Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Victorian Long Championships at Chinamans Flat, Linton. The first time I came here was one of the top five runs of my career (the 1995 WOC long trial), but 24 years later I arrived just hoping to get around the course.

Spent 90 minutes running the pre-start before my run; I wasn't sure whether standing for that period of time would be a plus or minus, but liveliness felt in the warm-up suggested the former. This lasted as long as the first substantial hill which my back disagreed with (and there were was a small wobble on #1, too), but it was OK on flat and downhills, and it ended up turning into a decent run on the level and downhill bits (I walked all significant hills, partly in the name of minimising the chance of blowing up). A couple of long legs but didn't see much in the way of significantly non-straight options on either; the first took me past the bushfire memorial, and towards where firewood was being chainsawed enthusiastically (no idea whether it was legal or not) next to #5. (I was half-expecting the control to be missing, but it was undisturbed, presumably on a we'll-ignore-you-if-you-ignore-us basis - logic also applied, so I'm told, to encounters with IRA training activities in 1980s Northern Irish events). Felt pretty good on the control-picking section through the last 10 minutes.

There was only one other M45 starter so I picked up a comfortable win; Ed Steenbergen was a bit under a minute slower in M50 on the same course. (Ed was 3.5 minutes ahead of me at 8 but lost time on several of the more technical controls late in the course). Based on his M21 kilometre rate I expect Bruce would have been in the low 50s. Still, I haven't managed to get through anything like this since June, so I'll take it as a positive going into next week.

Thought we'd picked up some local produce at the presentations, but Snickers bars are not amongst the products that Mars makes in Ballarat.

A new coffee shop (which I haven't yet put to the test) has appeared on the freeway near the eastern exit of Ballarat (next to the decrepit-but-still-functioning Leigh Creek roadhouse). Am I the only person whose geographical sensibilities are offended by the fact that a business calling itself 143 Degrees East is actually much closer to 144 than it is to 143? (It's actually at 143.957; 143 degrees is just east of Ararat).

C • Truncation 2

Since I haven't managed to complete three days of running in a row since my illness, I decided not to try to tempt fate by making the Victorian Long Championships the third (I'll have no choice next week) and went out for a ride instead - a bit later than I might have done otherwise after sleeping in following a 4am teleconference, and didn't check the radar before going out (of which more later).

Headed out to the top end of La Trobe Uni via Ivanhoe and Macleod. A fair bit of climbing in the first 5km (much of which used to be part of my standard commute home); I'm not sure whether it's opportunism or just coincidence that the bike shop near the top of the climb out of Darebin Creek was prominently advertising e-bikes. (Another ad I spotted was from an Ivanhoe manchester shop - unlike its Fairfield counterpart, not closing down for the last four years - which offered instruction in how to fold fitted sheets; I'm glad I'm not the only person who has trouble with this). Part of returning to once-familiar territory is seeing what's changed and what hasn't; the empty building site near where Lower and Upper Heidelberg Roads join is still just as empty as it's been for the last decade, although it has new signs saying it's (not) being developed by a certain SBG Group (I would speculate that these letters might well stand for Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou).

A few spots turned into heavy rain about 20 minutes in, and from there it was hard going, with slippery pavement and often squally headwinds until turning south. At least it woke me up, which was something which needed to be done. Not especially cold, and definitely not the heaviest rain I've been out in on a bike (that would be the 17mm in 5 minutes last December), but unpleasant enough. More comfortable in the final third, with the rain easing (and tantalising blue sky just out to the west) and a tail wind, and I was just starting to think I was just about home when abruptly jolted by an Australian September scourge. (Looking at a crowdsourced map of attacks - it's 2019, of course there's one - I'm by no means the first one to have encountered this particular bird). The encounter was significant enough to draw blood, and given how wet it was my face was well decorated by the time I pulled in.

(Speaking of magpies, the stereotypes were alive and well in Northland later in the day - spotted someone in a Collingwood shirt carrying a slab of Jim Beam and with a visibly incomplete set of teeth. He's probably somewhat displeased now).

C • Swooping 9

Not sure where that came from, but this was what I would have classified a year or two back as a normal run - it's an indication of how hard the last few months have been that it seems a triumph. Still, I'm happy to have it on the board, with no sign of injury apart from a slight hint of hip soreness at times, and significantly less slow than most recent runs. I'd attribute it to the warm morning (21 at 7am), but if that was the reason then I should have had some good runs in Guangzhou. Makes me a bit more positive about the near future (while the afternoon marching activities made me a bit more positive about the more distant future).

You learn something new every day: the Industrial Workers of the World (whom I knew chiefly from Year 9 history for getting banned in Australia during the First World War) still exist. They had a banner at today's march.

I thought they way I felt in the pool last night wasn't encouraging, and so it proved. At this rate I'll be happy just to get to the start line for a reasonable proportion of the races in the next fortnight.

I'll probably be tired for reasons other than exercise in the next couple of days: an OA Board meeting and three work teleconferences in the space of two nights (the last of them at 4am Saturday). At least this gives me some work hours in lieu which may or may not be put to good use during the early afternoon hours of tomorrow.

Artificial intelligence not always so intelligent: one of my colleagues has been doing a search on ultrasounds, and has subsequently been deluged with the sort of ads you'd expect to be directed at a mid-30s woman who's searched on ultrasounds. (This particular ultrasound is on her wrist).

Switched from a morning run to an evening session in the pool, but felt a bit stiff even then, particularly later on, which is a bit of a concern.

Tropical Storm Imelda was threatening the coast of Texas today. I suspect there were many headline-writers out there who were trying to work out how to work in a shoe reference.

Useless information of the day: as of late 2016, there were 406 roundabouts in Canberra (and over 3,800 in Melbourne). Canberra's notoriety is probably because more of them are on main roads.

C • How did the ABS get the roundabouts to fill out the Census? 5

Back to pilates after a break through the combination of absences and centre renovations (took me a while to work out where everything was). Took a while to loosen up, but not too bad on the whole. As usual, I come out hoping that it will do me some good.

Normally I'd follow pilates with a swim (or alternatively do one in the evening), but having been in the water yesterday I wanted to try a run. Doing it immediately after pilates didn't work out, so instead I decided to give a lunchtime run a go - first time I've done this in months. Started out OK, back seized up on the small rise to the Yarra bridge, but knowing that the rest was flat I decided to press on. Gradually improved, although didn't really settle down properly until a traffic stop 25 minutes in, by which time I was almost ready to finish. Nice to get this one on the board, unconvincing as it was - and maybe some Killer Physio work in the evening will help with forthcoming days. At the moment, I'd be more than satisfied just to get through the five major events of the Oceania carnival.

Money in sport (an occasional series). In last night's Premier League game, Norwich City's starting 11 cost 6 million pounds, Manchester City's starting 11 cost 406 million pounds. Norwich won :-).

C • I thought you’d like that result! 1

Flew in about 8.45 - slept 3-4 hours on the flight despite having a middle seat (almost everyone seems to check in using an app which appears to only be available in China, so those checking in at the airport get stuck with the dregs). Took to the pool for a post-work swim after a not-spectacularly-productive day; took a long time indeed to get going but was finally feeling reasonable by the last couple of laps.