Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Event: Victorian Autumn Series 1 - Eureka Challenge
 

A rather extreme course at Mount Beckworth with over 8% climb - the most, I think, that I've ever had on a course in Australia (although not too different to Spain a few weeks ago).

The good news here is that I got through without any injury problems (although I suspect my quads will tell me that I've done something hard when I get up tomorrow). I couldn't run up many of the hills but I suspect I wasn't alone there, and was a bit further up the results than I sometimes am these days (although still 20 minutes behind Kerrin/Pat/Aston). No real mistakes, just 10 seconds or so wide on a couple, and two wider route choices (the walking track around the end of the spur on 7, and through the saddle on 14) both seemed to pay off. 16 and 17 were pretty hairy (16 would have been dangerous in the wet), and the course probably would have been better without them, too.

My biggest mistake of the day was on the way there - dropped about 10 minutes because we came in one road parallel to the one we wanted, and then compounded it when we turned around when the cross road turned into a small track, which Google said went through and Apple said didn't (Google was right).

First run back, and a reasonably positive return - as always after a significant layoff, the actual running side was hard work until things started to click again at about 20-25 minutes, but any mild discomfort in the injury site disappeared in the first couple of minutes. Will be interesting to see how it handles something steep and longer tomorrow. Got this done just before the first serious rain for a couple of months unloaded.

This was my first bit of suburban exploration for a couple of weeks so it was my first chance to see the Grange Road Big Dig in progress (as with other level crossing removal sites, this appears to be a significant toddler tourist attraction). The streets of Fairfield are also still liberally dotted with Labor signs, Greens signs and Stop Adani signs. I did see a picture during the week of a place with three signs: a Labor sign, a Stop Adani sign and a handwritten sign "Against The Mine, Still Voting For Ged" (which probably sums up the views of most of the local Labor contingent, too - noting that, as a means to the end of the Adani mine not happening, when compared with the other ways in which it might be stopped, allowing it to expire of its own accord for lack of anyone willing to lend it money has the advantage that it doesn't carry the risk of exposing taxpayers to mega-compensation payouts).

Also spotted was a van with the name of a business "Parthenon Marble", which I suspect might have drawn a certain amount of inspiration from a 200-year-old diplomatic dispute (the "Parthenon Marbles" are what the Greeks call the objects that they want to get back from the British Museum - although why they're called "marbles" is a bit of a mystery to me).

C • marbles 1

Everything old is new again; this was the first time I've swum at Collingwood for several years (I think the last time was when the outdoor pool at Fitzroy was closed because of fog), thanks to logistical plans for later in the day - with no trains running beyond Clifton Hill and an 11pm return from the football I wanted to position a car within striking distance of Clifton Hill station.

I suspected in mid-swim that I might have temporarily lost count of laps whilst distracted thinking about something else, and so it proved when I looked at the time (either that or this morning was really slow, which I don't think it was).

Somewhat to my surprise, the traffic this morning was no worse than usual, at least in the places where I was going. This doesn't actually surprise me that much - experience from other places shows that often when a significant link is taken out of action, within a few days people's behaviour adapts to the new reality (there's a particularly well-known example of this from the aftermath of a freeway bridge collapse in Minneapolis a few years ago). Still glad I'm not trying to commute in from significantly further out on the railway line, as some of my colleagues are - I'm close enough to Clifton Hill that the bus ride won't be too painful (although managing it with a pack on Thursday will be a challenge), and at a pinch it's even close enough to be walkable.

(Speaking of Easter, your summer heat-tolerance training isn't going to get much use - whilst things can shift around a bit at that sort of range, today's model run was indicating a significant cold outbreak with temperatures on Easter Sunday at the event area struggling to reach double figures).

Had a short time window available today between first light and going out to have a look at the SC-ORE schools competition starting at Macquarie Primary at 8, so didn't have time for anything more than a quick jaunt around Lake Ginninderra - not the smoothest of surfaces on a road bike (lots of tree roots under the asphalt) but still nice to be out. A bit of hamstring fatigue again.

I was pleased with what I saw at Macquarie. For those unfamiliar with it, it's a short (~5 minutes/leg) sprint relay that runs before school - 33 4-person teams from 9 schools apparently. The kids seemed to be really engaged with it and it certainly made me think about whether it's a model that could be rolled out in other places - ACT has the luxury that most of its schools have a fair bit of open space nearby so I think we'd struggle to make something like this work in the inner suburbs of the big cities, but outer suburbs would have potential, and the big regional centres (e.g. Bendigo, Toowoomba, Launceston) would be ideal.

Borrowed a bike from Andy with the aim of heading out this morning (among other things). It took a while (with some help from Google Bike Mechanic) to work out what I needed to do to which lever to get the gears to change down, and I had to tighten the seat post a couple of times, but once those false starts were out of the way and I'd got a feel for the bike after 10-15 minutes, this was a nice ride - certainly an easier bike to go up hills on than any I've been on previously.

The ride itself was an out-and-back to somewhere a bit short of the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre (aka the "poo farm"). Haven't been out this way too often, so hadn't previously seen such places as the station of the Molonglo Rural Fire Brigade (probably a post-2003 creation) or the premises of the Billabong Aboriginal Corporation. (Growing up in Canberra in the 1980s, it was entirely possible to be more or less completely oblivious to the existence of a local Aboriginal community; I guess it's different now). More traffic out the far end than I was expecting; 8am must be start time at the LMWQCC.

(Those who are squeamish about the idea of drinking recycled water - if you're in Adelaide, or on the Murrumbidgee/Murray system anywhere downstream of Canberra, you already are).

Hamstring felt a bit fatigued later on, though not in the areas which have been causing trouble (and there was no post-ride tightness). The body position on this bike, though, isn't so conducive to riding with a substantial backpack - not so comfortable commuting to/from the Bureau (although the tailwind certainly helped with the climb back up from the lake).

Found myself towards the end in the company of a group of five kids, probably about 7 to 13, riding to school (with no adults present, other than myself). Nice to see that still happens in Canberra; don't think you'd see it in Melbourne.

Up in Canberra today. Was hoping to get down to the pool at the end of the work day but not quite enough time to make it there and get back in time for an OA Board meeting. I've now borrowed a bike from Andy so it will get a bit of use over the next couple of days.

Saw the vital statistics today for Sunday's event. They might provide an incentive to be injured for a couple of days longer - 5.7km/460m...

C • Incentive 1

Spent a bit of time today looking at the extreme fire weather conditions of the weekend and previous vaguely comparable events in March. One which came up for the NSW South Coast was 2 March 1985. By coincidence, that day I was in Tathra - staying, I think, in the caravan park that got burnt out yesterday. (On that weekend, most of the fire action was around and east of Canberra). It was also - yes, I've got the records going back that far - the first time I ran further than my age, although definitely not the last....(Must have gone out early - even at 13, I didn't fancy the heat that much).

Back to Fitzroy, after negotiating the route to get there, a more challenging task than usual with the trains and the Grange Road level crossing out (Station Street wasn't as cactus as I thought it might be, but bottlenecks were starting to appear elsewhere, fortunately all in directions I wasn't going in). A decent session once I was actually in the water. Others said the water was cool but I didn't really notice anything unusual.

I was hoping to get the physio all-clear tonight to start running again but she wants me to wait a few more days. Off to Canberra in the morning until Thursday.

Best line I heard today was someone who noted that South Australia has voted for a Marshall who doesn't like batteries. (Reminds me of Gough Whitlam's line about ultra-social conservative union leader Joe de Bruyn - "a Dutchman who hates dykes").