Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

A sparkling morning, of the cool, brilliantly sunny variety - enjoying this while it lasts because it won't be too long before a brilliantly sunny early morning means a day well north of 30. Also threatened to be a sparkling run at times in the first half-hour, but gradually faded away. Plenty of hills in this one as I traversed various streets of Ivanhoe and Eaglemont dropping newsletters in letterboxes.

Random sight of the day 1: about 20 motorbike riders on the side of the road in a back street of Ivanhoe. One might imagine they were about to head to Phillip Island, although they were leaving it a bit late if that's where they were going.

Random sight of the day 2: an ageing van with an equally ageing 'Condoman' sticker, one of the features of the late-1980s anti-AIDS campaign (other highlights included the bowling-ball ads and the Redgum song 'Roll It On Robbie').

Daylight saving started today, with the unsurprising result that the streets were more barren at 9 on a Sunday morning than they usually are.

Will be based in Bendigo for most of next week, running the Bureau's stand at the Elmore Field Days.

Felt much better on this run than on most others this week - a decent sleep probably helped. Even felt a bit of strength on the climb back up towards my place.

It's a bit of a novel experience to be at home on the first weekend of October - from memory I think the last time this happened was 1986. A few days ago I was wondering what I'd do with myself but the weekend seems to have filled up quite effectively (although much of the filling-up involves non-riveting activities).

Normally things are timed fairly precisely on a Friday morning. Leave home around 6.57, get to the pool about 7.38, jump in around 7.46, and then move on to the masseur right on 8.30. Things didn't quite go to plan this morning - I got to the pool to discover that I'd left my bathers at home, and therefore retreated to a local cafe (not something in short supply in Bridge Road) to fill in 45 minutes. Meanwhile the masseur was also filling in time because his previous appointment was sick and didn't ring me because he assumed I'd be in the water. At least the hot chocolate was good and I read a paper I'd been meaning to read for the last couple of weeks.

In the end the swim started right on 7.46 - it's just that it was p.m. Not a bad session and let out a few tensions on a Friday evening. I've been feeling pretty down this week, partly because I think events on Saturday both on and off the course got to me, partly because it's been a bit frustrating at work too (although that's largely self-inflicted). Left shoulder a bit sore in the last couple of laps.

Just heard an ad for National Walk to Work Day (which is today, apparently). Not sure how large the potential audience of people who are travelling to work in the time slot between 10.15 and midnight, and how many of them are intending to walk, but I guess it's the thought that counts...

Another day and another rather mediocre run. Never felt especially comfortable although settled at times on the flatter section. Hills, even small ones (and there weren't many big ones on this route), weak throughout. No worse at the end than the beginning. First time for a while I've done a Thursday long run in 100% daylight (and the last time for a while too because daylight saving starts on Sunday).

The honeymoon must be over - I saw my first piece of anti-Rudd graffiti today. As it was in the People's Democratic Republic of Thornbury I suspect the PM is not left-wing enough for the graffitist's liking.

Also spotted on the way into the work - a real estate sign advertising an "Iconic Melbourne Property" for sale. The property in question is the Top of the Town - one of Melbourne's better-known brothels.

A reasonably pleasant run, although a little weak on the hills. A bit of a nothing session and not particularly fast.

Another addition to great headlines of our time: one from the Canberra Times about an ACT election promise to improve services for young children with disabilities. I assume it was meant to say 'Labor funds play therapists', but what it actually said was 'Labor funds play the rapists'.

One might imagine that current events in the U.S might encourage a certain portion of society to head for the hills with lots of tinned food, guns and ammo, so I noted with interest that the only company on the whole New York Stock Exchange whose shares went up on Monday was Campbell's. Didn't see how the guns and ammo manufacturers went. (Perhaps these people will be able to put their Y2K stockpiles to good use).

And spotted outside a pub on the way in to work: a sign 'Coming Soon: New Friendly Staff'. Not exactly a recommendation to patronise the place with the current staff.

Not one of my more glorious efforts. Vaguely promising start but fell away badly after the top of the hill, with hint of a stitch, as well as a certain amount of CBF factor once it was obvious I wasn't going to post a meaningful time. Quite windy, but I didn't slow down this much on the day back in April when the headwind was gusting to 110 km/h instead of today's 50.

Km splits: 3.35, 3.45 (uphill), 3.42, 3.42.

At this time of year I'm mostly trying to hold things together for another couple of weeks to see out the last big races of the season - on this evidence the edges are definitely fraying.

To/from the Tan.

I've been in a bit of a quandary deciding what training to do in this period. The season isn't over for us yet - we have Victorian Long and Middle Champs in three weeks' time (after which I'll have a couple of reasonably easy weeks before launching back into full summer mode). I've settled for moderate volume but fairly high intensity.

This morning was the first stage of this - a hills session based on the lower part of Walmer St in Kew (10 uphill reps of approx 1 minute, jog downhill recovery). Picked this location as I've got something on in the area after work. (I seem to recall Bruce using this location at some stage for another reason - there's a playground at the top of each rep which would make it possible, at least in theory, to keep the kids occupied and do a proper session at the same time).

Didn't feel like I was going that fast on the hills, but did manage to shrug off some early stiffness and ran a reasonably solid session. Didn't see any suddenly impoverished residents of the eastern suburbs throwing themselves in front of heavy vehicles or such like.

It was a late return last night, but not as late as the last time I flew home from an Australian Champs (2006, 2.45 a.m), and I didn't have to do a briefing for the Prime Minister on my first morning back this time either. In fact I had the luxury of a slightly late start (a relative term which meant a 6.15 alarm rather than 5.something) because of a 9.00 appointment to collect the books from the OA auditors.

Went to Ivanhoe to do a bit of recovery. A reasonably smooth if unspectacular session. There are certainly a few war wounds from the weekend; scoreboard as far as I can tell are a bruised elbow, a bruised hip, various scratches from a face-versus-lantana altercation on the way into 24 on Saturday, and a lump from an ant bite on my ankle while waiting in the changeover area to start my relay leg. If you want a pretty face or legs you're in the wrong game.

One episode from Saturday I neglected to mention was an encounter with one of the locals (of reasonably mature years) who said that it was about time young people like me did some of the work, or words to that effect. I was pretty offended by this and I think he has probably worked out that I was offended (and I was still wearing my running number so mistaken identity isn't an excuse). It was a reminder that whatever respect I have amongst the hard core that frequent these pages doesn't extend to the broader orienteering community.

C • classic 11

A fairly easy lunchtime session around the Tan in the absence of a Monday night session this week. Rather on the slow side although traffic hold-ups explain part of that; felt ordinary early but better later on. A slight variation to my usual route because of a gathering for Police Remembrance Day; I didn't think jaywalking in front of a couple of thousand police was a brilliant idea. The speaker as I was going past was expressing the apparently worthy sentiment that 'we are the people's police'. He probably doesn't realise that the People's Police (or Volkspolizei in German) was the name of the force responsible for maintaining law, order and repression in Communist East Germany.

Not surprisingly, brown and gold was much in evidence around the Melbourne CBD today.

C • ...you don't believe in res... 3