Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Event: NSW State League #2 (badge)
 

NSW State League race at Connorton. This is a nice area - a fair bit of granite, mostly open forest but with some grazing land. It's a bit overmapped but I managed to handle it for the most part - I've certainly seen far, far worse (after all, I grew up on 1980s ACT granite maps).

Not entirely confident early on but hit things OK, and running built up as the race went on. Wobbles in the circle at 4 and 9 but only 20-30 seconds at each. Kept expecting to see Shep on my shoulder (he started 2 minutes behind me), then after halfway thought he might have pulled out. Finally saw him at a crossover about 75% of the way through, and thought I was just in front of him, which was an extra incentive for the end. (It turned out he'd lost a lot of time at 2).

I seem to be making a habit of claiming significant scalps at this venue (last time it was Julian) but Julian wasn't about to see it happen again - he cleaned the lot of us up, doing 61.

C • did u see him or hear him? 2

Event: NSW Sprint Champs (NSW SL1)
 

Easy sightseeing cruise around Griffith in the morning, ending up at the top of the unoriginally-named Scenic Hill. Not a bad view and would have been a better one had it not been raining (it was the first time I've run in rain for ages, although it had just about finished when I went out). It's not exactly a huge mountain - about 50m climbing - but there's nothing bigger to the west until you're well across the South Australian border, so I guess they can be forgiven for getting excited about it.

7th in the NSW Sprint Champs. Didn't miss anything but again too slow. Had hoped to at least defend a 3-minute start on Julian but didn't quite do it. I don't seem to be able to get the most out of myself in these races, when one compares to running races. It's a similar time to what I do for the Tan, and 3.05 ahead of me on the Tan puts you in Craig Mottram territory. Julian's good but I don't think he's quite that good.

Pretty good map for a sprint - certainly a complex set of buildings on the University campus - just a couple of dead legs in the middle. The campus is a fair way out of town, perhaps because they need to keep the uni students and the army boys apart (the main boot camp for the Australian army recruits is 10k out of town in the opposite direction).

Up in New South Wales for a few days, initially for work (speaking to the conference of the NSW Rural Lands Protection Boards in Hay), then the two NSW events on the weekend.

When looking for somewhere to stay somewhere between Hay on Friday morning and Wagga at Saturday lunchtime, I decided on Griffith, mainly because of its reputation for having the best food west of the ranges in NSW. (Based on a sample of one this reputation is deserved - best pasta I've had in years). I haven't been to Griffith for a very, very long time - so long that the last time I was here Donald Mackay was still alive. (Younger readers may need to ask their parents who Donald Mackay was).

I thought I might have been asking for trouble going swimming just after the end of school on a hot day (Griffith and Hay both set records for the latest date in autumn that it has ever reached 100F/37.8C), but the local kids did a pretty good job of staying out of the lap-swimming lanes. Nice to have some time in the cool water on a day like this, and felt pretty good during the swim.

A pretty solid effort, particularly after a hard day yesterday. Moving well for the most part although lacking a bit of strength on some hills; handled the late climb through Eaglemont well, though.

Last dark long run for a bit (daylight savings ends this weekend) - in fact probably the last run this long until after Easter. A foggy and very humid morning - drenched with sweat after it.

The Tan (turned up on the right day this time). Started slowly and gradually built in - in a good pack for a lot of it which helped. Didn't quite finish off as well as I would have liked. Warm and humid, no wind. Felt strong uphill but split not spectacular. An OK time but certainly nothing special, and suggesting that I've got a long way to go to be in the low 13s (let alone anywhere near Bruce's 12.49).

Splits: 3.33, 3.42 (uphill), 3.32, 3.29.

Jog to/from the Tan.

I might have got away with doubling up three weeks ago but it didn't work this time. Realised fairly early on that I wasn't going to win on speed tonight and split on route choice, but all that meant was that Adam was chasing me with a control in hand. The extent of my ambitions by that stage was to avoid being 'lapped', which I managed (just) before going sideways to get the extra control. About a minute down.

8x400 on a 2.5 minute cycle at the Clifton Hill track. Quite similar to last time - very slow start (83) but down to 76 for the last few reps. Felt a bit lactic (and hint of stitch) on the last couple but still held the pace which was good.

Had to deal with a strange foreign substance during the run - I think this is the first time I've experienced it running since New Year's Eve. It was starting to appear as if rain, like coral reefs and crocodiles, was something one had to go to the tropics to experience.

C • rain 1

Routine Monday morning swim after spending the early morning cooking in preparation for tonight. At Collingwood this time because Fitzroy's been taken over by people who do three laps in the time it takes me to do one (and that's the female breaststrokers). Water a bit warm for comfort but otherwise good.

For reasons best known to Yarra City Council they chose the foyer of the Collingwood pool to display the plans for the duplication of the Clifton Hill rail bridge (a cause close to the heart of Bruce and myself, and anyone else who commutes from that direction). Looks like they're putting a new deck on top of the old one.

MFR Monday night run from my place. It was Canberra Day so I made this as a theme, dragging my old early-90s ACT Academy O-top out for the first time in more than a decade, running through the Burley Griffin estate at Eaglemont (after some nice bits on single-track along the river - last time for a few months we'll be able to do this on Monday night), and finishing off by doing a lap of a convenient local roundabout. Also had a few distinctly Australian items of food. The overseas contingent in MFR didn't quite understand what I was referring to when I said to BYO fireworks and X-rated videos (no-one did).

The run itself was quite pleasant, at the usual relaxed Monday night pace.

C • canberra day 1