Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

A run which started unpromisingly, started to come good and ended abruptly in minor disaster. Down at Blairgowrie for the day and set out to run towards Sorrento (in the process spending a bit of time on the sand and a new track around the point near the Collins settlement). The first half-hour was difficult, although not as bad as yesterday, but was just starting to get into my stride on the way back when my left calf abruptly went on me - not super-painful, but sharp enough for it to be clear that running further was not a realistic option. There probably isn't a good place to do such an injury, but having to walk 4km back to base from near Diamond Bay was definitely a bad place (and to add insult to injury a bird crapped on me in fairly comprehensive style on the way back).

I'm hopeful it's a strain rather than a full tear - I think there would have been more pain (and more difficulty walking back) had it been otherwise. I still think I'll be sidelined for a few days at least, but we'll see what happens. It's not an injury I have any real experience with.

It's an unofficial long weekend in Victoria, and the Blairgowrie and Sorrento shops (and associated traffic) were definitely at Christmas-New Year week levels - quite a bit of pedestrian-dodging had to be done (although I don't think I can blame my injury on that).

Don't think I'll get the prize for the day's most creative sporting injury though.

C • Bird crap 1

Often Saturday morning runs are pretty good (having more time to wake up helps), but this was unexpectedly terrible. Feeling tight throughout (if never quite tight enough to stop), and weak and sluggish too. Just about managed to hold it together for 40 minutes, but certainly wouldn't have wanted to have committed to much more. Not sure what to read into this, if anything.

I suspect that quite a number of the people I saw heading into Fairfield station would have been feeling similarly terrible (albeit for different reasons) after the last race this afternoon, but they were still sober (and well-dressed) at 10am.

An early start. Felt pretty tight early on in the right leg (and the inside of the knee) but loosened up reasonably once I was underway. Still felt as if I was fighting against the current in a place with no current. Lots of people at the pool at 6.30, which probably only had a small amount to do with the fact that it had been 25 degrees at 6.00.

Foot feels better today. Should be fine to run on tomorrow (I hope).

After nearly two weeks of completing every session as intended, today was the day it didn't happen - perhaps a product of an unfamiliar bed? I was a bit annoyed by this as I'd planned to use the Torquay workshop as the chance for some exploration (the coastal track to Bells Beach was the plan). Ended up just walking a lap of the outside of the golf course.

One of the talks today was looking at statistical modelling of fine-scale wind patterns in the fire weather context, in the Flea Creek valley west of Mount Coree in the Brindabellas. I recognised the line of observing sites immediately as the east-west fire trail across the valley, which revisited a part of my childhood - we walked this on my first Scouts camp. This was also the scene of my first good route choice decision - the group split into two, with most going down the creek, while I joined a small group which climbed to the next ridge and then along it (already having enough orienteering experience at 10 to know that trying to go along creeks in Brindabellas bush is usually a Very Bad Idea). I've forgotten exactly how much our group beat the other group to the campsite by, but it was definitely measured in hours.

Another step forward - my first attempt at an intervals session. It wasn't a brilliant intervals session, but I got through it without too many issues; didn't speed up as much as I sometimes do during the course of this session. A little bit later than I usually do this - was heading to a workshop at Torquay which didn't start until lunchtime and didn't need to leave home until 10 or so.

Foot was OK apart from a brief twinge early on during the session, but pulled up a bit sore afterwards.

Warm-up and down. Took a while to get going, as I expected.

Continuing the positive curve - this was the best I've felt on a run for several weeks (perhaps since the Canadian Middle). Started out down the Darebin path then along the river, a slightly indirect option because the riverside path past the Chandler is blocked (from tomorrow the whole passage under the bridge will be, supposedly for three weeks but, given the lack of urgency which builders often apply to works which inconvenience pedestrians and cyclists, probably longer). Went across the pipe bridge - very slippery with dew this morning - and into Westgarth, with some bonus distance because I got wrong which street it was which leads to the pedestrian crossing of the railway between Westgarth and Dennis stations (it was a morning I wasn't too upset about bonus distance, though). Feeling towards the end as if I would have happily kept going for longer had I had the time to do so, though perhaps was a bit too much in the zone because I almost collided with pedestrians twice in the space of a minute near the Fairfield shops.

Rolled my ankle quite heavily coming down towards the pipe bridge. I was worried I might have done some damage but it seems more or less OK, just a bit of soreness in the foot (I'll find out properly tomorrow). My ankles can tolerate a lot; I've only done them properly twice in the last 30 years (most recently in 2004), both in rather freakish circumstances. I think I must have hogged all the good-ankle genes on offer in our family given the problems that Cassie has had with hers...

Perfect morning for running, too. At this time of year you're always conscious that it's almost time to leave good training conditions behind for a few months, with numbers starting with a 3 beginning to appear in the forecast. (Mind you, I can think of one currently-outback-based Queensland orienteer who probably wouldn't mind seeing a number starting with a 3 appearing in the forecast, today being the ninth successive day over 40). I will get a few cooler interludes, with trips to the northern hemisphere in each of November, December and January.

C • Lucky you 7

C • 30s in the forecast 2

The regular Monday morning session. Feel as if I'm continuing to improve, very incrementally.

Yesterday was my first run in a new pair of shoes. Normally when I get new shoes, I move the old pair to the cupboard and throw out the last pair but one, but obviously it's a while since I've done that because there were four redundant pairs of shoes sitting in my cupboard when I looked there.

And the other part of the regular Monday morning (at least as I hope it will become). Not quite as lively or as fast as last week, but a decent session. Still not quite sure exactly what it was that my foot hit on the last lap, but no lasting damage was done.