Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Closest approximation for a while to a Proper Thursday Long Run (right down to starting it in complete darkness, which meant the first half in the suburbs). Felt more awake than I was expecting early on, but a slow first half-hour or so until it got light. Settled well after that, never quite as good as the best parts of Sunday, but a steady run and felt like I had plenty left at the end. A few hints of minor hamstring discomfort later but not at a level to be too concerned about (I hope).

Spotted three council workers out early at one point. Not sure what they were doing, but I assume it wasn't anything to do with gas because two of them were smoking.

C • Council workers 2

A step further on the comeback trail; my first attempt to do anything faster than a jog since January, and the first successful one since last year's nationals. Certainly wouldn't call it a full-on intervals session - probably wouldn't have been going faster than 4.30 pace for 20 30-second reps, the objective was simply to see whether the body could cope with that. The answer was generally positive - some slight discomfort in the hamstring, but nowhere near as bad as it was when I last attempted to do intervals at Christmas (nor did it pull up sore afterwards). A generally positive session - notwithstanding rep number 16 being spoilt by a large, overly friendly and illegally off-leash dog.

Warm-up and down. Even slower than I'm used to for this session, but it's a start.

Expected this to be a wet-weather run (and wore my back-up shoes accordingly), but the rain had more or less stopped by the time I went out, although it was still very humid. (Most of the day's rain ended up falling in the space of 10 minutes in a mid-afternoon storm). No injury concerns and didn't feel like I was struggling that much compared to some runs this year, but very slow for no obvious reason.

I'm sure you're as shocked as I was by the Herald-Sun's front-page exclusive this morning that there were drugs at the West Coast Eagles in the 2000s.

Felt pretty good this morning and it showed in the pool, a couple of minutes faster than I usually do (involving my occasional remembering that I have two arms). Lots of colour was loitering with intent on the radar to the north but most of it didn't make it to the central city until I was already at work. (Today didn't end up producing much, but tomorrow should).

Pass the popcorn time: the Australian Olympic Committee presidential battle is on like Donkey Kong. It appears we don't get a vote in this (all national sports organisations can become members of the AOC, but only current Olympic sports get votes), which at least means the inevitable ferocious lobbying will be going elsewhere. (I'd spent the swim thinking about things we could usefully ask of the candidates before looking up the constitution later to find out about our lack of a vote).

Had a go at trying out how I was post-work today, but the answer still wasn't great (despite feeling better whilst actually sitting, after a bit of reorganisation of my desk).

C • Ding Ding battle 2

Good to get something under my belt which at least bears a vague passing resemblance to a proper Sunday morning long run, done with an early start to avoid what will probably be the last proper hot day of summer. Somewhat mundane through the first few kilometres climbing up into Heidelberg (getting a reminder as I went past the old place that being here during railway construction, which started in earnest this weekend, wouldn't have been a lot of fun), but felt pretty good on the next stretch along the Yarra Flats to Wilsons Reserve - probably as good as I've felt on a run this year (not a very high bar to clear). Tailed off a little in the last 15 minutes but still reasonably satisfied with this.

I was at a gathering later in the day where Bill Shorten was introduced as "the next Prime Minister of Australia". This indicates a level of confidence in the chances of the present incumbent surviving to election day which I'm not sure is warranted.

Had a couple of feeling-inadequate moments later - first on hearing that Seb Dunne had ridden 600km in less than 24 hours to open the Indian-Pacific race (as the name implies, a ride from Perth to Sydney), then with the news that Michael Milton - who will be well-known to Canberra people - is training to do the Ultra Trail 50 in the Blue Mountains. This may not sound particularly extreme in its own right except that Michael only has one leg.

C • Feeling inadequate 2

A bit earlier than I'd usually head out on a Saturday (just early enough not to be caught up by the parkrun people), on a somewhat autumnal morning, down into Yarra Bend. Not feeling especially awake at times, but OK on the injury front.

The rest of the day was then spent at a series of Labor policy workshops. Often going to these means you learn something new - and today's bit of insight is that under the current contracts, the State Government doesn't actually have any control over where bus routes are, how often they run or what their timetables are (beyond a fairly minimal guaranteed level of service) - this is all up to the bus companies. (The Government intends to do something about this when the contracts are up for renewal next year, which will no doubt result in said companies squealing like stuck pigs and their squealing being amplified 100x by the Herald-Sun). This goes a long way to explaining why there is no co-ordination between buses and trains, and why the Mornington Peninsula route only runs every 50 minutes despite the fact that it's so routinely overcrowded that at peak hours your chances of getting on anywhere north of Dromana are somewhere between minimal and non-existent.

C • Trains 4

Back still struggling this morning, and by the time I worked this out I hadn't left myself with enough time to do anything else before going to work, so instead headed for a rare evening swim at Fitzroy. Started promisingly, drifted out of it a bit but found a bit of a burst for the last lap (i.e. I swam one lap in roughly the same time that it takes a friend's 7-year-old to swim two).

Thought it might have been crowded but this evening, although clear, is one of the cooler ones we've had in recent weeks and the crowds were fairly thin.

Riding has had its moments over the last couple of days. One memorable one came this evening, when a driver decided to follow me rather than do his own navigation (a not totally unfamiliar experience for me on the orienteering course). He was last seen attempting to reverse back off the Harbour Esplanade bike path.