Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

From time to time, a classic road trip run for me has been to pick a random side road and go for a run along it (and back, unless there's a willing accomplice to do a pickup at the other end). This was the first time for a while I've done one of these - my target was the area around Specks Gap (sadly there doesn't seem to be a Spicks Gap), a set of cypress pine-covered hills which had interested me on previous trips through, about 35km west of Forbes on the road from West Wyalong.

My original plan was a loop back through the Carawandool State Forest, but when I saw the "Declared Hunting Area" signs I thought that venturing into there on a weekend probably wasn't a great idea, so instead it was a straight out and back on a deserted dirt road - didn't see a single vehicle on this run (which didn't stop the road from getting some federal funding according to a sign part way along). Settled into a pretty decent run, and as with Friday there was a string of kilometres in the 5.30s once warmed up, so maybe there is something to the straight lines/not many buildings thing. Tired a bit in the last few minutes.

The rest of the day was heading to Gunnedah (via Forbes-Parkes-Wellington-Dunedoo-Coolah). I expected that evidence of last year's floods would be considerable on the roads in this region and it was (if not quite as bad anywhere as the pothole-fest coming back from last year's NSW Championships), and one road (which I hadn't thought of as a trouble spot) was the subject of contradictory information as to whether it was actually open - turned out it was passable for cars but one damaged causeway would be too narrow for trucks. One bit of my planned route later on was actually closed but that one was definitely an optional extra and easily avoidable.

As unsurprising as the potholes has been the evidence of regional Australian labour shortages (possibly particularly acute on a Sunday). At the place I had lunch at in Wellington, the age range of the visible staff appeared to go from about 15 to 8 (in case you're wondering, this is perfectly legal in NSW, although I suspect the 8-year-old was a family member of the owner). Dinner was at licensed premises, where they don't have the option of employing people for whom the tooth fairy is still an irregular income source, and was very slow - I'm going to get through my supply of books pretty quickly if it's going to take the best part of two hours for a meal most nights.

The first step of my trip northwards was to take in the Bendigo event at Sedgwick. Not always feeling at my best but on the whole a reasonable run, if shown up for pace by plenty of other people (and would have been shown up more had Aston done more than a few controls, although it's good to see his comeback under way). Still not running many of the hills. Felt quite dry and dusty around the finish, by no means the last time I will experience this in the next four weeks.

(I realise I haven't posted here what specifically I'm doing - a trip across north-central Australia, postponed from two years ago, to hopefully collect five of my eight remaining unvisited sites).

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent on the road (except for that part of it which was spent eating at a Narrandera pub) - this being familiar territory, I was happy enough to cover some of it in the dark, ahead of shorter days and less familiar territory from the middle of tomorrow onwards. It's certainly less waterlogged than it was six months ago - the inland sea between Deniliquin and Jerilderie is definitely no more.

1 - Splits

Getting some follow-up work done on the car today before heading away so went for a run which looked something like the one I was planning to do last week, clearing most of the remaining bits of Fishermans Bend north of the freeway. This took me into the westernmost end between Westgate Park and the river (where the punt is), and was a bit more pleasant than I expected - plenty of street trees and proper footpaths, neither of which are a given elsewhere in the area. The run was a bit more pleasant than I expected too once I got going, a little longer than I'd planned and a little quicker than I'd planned - it's the first time for a while I've done a string of kilometres below 5.40s (though I wonder how much of this is the GPS performing better in an area of long wide streets and low-rise buildings - guess I'll find out in much less densely settled places soon). Back the best it's been this week, although a bit of tightness in the last 10 minutes.

Heading off in the morning but haven't really packed properly yet (an IOF Council meeting this evening was one remaining commitment).

Intervals was the plan, but I've been struggling with the back all week and today was no exception. Loosened up enough for a slow run at least, on a day when it was very nice to be outside (not a lot of these in Melbourne lately) - I'll be getting more used to sunshine, of the warmer variety, soon.

Got a lot of things done today at work, too (which clears my must-do-before-going-away pile, with some inroads into the nice-to-do pile as well).

Back was tight enough in the morning that I abandoned my original plans of trying to do intervals this morning and instead switched my original Thursday plans to today (to be honest it probably fit better with my schedule anyway). Loosened up somewhat once in the water and on the whole this session went OK. Slightly annoying drizzle from time to time.

It's the first time I've ridden in from here for a bit. Some of the construction sites are gone, some aren't, people still do things like leave rubbish skips on the way, and I saw a crowd gathered across the road from a new apartment tower under construction to watch what turned out to be a show on behalf of someone who really should be paying more tax.

Headed out at lunchtime without great expectations. The first 10 minutes were hard going but after then it settled down nicely. Covered the southern edge of the CBD (I couldn't work out at the time how to get to the Federation Square car park access road, though I have now), then back through the CBD proper - which means I can now tick off Flinders and Collins (and have even managed to convince my GPS that I've done so). Not too many traffic interruptions or pedestrians paying more attention to their phones than their surroundings.

I'm definitely glad that I wasn't attempting to drive out of Docklands tonight (it's often messy in the late afternoons but is considerably messier due to various construction work). Perhaps I should be similarly glad that I'm only going to spend two weeks of the next three months in Melbourne.

C • Good idea 1

In Canberra for a night and a day. Staying in O'Connor so decided to run some controls from last week's ACT park/street event, reacquainting myself in the process with sub-zero mornings in Canberra (at least I remembered my gloves). Not the most convincing of runs with back often troublesome, but nice to be back exploring some once semi-familiar territory, and even had a lollipop man stop the traffic for me outside a school (I don't recall lollipop people being a thing in Canberra when I was a lad, although maybe that was just because Aranda's main road had an underpass).

Somewhat weirdly, I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore shoulder which stopped me from getting back to sleep for a while. It was fine by the morning (I assume I fell asleep in a position which was awkward for it).

Got home a bit earlier than I'd planned on because Qantas offered me an earlier flight (I suspected, correctly, that the scheduled last flight of the evening that I was booked on was one they would rather not run).

Early Monday morning Pilates for the last time in a while. Was pretty stiff this morning (both in the back and elsewhere) and think I would have struggled to run, but this worked out OK once I had loosened up a bit (could have possibly done without jumping straight into the bit that involved weights because the other bits of equipment in my rotation were already occupied). Getting darker again in the mornings.

Looks like I (and my colleagues) have once again made a First Dog On The Moon appearance.

Onwards to the pool on a "nice once you're in" morning (although the showers had just about cleared out by then). Didn't feel especially convincing but worked out more or less OK, picking up a bit in the second half.

Up to Canberra for the night (and day) tonight.