonably satisfied in the circumstances.

A stint in the water at Ivanhoe - as always, water that is a bit warm for its own good. Didn't feel too bad while swimming, and loosened up nicely, although not as much energy as last week - no surprise there. Knee stiffened a little at the end for no obvious reason but no trace of issues afterwards.

Today was a little unusual - it's the first Labour Day in four years when I haven't worked (at least in the job I'm paid for - I spent a fair bit of the day working on the OA accounts).

As for the rival demos on Saturday: the accounts I've heard of the numbers are 8,000 pro (Andrew Bolt accidentally on purpose lost a zero from the end of this number) and 400 against.