Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

In Canada now. Raid the Hammer was on but I thought 3 hours on my first day in the country was a bit ambitious, so got hold of a map through Hammer (Mike) and went for a run on that. The area was used for the 1986 World Cup - decent gully-spur terrain. I hadn't orienteered in a deciduous forest in winter since 1989, so took some time on the first leg to reacquaint myself with the basics (like that most of the green on the map didn't exist, and that fallen leaves can hide everything from tracks to small rocks to marshes). Pretty good technically once I'd got the hang of that. Also reasonable physically, although glad that I wasn't going much faster or longer. Quads pretty good most of the way but started to struggle a bit on the last hill. Also reacquainted myself with mud, something I haven't seen a lot of in Australia (or Europe for that matter) this year.

Thanks to Mike (Hammer) for organising the maps - I really appreciated the chance to get out into the terrain.

For the first half, the best run since my return. Quads much better - the massage yesterday definitely made a difference. Tailed off a bit in the second half - maybe the usual frantic preparation for going away caught up with me a bit (as usual, I didn't really start packing until 6 a.m. on departure day).

Now in LA airport, which means I've made it into the US OK (only hassle was a succession of long queues). 6 hours and I'll be in Toronto. Feeling OK so far.

C • the club 5

Fairly slow and shortish run. Quads still pretty ordinary but a bit better than yesterday, especially in the second half, on quite a hilly course. Had a massage afterwards and I think the masseur was quite taken aback by the state of them.

Back to revisit an old friend, the 5.15 Thursday morning alarm. If nothing else it will help with doing the adjustment to North American time on Saturday.

Quads still not in good shape - you know they're not in good shape when you start going down stairs sideways and find it easier to run than it is to walk. (You know they're really bad when you start going down stairs backwards - definitely not at that stage yet).

Apart from that it was quite a reasonable run. Never really comfortable because of the aforementioned quads, but the rest of the body seemed to be working pretty well. Avoided the hills this time.

C • Backwards 1

First crack at Melbourne street-O for the season. Quads felt much as they did on the equivalent evening last year, which is a bit of a worry because on the equivalent evening last year I was coming off the Four Peaks. Not quite sure how one 57-minute run after a two-week layoff compares with three 1000+-metre climbs in successive days, but that's the way it worked.

The run itself wasn't too bad, although never comfortable. Got the critical route choice right at the start, although the price of that was being on my own for the entire run, something which tends to be either a very good or a very bad sign. There wasn't much real opposition (Adam Scammell really was coming off the Four Peaks, Tony Bird ran a shorter course and Bruce obviously used up everything he had at the Tan at lunchtime) so I probably wouldn't have had anyone to run with for long anyway. Actually made a bit of a mistake at one point, starting up the wrong street for 30 metres or so after coming across a big stretch of parkland at it.

Street-O often brings a bit of interaction with the locals, and so it was tonight as we had quite a reception committee waiting for us at 10, including cups of water and kids offering to punch our cards for us. I took up the first offer but not the second. Noel McVey, who punched just in front of me, said he took the opportunity to tell the parents to vote Labor. Personally I'll be impressed if they're sober enough to fill out the ballot paper correctly - definitely had a feel of Bogan Central about it.

C • Bogan Central 6

Back in action after a couple of weeks out - I was aiming for a Cup Day return and made it. It wasn't particularly pretty but then it rarely is the first run back after a layoff (and this was more ambitious than usual for the first run after a layoff). Hint of elbow soreness early on but that quickly disappeared. My inside has obviously got out of practice at being shaken around - felt like I was about to explode for the last 10 minutes.

Had a nice collect on the Melbourne Cup (Maybe Better each-way). I've had four wins and three other places in the last 15 years - perhaps I should do this more often? Rob Garden certainly suggests it from time to time. I used to detest horse racing in the days when its principal function was to interrupt cricket or football on the radio, and my interest still rarely extends beyond Cup week.