Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Event: Victorian Badge Event, State Series, Mia Mia
 

Went out early because I wanted to get back for the football (shouldn't have bothered as it turned out). Ran as if my mind was elsewhere, although it wasn't until the later part of the course that this actually cost me any time. Drifted on the vague 11th leg, then didn't have the necessary concentration on the short legs at the end. Didn't really have the speed today that this area demands, either. Haven't seen all the times but Liggo was 4 minutes ahead, which doesn't surprise me.

Victorian orienteers (at least Melbourne-based ones) are very used to the Calder Highway corridor. After 13 years of travelling it I noticed that the Jacksons Creek estate at Gisborne has finally sold all its land (or given up) as the 'LAND SALE' sign has gone.

Good in the first half, a bit less so in the second. Went a bit longer than I normally would on a pre-State Series Saturday because tomorrow's going to be relatively short (and physically easy). Came across Warren for a bit around halfway near his place.

Thought of the day: is there anyone ever in the recorded history of the universe who has ever paid full price for a Persian or Turkish rug?

C • cracker 1

Return to swimming. Shoulders got a bit of a shock at being asked to do a bit more work than they'd become accustomed to, but apart from that it was fine.

Returning after a month away gives one the chance to see what's changed in the neighbourhood. Not a lot of progress seems to have been made on various Docklands buildings (must be all the rain that fell in my absence). The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group's flagship, the Robert Hunter (presumably not named after the cyclist), is still at the wharf at the end of Latrobe Street (rumour has it they've run out of money). The Eastern Freeway traffic jam still starts at much the same place and it still feels good to ride past them all on the adjacent bike path (it will get worse when the Scoresby freeway opens next year and feeds more traffic into it). The flowers have gone from the intersection of William Street and Flinders Lane.

Mentioned my post-driving ankle soreness to my doctor yesterday when I saw her and she didn't sound in the least surprised. No signs of trouble on that front since Saturday.

C • Splits 3

Starting in the dark again was a bit of a culture shock, but on the whole this was a pretty good run, flowing nicely, especially in the middle stages. Getting a good run with the traffic helped. Started to tire a little in the last 20 minutes but nothing to worry about. Definitely a positive from the first proper midweek long run of this training phase. (The timing of races makes things a bit different this year; my plan is to have a reasonably heavy August in preparation for races in early October).

One thing I noticed going past Warren and Tash's old place is that it's become a hotspot of redevelopment - their old house is one of the few in that block which is still standing. Also saw a poster in the Clifton Hill underpass advertising 'Connex for Cancer Day'. I presume Connex is actually against cancer, although given the perversity with which they run some of their trains maybe it's hard to be sure.

C • Connex 3

Back home. A morning jaunt based from Clifton Hill. Nothing particularly special, although a nice morning for it.

Noticed while crossing the Heidelberg Road bridge across Merri Creek a plaque 'CRB 1936'. I know Melbourne was smaller in 1936 than it is now, but I'm still surprised an installation in Clifton Hill was the responsibility of the (now defunct) Country Roads Board.

C • CRB 2

Lunchtime session around the Tan. Pleasant despite the wind. Not a huge amount has changed there since I've been away.

The Mona fartlek session in Port Fairy along the beachfront. A fairly nondescript run at first but got pretty good by the end, with some real zip on the last few intervals. Did some fairly hard work into the wind at times. Port Fairy in mid-winter has the feel of a British seaside town (although the food's better).

This was the last leg of the trip; I got home tonight (after a few final deviations along the Great Ocean Road, into the Otways, and through Colac so it no longer had the status of being the only Victorian town larger than 5,000 that I've never been to). It's definitely been an interesting four weeks (and 8,573 kilometres). Naturally it makes me want to think about next time - I have tentative thoughts about 2009, when (a) WMOC's in Australia so there's less reason to go Europe and (b) I come up for long-service leave.

Headed south-east from Adelaide today, which naturally meant a visit to Cantara - not too long as this was supposed to be a recovery session, but still nice to go there. I'd heard on the grapevine that the area had thickened up to the point of being potentially unusable. It has thickened up in places; the area is not unusable, but parts of the present map may be (at least without very careful course-setting, given how critical the gaps in the green are to route choice there). Went out to the beach at one stage - definitely a wild and woolly place in winter (even on a clear and reasonably calm day). The run was OK, although I wasn't particularly aggressive in the terrain, in an area where you need to be if you're going to run well.

Millicent seems quite proud of its (very large) wind farm. My boss (who grew up there) will be pleased. I wonder what magical property the 141st parallel has which makes wind farms non-controversial west of it but hugely controversial east of it?

The end of Kevin Sheedy's coaching career led me to reflect on one of my most interesting sporting experiences. In the early 1990s I got the opportunity (thanks to a great-uncle who was a premiership player in the 1940s) to spend the pre-match in the Essendon rooms. With my main exposure to football being through media stereotypes, I was expecting a lot of fire and brimstone, but it wasn't like that at all - rather he was spending a lot of time one-on-one with individuals, using a particular angle with each of them (I recall him saying to someone - Darren Bewick, I think - that he was a chance of being picked for the state team if he had a good game). Certainly gave me some broader insight into sports coaching at the highest level.

C • Cantara 5