Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

I was looking forward to a run on a quiet rural road with a backdrop of Mount Roland. There was no backdrop of Mount Roland because of low cloud, which became fog as soon as I went uphill a little (Nowhere Else was nowhere to be seen), and the rural road wasn't quite as quiet as I expected because there's rowing on this weekend and it's evidently known to locals (and probably to Google, because Google knows everything) as a shortcut to Lake Barrington, but that didn't spoil things too much. Nor did my condition spoil things too much with the calf holding up through a sterner test than the last two days, although the hills were hard work and a bit of hip soreness on the last climb dissauded me from trying to take it out to an hour.

The afternoon event was as such things should be, a celebration of a life (one far too short) - having Hannah's uncle as the MC was definitely a good choice. Renewed acquaintances with various Tasmanian school team members of a few years ago (and got a bit of IOF business done in the background as well).

Still at a stage when stringing days together is enough without trying to do anything too special. A bit of initial creakiness but reasonably steady after that; the Darebin Bridge path isn't a bad spot to run (even if it's an option we've waited 20 years for).

Headed to Tasmania this afternoon for Hannah Goddard's memorial in Launceston tomorrow (I guess most of you know by now of her passing last weekend). Getting to Launceston with Jetstar on strike required a certain amount of lateral thinking - with flights from Melbourne to Launceston either booked out or charging north of $800 one way, I ended up flying Rex to Burnie (then had to change it to an earlier flight after I'd booked because the car rental places at Burnie airport aren't open for Saturday evening or Sunday morning arrivals).

And since he hasn't posted it himself, it would be remiss of me not to note Mr. Invisible's spotting of the quote of the week, from Detective Acting Sergeant Fisher of the Bendigo police, who opined that firing bullets into someone's bedroom at 4am in a drive-by shooting was "not in the spirit of Christmas".

C • Spirit of Christmas 3

Uncertain early but ended up settling down OK - think the dirt track on the east side of Darebin Creek (which feels bushy even though it's in the suburbs) is always good for my morale. Calf fine.

Continuing to look spectacularly hot next week away from the coasts (and pretty hot even on the coast). Today's model runs had 49 next Friday in Murray Bridge although the official forecast isn't quite that bullish (yet).

Another one of the dreaded 3am teleconferences (at least this one didn't go on for too long because several of the others were keen to get to a 9am conference session in San Francisco); sort of got back to sleep after it but woke up to find that both my calves (not just one) were pretty tight, so took to the water instead. Slightly squeezed for time to make sure that I got out before a school carnival arrived, but it seemed to work OK. Didn't even feel that sleepy during the day.

At least street-O (Wattle Park) wasn't a total fail this week, in that I actually managed to get around a C course, somewhat unconvincingly. Some nice legs early on in the park itself (including a couple of bits cross-country through a patch of forest). Didn't feel as if I was exactly running fluently, but managed most of it OK; my physio's advice with the calf was not to run steep hills so I walked bits of 12 and 16 (both late in the course) - the calf held up OK so that part, at least, worked.

I'm enjoying the cool conditions while I still can; it looks increasingly like Australia is going to experience an exceptional heatwave next week, although seabreezes should save Melbourne from the worst of it. Our current model runs show the record for the highest daily maximum temperature averaged over Australia being broken on each of the four days from Tuesday to Friday, with possibilities of places making a run at 50 degrees through outback South Australia (conceivably even as far south as the Riverland), western NSW and southwest Queensland.

C • Australia next week 1

Morning Pilates session. Went more or less to plan. Also had another session on my calves this evening; the physio thinks it's hills setting it off at the moment (which makes sense to me given where it's flared up), so I'll be cautious with those for now.

Tried to get out for a run at lunchtime but it didn't work out. Having seen the forecast, I suspect this time next week will not be pretty for such an exercise - will want to enjoy this week while it lasts.

Rearranged the order of things this week - normally I'd swim Monday but my bag went astray last night (turned out it had gone to Melbourne but had been delivered to the wrong luggage belt) and my goggles were in it, so did a session which didn't require them. This ended up as a reasonable session; more people around than usual, even though the temperature hadn't yet moved far along the road to 38. (Lots more when I rode past at 6.45 on the way home).