Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Not exactly a Proper Sunday Long Run but the closest approximation to it for a while - this is the longest training run I've done since September (which is why I haven't signed up for the long course this Sunday). Not quick but a reasonable effort; didn't feel any of the flatness that I have the last few days, so hopefully I've got rid of whatever I had, and was moving reasonably well, particularly in the second half. Didn't tire significantly either.

This was a chance to get properly back into my old home turf for the first time this year. The south side of the top end of Darebin Street is now mostly apartments (constructed or under construction) and I suspect that eventually the owners of my old block will get an offer too good to refuse. A reasonable number of people out, many of them doing things associated with Mother's Day (such activities in our family took place on Friday night, before my parents got on a plane for Norway).

Got out for a run this morning but still fairly borderline, not so much with respect to injury, but still feeling very flat - only had one sub-6 kilometre and my watch still told me it would take me three days to recover from this (I intend to try to prove it wrong tomorrow). Checked out a recent local landmark, in the form of the Alphington Street roundabout, where there was sufficient local disgust at the removal of two trees to facilitate gas works a couple of weeks ago that the riot squad had to be called in to protect the workers.

A busy day thereafter, with some election campaigning in the morning (with the most positive reception I can remember since the equivalent weekend in 2007, for what it's worth), then being involved in a community water forum out at Sunbury in the afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised that the latter involved community engagement (they're developing a plan for Sunbury's future water needs) which was almost entirely constructive and didn't involve anyone saying that Sunbury wouldn't need any more water if we sent all the Muslims back to Muslimland (or something like that).

Late start after an overnight teleconference and subsequent (relative) sleep-in. The forecast was rather bleak and my original plans involved the indoor pool at Ivanhoe, but around sunrise saw this part of Melbourne in the eye of the storm and it was fine to go outside, at Northcote. Didn't feel as if I was pushing that hard, but good to get a session under my belt (and didn't feel quite as run down as I did yesterday).

Plan A was a run in the morning, but I felt flat as a tack in the morning (and pretty sleepy through most of the day too - hope I'm not getting sick) and a bit sore too. Plan B was a session in the evening after getting the train home, but this was scuttled by Metro (or to be more precise a "police request near North Richmond"), which meant I got home with insufficient time to get to the pool and back before a 7.30 meeting. Plan C was to try to squeeze a short run in before said meeting, and test whether my back is up to handling evening runs again with no preparation, but that question was answered in the negative. Better luck tomorrow, hopefully.

Another sign of progress: a return to doing something bearing a vague passing resemblance to speedwork, the All Nations intervals. Only did a set of 6 this time, and a good 5 seconds or so slower than I've been historically, but you have to start somewhere and I didn't feel any significant injury issues.

Warm-up and down. Definitely an early start (it was barely light) so that I had time to move on and be one of those annoying people who tries to thrust election literature into your hand as you're going to the station. The mood was good, and it probably would have been better if we'd known of the Daily Telegraph's spectacular own goal.

The trip reached its finish line today, and after dropping my aunt (who's been good company for the last 10 days) back to her place in Albert Park, I had enough time to get a swim in at Fitzroy before my somewhat-deferred session of Attack of the Killer Physio (who was impressed how well I'd held up over the trip). Swim itself was a bit on and off; drifted out of it a bit in the closing stages. It was dusk, but my goggles made it look a lot darker than it was.

The drive southeast was easier than it would have been a few hours later; a massive duststorm hit Mildura (and presumably other parts of the Mallee) with the front in the late afternoon. (I do have past experience, on the way to Easter 1997 at Broken Hill, of driving that road in a duststorm; it's not a lot of fun). As it was, the tailwind was just enough to reduce my fuel consumption by around 10% (at least I presume that was the reason).

Last time I came this way was on the way to Easter 2015; at that time, the Sea Lake motel was on the market for less than I'd just paid for my Fairfield house. Would have been a good investment as it turned out; Sea Lake has become the epicentre of an unlikely Chinese tourism boom, thanks to photos of the Lake Tyrrell saltpan at sunset which went viral. (Wonder if they'll discover Island Lagoon one day?).

Early session in Coober Pedy, out along the Oodnadatta road - didn't seem to get very far but distance can be deceptive in this country. This takes you past some of the old-school bits of Coober Pedy (i.e. people living in randomly dug holes in the ground); when I last visited in 2013, I had the sense of a place some decades past its glory days, but it doesn't seem to have declined any further since. The run itself was reasonable by my recent standards, and handled something which was a familiar experience in my Heidelberg days - an uphill finish (of sorts).

The first 250km of today demonstrated that we missed absolutely nothing in 2013 by doing Glendambo to Coober Pedy in the dark (the only interesting sight was four caravans in a circle at a rest area; perhaps they had read too many accounts by early explorers and were anticipating an attack by hostile natives?). From there it was getting distance behind us, and gradually getting into more settled areas (towns less than 100km apart? ABC radio reception?). Finally saw something we hadn't seen in nearly 5000km since the Swan - a running river, even if it's one which is running less than it should be. Staying at Renmark tonight - fittingly, on a boat.

C • Nothing 3