Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

The weather was more favourable in the early evening for running than it has been all weekend, which meant that it was a pity that I wasn't up to taking advantage of it; back was having a bad night, which I might have tried to push through on another day, but not so much on a recovery run I wasn't super-enthusiastic about anyway.

At least we weren't in Mildura, where 31.9 was the highest minimum temperature on record for any Victorian site. Melbourne missed out on any such records as a result of a seabreeze yesterday evening, although the 9am temperature of 34.0 is a December record (as was Adelaide's 37.5 yesterday).

Coming into this weekend I was pondering the question of timing of a long run - try and get out as early as possible on Saturday, or hope that Sunday's change came through early enough to get something in in the afternoon/evening? I eventually decided to go for the former option, without any great expectations - 5.30 wakeups are not normally something I do on a Saturday morning (after the MFR Christmas party, too).

The run was nothing special in its own right, but kept plugging away, taking on water at regular intervals (and needing a pitstop in the middle to get rid of other stuff). Never looking like catching alight, but at the same time I didn't have a sense that it was going to fall apart at any stage (apart from a hamstring twinge at one point which disappeared as quickly as it arrived), and still going reasonably OK by the end - although I wasn't exactly clamouring to add more on (I was more than happy to settle for two hours today).

The conditions were manageable in the earlier stages - the surface layer from last night's seabreeze was still there and it was in the low 20s (although very humid). I knew from the Ferny Creek observations (as well as past experience) that the temperature would jump as the northerly kicked in, and it certainly felt hotter in the later stages - but I must have been handling the conditions OK because I thought it was in the mid to high 20s, and it actually hit 35 just as I finished. Don't think I've ever done a long run in anything quite as hot as this before, on a day which will certainly be valuable for building up Harden Up credits.

Not sure I would put a lot of money on the Borhoney Ghurk forest still being there by this time tomorrow.

A change of scene today to fit better with the rest of the day's logistics, going to Northcote. Already hot early on (it was 30 by 8.45, which has caused me to shift my start time tomorrow even earlier) and a good day to be in the water. Worked some early stiffness through OK.

Northcote only has one lane open for non-lap swimming at this time of day, but there were still a couple of lap swimmers in that lane (one of whom crashed into me). One of them had a good reason to be there - a disability which means he can only enter/leave the pool via the ramp - but the other one didn't. Whatever the mertis of the situation, I always feel as if I'm on other people's turf in this sort of situation.

The random bus-stop encounters yesterday morning set the scene for today's run, with Rob and Andy joining me for something resembling a proper midweek long run - on Black Mountain (reasonably hilly without going to the top) for the first 50 minutes before Andy peeled off to go to work, then back through Bruce Ridge and Gossan Hill before Rob did likewise at the ABS. I then headed back to Aranda, although this being Canberra, I wasn't going to be able to do that without encountering anyone else I knew - saw both GrantM and Prong riding on the opposite direction on my way home.

Still feeling a bit flat and working hard to keep up on the climbs (particularly the steeper ones), but no sign of Achilles, hamstring or back trouble today. Didn't quite make the two hours because of an eye on a bus departure time.

I didn't realise it at the time, but the Calvary hospital multi-storey car park we went past was brand new. It was officially opened today, by means of the responsible minister driving a car through the ribbon rather than cutting it with scissors. (This being the ACT government, naturally it was an electric vehicle which was used to do the honours).

Heading back to Melbourne tonight, and pondering the timing of a weekend long run, with 21/41 forecast for Saturday and 28/35 on Sunday before a change which may or may not come through in time to get something in in the last afternoon. I think I'll get out as early as I can on Saturday and hope for the best.

As I sometimes do in Canberra, took advantage of the existence of bush out the back fence to run in it, on Aranda Hill and Black Mountain as far east as Little Black (which seems finally to be thinning out nearly a quarter-century after the 1991 fire which was responsible for most of its undergrowth). Not especially fast, and didn't have an awful lot of strength on the hills, but not too bad. A rather humid morning as a prelude to storms later in the day, although nothing on the scale of what happened in Sydney (it would be fair to say that office productivity, at least on matters relating to our normal work, was somewhat down today).

I'm definitely back on the old home ground, seeing numerous familiar faces (such as the Hoggster and robw in the process of accompanying kids to school on bikes) going past in the five minutes I spent waiting for a bus on Bandjalong Crescent.

First intervals session since I got back, on the usual ground at All Nations. Felt a bit sleepy early on (which may explain my going in one street too late on the way there), and never an especially strong-feeling session but got through it OK. No hamstring issues in the fast section itself but a little sore going home.

Off to Canberra for work for a couple of days tonight.

Going to/from All Nations. An even slower start than usual (although traffic didn't help).

A bright sunny morning and plenty of people in the pool (for once, most of those in my lane were actually slower than I was). Didn't feel as sore in the quads as I thought I might have been given the way I finished yesterday's run, but still a bit of stiffness to be worked out of the system. Picked up a bit in the second half.

First Tan lunchtime for a while. Originally I thought this run might have contributed something towards heat acclimatisation, but it turned out the seabreeze was stronger than expected and it was cooler (although more humid) than the later stages of yesterday. A few stiff spots which needed to be squeezed out of the system, but better than I thought it might have been. A bit of left hamstring soreness in the last 10 minutes.

The masseur definitely earned her money tonight.

Spotted on Southbank was a sign "High Pedestrian Zone". I can understand why high pedestrians are a hazard that other users of the area need to be warned of, but I didn't see any evidence today of anyone affected by mind-altering substances. Maybe it's different on Friday or Saturday nights.