Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Back into the bush with another of the Bendigo Saturday events, this time at Lockwood. Actually finished for the first time in three attempts here. It wasn't always particularly comfortable - I definitely had to manage my back and was walking modest hills I should be running - but probably better than my last couple of events. Hip OK despite some soreness beforehand. A bit wobbly at times, although I'm not convinced all of it was my fault - I think #1 was probably a bit too far down the gully, which then put me on the wrong angle for the short #2, then I got confused by an unmapped track coming out of #8. Probably not more than a minute all up, though.

The preparation for this was not exactly optimal: my schedule for last night was get up at 11.55 for a midnight meeting, find out it had been put back an hour, attempt to get a bit more sleep, have a session 1-2.30am (was surprisingly awake for this), try to get a bit more sleep, have another meeting 5-8am, and then try and snooze a bit more (without success). I don't think I'll have anything quite as bad as that this week, though not sure as yet. Held out OK for the run but was definitely flagging on the way home - was glad someone else was driving. (And yes, I know that new parents have to do this every night for months - I don't know how you do it).

Despite a few glitches this week, this was a big month - most I've run in a month since February 2018.

C • #1 2

Course 1 - Splits

Hip still sore today, although it had started to settle during the afternoon so hopefully it will be OK to venture into the bush tomorrow (having looked at my updated overnight schedule the rest of my body may not be quite so OK for that purpose). Instead did a swim late in the day, which turned out to be surprisingly good - certainly significantly faster than most of my recent ones (i.e. I was doing 100m in less time than it takes the Olympic swimmers to do 400). Perhaps I was subconsciously absorbing something from what I was watching on TV? Pretty dark by the end of it and I was a bit surprised they hadn't turned on the lights yet, although my goggles do make it look darker than it actually is.

Speaking of Olympic swimming, they ran their mixed medley relay yesterday (a first): the order of the strokes was fixed but the teams could allocate which strokes they allocated their two men and two women to (and hence their order). Interesting idea tactically (though probably made the race a bit harder to follow); would probably only work for orienteering if the legs were equal lengths.

C • Medley relay 6

Didn't have a 5am meeting today but my body clock must have adapted because I woke up at 5 anyway. That at least meant I was properly awake for this run. A bit uncertain in the first 10-15 minutes but settled OK after that, on a hillier route than most I've done in recent times (and certainly struggling less on the hills than in most other runs in the last couple of weeks). Felt at its best in the last 10 minutes, always a good thing for a run.

Hip flexor and hamstring both fine during the run, although the hip has pulled up a bit sore again later in the day. Indicative of my recent upswing in training volume, this is the seventh (and probably last) time this month I've reached 10km/1 hour; I managed 11 for the whole year in 2019 and 13 in 2020.

Today's colouring in was in Ivanhoe, filling holes on both sides of the ridge (I've now finished everything south of the railway line). I'd always thought of Noel Street (the one which goes past Ivanhoe Girls Grammar) as being particularly steep - our regular use of it goes back to when my grandparents lived nearby - but my watch tells me it's 8%, which is not that exceptional (and more than matched in several other parts of the area).

Some hip soreness today (which may or may not have been a residual of a hard physio session yesterday evening), but a plan B was available today which hasn't been available for the last couple of weeks. One of the windier days I've done this on (although it was dry while I was there), which pushes you around a bit (and cools things down). Hamstring feeling a little sore in the last 10 minutes.

Work slotted in nicely around sport today; the rowing and swimming were happening while I was in the midst of running some code which took 5-10 minutes a time, so I could set it going and then turn my eyes elsewhere.

The IPCC meetings got under way in earnest today. A 4.40am start for me was certainly a lot more appealing than a 4.40am finish was for the Europeans, but by the time we got to the end of the day's proceedings, it was getting close to 1pm, I'd been sitting for most of the preceding eight hours and was tossing up whether I'd go out right away and have a very late lunch, or leave it until later in the day and risk being sleepy. Neither was a recipe for a great run and, taking the first option, I didn't have a great run, but at least I made it through.

As flagged earlier, I did the remainder of the northwest corner of Thornbury which I'd saved for the next lockdown - just have one small pocket of the suburb to go between the railway and St. Georges Road, plus a couple of streets on the other side of the railway. Started near the Aborigines Advancement League (the first and third words of this name indicate that the organisation's been around for a while), and while walking to warm up had a good look at the mural I've seen many times driving down St. Georges Road.

Morning Pilates session. Left hip was a bit sore overnight but turned out to be worse lying on it than being active (still not sure I would have fancied trying to run on it). This being a one-on-one session it was harder to be lazy with any of the exercises.

Lunchtime ride on the Heidelberg loop. Felt like hard work at times, especially into the wind (which was non-trivial) but probably an improvement on last week's equivalent. Felt a bit tight when I started but that quickly settled.

The new aged care facility at the southwest end of the Ivanhoe shops is almost finished. On the other side of the road, there is no construction progress but at least the name of the developer on the signs has changed. Their banners claim the site is on one of Ivanhoe's highest peaks, which makes me wonder if I was imagining the fact that I was riding uphill for most of the following two kilometres.

A Sunday run, longer than a minimum-acceptable-effort but short of what I'd hoped for. Back was a bit marginal and was triggered a bit by hills. There were a few to test them as I headed down to Yarra Bend (lots of people around the Studley Boathouse area), but left them behind as I headed around the teardrop (partly because it touches on the edge of a 3km circle, one of my current targets). Struggling at times in the second half - notably after the sharp climb off the Yarra onto Trenerry - but did handle the grind back up through Yarra Bend from Clifton Hill OK. Pretty sore in the afternoon afterwards.