Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

This was an event which almost didn't happen. In a triumph for the centralised permit system, we'd been given a permit to use the area - as had the Sporting Shooters undertaking a fox shoot. Even without our presence, letting shooters loose on an area close to town seems a pretty reckless thing to do (there are plenty of ways into the forest and plenty of locals who use it, but as far as we know only the main entrance was signposted) - at least when the Canberra kangaroo cull was on no-one was left in any doubt where it was.

(This did remind me of another unfortunate clash of events which I've probably mentioned here previously - at the Canberra showgrounds between the 1988 ACT junior road 10k championships and a street machines meeting. It was necessary to hold one's nose passing through the cloud of burning rubber on each lap, and I'm assuming the lead women got some enthusiastic "support" from the street machines crowd).

The event eventually got under way about 20 minutes late. Browns Reef is a very fast and open area (especially at its south end); the course was on the long side for a Bendigo Saturday but that wasn't surprising. Got under way nicely but felt sudden pain in my hamstring between 2 and 3. It didn't seem to be impeding my running much and continuing on the course for a while was almost the shortest way back anyway, so I decided to press on and see how it went. The answer was that it didn't get any better but didn't get any worse either. Pretty clean technically, just a little hesitant coming into 7 and a little high into 8 (although that was a map issue). A pretty tight bunch when I finished with five of us within 3 minutes, although Ben Goonan later took 4 minutes out of all of us. Strangely enough, it's my first time in Bendigo this year (even the February event was in Heathcote).

Reappearance of names from the past: last week it was Emma Prime, this week it was Ross Slater.

The Campaspe was as high as I've seen in for a long time on the way up, although not enough to warrant a flood warning (unlike Cooper Creek, which is now forecast to produce major flooding at Windorah - depending on what that flood does as it moves downstream I may have to cut out the Cooper Creek/Innamincka part of the trip and go straight from Tibooburra to Thargomindah). Went through a cold and heavy shower around Kyneton and thought about going over Mount Macedon in pursuit of snow, but the skies had cleared by then. The trip did put me in mind of another regular diversion on the way back from Bendigo which I won't be doing any more...

The hamstring is definitely still sore tonight although hasn't tightened up as much as I expected. The suddenness of its onset and the fact that I was still able to run effectively (unlike the ultralong, where I lost all uphill power) makes me wonder if it's a more standard strain rather than a recurrence of my trouble from earlier in the year. Don't think I'll be doing 2.15 tomorrow, although I'm hoping I'll recover in time to be able to do exploration runs on the trip; that's part of the fun.

C • Diversions 1

A somewhat oddball day - perhaps symbolised by waking to pouring rain, and getting out into by far the most humid conditions ever in Melbourne in July (dewpoint was a July record by 2.6 degrees, although 15.8 is still tame by Darwin standards), although the rain had just about stopped by the time I got to the pool.

My employer has decided, in its wisdom, that anyone going overseas has to have a full medical, and part of the deal was not eating after midnight (I found out when I fronted up at 3pm that they actually meant eight hours, so I could have had breakfast after all). Wasn't quite sure how my body would respond to the rare experience of doing exercise on no food but it seemed to function more or less OK.

And then I got out to see a missed call from my father, and the news that I've been expecting each morning this week. 91 years is definitely a pretty good innings (and her mind was more or less intact to the end, although she'd become very frail in the last couple of years). Pleased that my last memory of her was her joy at seeing Katinka for the first time earlier on this month.

(That is actually the reason why I'm not hitting the road tomorrow - although as it turns out it's for the best since a delay will give a few more days for things to dry out up north. The funeral's on Wednesday and at this stage the plan is to head off on Thursday).

Slow in the dark part of this but otherwise a reasonable run, feeling as if I had plenty left at the end. Quite a wet run which wasn't entirely expected by either me or my colleagues.

There's been a significant heatwave, even by local standards, in the Middle East the last couple of days (it was 50 in Baghdad yesterday). One of my colleagues pointed out that this is one heatwave which may have a negative death toll - it's too hot for fighting.

My departure north is going to be postponed for other reasons, but that's probably for the best, given that there is currently a moderate flood warning for the Cooper Creek at Windorah with a peak expected around Sunday 31 July.

All Nations intervals. Felt pretty reasonable. A faster start than has typically been the case lately but then didn't speed up as much during the session as I sometimes do. Again a bit sleepy when I set out but fine once properly under way.

Warm-up and down. Seemed to strike every traffic hold-up going (this was also true on the bike heading into work).

Got in pretty late from Brisbane last night (didn't get in the door until 11) and wasn't bursting with enthusiasm to get out the door this morning, but the run went pretty well after the first kilometre - not especially quick but felt pretty comfortable.

Passed a Grylls St at one point. Someone had hung a bear (of the artificial variety) on the street sign.

Saw the splits from Sunday online today. Out of the 11 legs, seven different people won splits. I wasn't one of them.

Fairly easy morning session from Lance and Wendy's. Considerably less hilly than a lot of runs from here, but the climb back over the saddle from Paten Road is still enough to keep one honest. Took a while to get going but handled the climbing OK once it started in earnest. Knee that I took some skin off on Saturday a little sore at times, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Quite humid for this time of year, even for Brisbane.

Heading back to Melbourne tonight. The plan is to hit the road and head back north on the weekend although there are a few variables in this, of which the weather is one.

Local event at Stockyard Creek, on the southeast fringe of Brisbane (those with longish memories may recall its place in political history - a deeply unpopular proposal to build a freeway through this bit of bush contributed to the demise of the Goss government).

The locals I talked to all said this was the nicest area in Brisbane. I wasn't entirely sure whether this was damning with faint praise, Brisbane bush not being noted for its enjoyability, but in fact this was indeed a nice area for a run - generally open forest and decent gully-spur, not especially challenging but good for flowing through. Pretty fast; the big boys would have gone well under 5s here.

Started a minute behind Lance and pulled half of that in by the first control, but didn't make further headway for a few controls - we were going at a fairly similar speed and he got a slightly better line than me at 2. I got through him on a route choice at 6 (lovely leg, running free and mostly downhill), but didn't get away properly until the very end. Drifted a little on 6 and 8 but only 10 seconds or so a time, although that was enough to make the difference - Lachlan Howard (who I think was in the Queensland schools team back in the day) got me by 13 seconds for the win.

C • Lachlan Howard 3