Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Spent most of the first half of this run thinking I'd be lucky to get to 30 minutes, let alone 60 (I'd hoped for 70 but quickly adjusted expectations). The back was giving a fair bit of trouble but not enough to actually stop me (though I was taking a break at anything which looked like a significant road crossing; it was as well that there were no ambitious hills here). Gradually eased up from the middle of the run onwards and felt reasonably normal for the last 15 minutes, so good to get this on the board on a day when things weren't going all that smoothly (and to get a solid week's total on the board in a week when things weren't always going smoothly).

Today's target was Clifton Hill, starting with the southern half - still have some way to go here but made some progress. The first part down through Yarra Bend was well populated despite the chilly morning.

Back to familiar territory in such situations, Eaglemont Flats, using the same course I've used the last couple of times (the navigation is a desirable part of it but the real interest here is getting to run into the terrain). A reasonable run and continued signs of incremental improvement - a couple of minutes faster than February - though the green is still pretty hard to get through, as it always is here. Starting to get pretty muddy on the single tracks near the river, and still a couple of ponds which I think must be left over from floods last year. Wasn't close enough to the inner city to see any wildlife.

C • Euthanasia 1

Still felt too tight to run in the morning, and not brilliant before I started in the evening - thought the best I could hope for was a minimum viable session, but it actually turned out considerably better than that - certainly the first time for a very long time that an evening run has felt reasonably normal. The degree of difficulty was low - it was more or less flat - but I'll take this. Slowed down a bit at the end as it got darker.

One of the streets I collected today bears the name of a politician who's been giving us some grief. I resisted the temptation to make any rude gestures in the vicinity of the sign (not that there was anyone around to see them anyway).

And it's taken eight days from the start of this lockdown to see the first letter in the Age from someone complaining about the alleged health hazard posed by runners.

C • Running health hazards 2

Had thought of running longer this morning but the time was going to be squeezed by an 8.45 ABC interview, and I felt distinctly unenthusiastic (and a bit stiff) when the alarm went off at 6.15, so instead settled for a run tomorrow (hopefully) and a lunchtime ride. (Think it would be fair to say that I was feeling flat in life in general today).

It was a nice lunchtime for a ride - plenty of sunshine, although not as warm as yesterday (which was the warmest June day in Melbourne since 2005, something which slipped under my radar a bit). Had a bit of a hamstring twinge early which was a bit of a concern, but it feels OK walking afterwards so hopefully it will be OK running tomorrow as well.

Doing what I did in lockdown last time and going out to explore a bit within the 5km circle but close enough to its edge to be out of range on a normal run. The plan here was to do the north-south streets in the westernmost block of Thornbury. Bit off a bit more than I could chew at the start - there are a couple of sharp hills coming up off the east side of Merri Creek, which weren't ideal when not properly warmed up - and the rest of the run suffered a bit for that, although it was starting to improve in the last quarter as it flattened out.

Looks like all my plans for June have gone by the wayside. Not sure when the next chance will come.

Lunchtime intervals was the plan, but felt a bit of left hamstring tightness on the first couple of reps and decided not to push it any further - I've had enough experience with this not to take risks with it.

...but that was transitory: it seemed to be able to cope with slower running fine, to a sufficient extent that I felt confident enough to add some extra to the return home to get the total session time up to something more or less respectable.

Posted today by a friend in regional Victoria:

"Me: I’d like to change my home phone plan.
Telstra: Certainly Plan A will provide xyz.
Me: Sounds great, sign me up.
Telstra: What is your address?
Me: Strathlea Rd, Strathlea, 3364.
Telstra: Please hold while I set this up.
25 minutes later
Telstra:Thank you for waiting. We are unable to provide a home phone to that address.
Me: I am calling from my home phone at this address.
Telstra: Please hold while I try again.
Another 25 minutes.
Telstra:Thank you for waiting, we definitely can’t provide a home phone service to that address.
Me: Well I am calling from my home phone at this address.
Telstra: How long have you had the service?
Me: My grandparents had the phone connected to this address in 1926, my grandmother operated the local telephone exchange from this address until 1968, then we switched over to an automatic exchange 5 km down the road, so my family has had a phone at this address for 92 years.
Telstra: Oh, there must be a problem our end, I’ll get it fixed and call you back. Do you have a mobile number?"

C • Missing bits 2

Back on the bike for training (as opposed to commuting) for the first time in a while on another frosty morning - the gloves were definitely necessary today. A minute slower up the Heidelberg hill than usual but I'm not sure whether that was a product of the cold conditions, not being used to the bike, sleeping atrociously last night or some combination of the above - didn't feel like anything was particularly untoward. Fairly quiet outside as you'd expect in the circumstances.

I got some new running shoes the weekend before last (the old ones are not quite dead yet, but I anticipated they wouldn't last the trip when I was anticipating a trip). I haven't actually worn them yet but they've already cost me a Covid test - Northland at the time I was buying them was declared an exposure site (fortunately the lower tier, when you only have to isolate until a negative result). The queue at the Repat was predictably nuts but they suggested I go to Tullamarine, which seemed slightly left-field, but 30 minutes' drive each way plus 15 minutes waiting for the test was a lot better than hours waiting at Heidelberg, and the result (negative as expected) was back by 9pm.

C • Was the queue at our local ... 30