Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

Early once again for a Monday, but this time from Fitzroy rather than from home (and in substantially better weather). Once again, what seems to be the inevitable slow start (a first kilometre split with a 5 in front of it is pretty rare for me these days), but generally not too bad, and not much post-race stiffness from yesterday - perhaps an indication that I might have been going a little within myself? (It probably didn't hurt that the return trip was so smooth too - got back 25 minutes early which isn't bad for a 95-minute flight). Occasional twinges in left calf, as there were all day, but these had no impact on my running.

Think this year's Australian Sprint Championships venue might be in the news a bit this week.

Second leg of the Monday session. Not a bad session and seemed to go faster than it usually does (on a day when I was feeling pretty good generally).

Event: NSW State League #6 - NSW Long Distance Championships
 

NSW Long Championships at Gumble. A respectable run, not as far behind Lachlan as I expected (although I think that might say a bit about his run too), and just behind Eric to miss out on the placings. A pair of fourths from the weekend but today was definitely better than yesterday.

The area has become a fair bit thicker since 2001 (the last time I was on this part) - lots of regrowth, which you can generally get through but reduces the visibility. This makes things even more challenging, especially since over a lot of the map there isn't a great deal of definition in the contours. Started slowly - back wasn't quite 100% early on - but got through the first few OK, only dropping 15 seconds at 2 which I don't think was quite on the right side of the rock (Lachlan caught me there). Was with Daniel Hill (who had a common section) from 3-5, then catching Simon Rouse as we broke out into the open from 6-9. Went through him at 9 and continued to plug away fairly solidly, until dropping 30 seconds or so at 14, the start of the long leg. Heard but didn't see someone coming in there who I suspected was Jock (4 minutes back). Took the high route on the long leg, was a little high into the control (another 30 seconds or so) and saw Jock coming through, with Simon with him. They were too far in front for me to go after them and I couldn't have matched their speed anyway, but I still ran the last section reasonably well. Seemed to be running fairly slowly and not super-aggressively in the rough terrain, but still generally happy with this. It will be 30% longer, probably, next weekend which raises the degree of difficulty a bit....

For those of you who didn't make it: you missed a good one. Gumble has always been a good area but the lower visibility now makes it an outstanding one, reminiscent in places of the Bermuda Triangle section of Kooyoora. The vegetation needs a remap (most of the smaller clearings are gone), but this is now one of the best three or four areas in the country in my view.

C • Gumble 1

C • #2 4

Hard 1 - Splits

Event: NSW State League #5 - Rocky Falls
 

NSW State League at Rocky Falls. Not one of my better days physically - a weakish run, particularly up hills (13 was a lowlight in that respect), which had the sense of being about to get sick (hopefully that isn't what it means). Dropped 30 seconds or so at 6 and 13, both times not seeing the rock (in terrain where the rock was fairly scrappy and it wasn't always easy to tell what was and wasn't mapped). Didn't really feel as if I had my terrain legs either, which sort of makes sense because the area had quite a bit of fallen timber and low undergrowth, and I haven't run in much like that since Tasmania. 8 down on Lachy, which probably indicates that he was a bit below par too.

Glad I wasn't driving (and that I don't have to do the trip too often) - crossing the Blue Mountains and onwards to Bathurst is scenic, but the road leaes a fair bit to be desired (especially when there are as many roadworks as there are at the moment).

The Simone Niggli award for ridiculously good performance by someone who is allegedly retired goes to Jo, who won W21 by four minutes (and had the second-fastest kilometre rate of anyone, although I think they missed out on the steepest part of the map).

C • Roadworks 2

Hard 1 - Splits

Felt like any stiffness was working its way out during this session (not that there was too much to start with). Generally felt a lot better for a decent night's sleep. Not a lot of people around today, and a few showers to further drive the non-hardy away.

Couldn't spend three consecutive weekends within the state borders; off to NSW Championships weekend tonight.

Update: it seems the banana tax was misreported - it's actually a far less significant 0.75c/kilo.

C • I was hoping! 4

In a fairly heavy training block at the moment which this was consistent with; I think it's my longest midweek run (in time anyway) for three or four years. Some similarities with this time last week, slow going for the first hour (though never as sleepy as last week) but then picked up after that and was pretty happy with the last third. Not the most challenging of courses, starting from Northcote and taking in the northern suburbs lakes (Edwardes and Coburg); I continue to really enjoy the forested patch on the west side of Merri Creek north of Normanby Road, even if it was a bit slippery.

Not a lot of speed at the moment but I'm definitely happy with my endurance at present; as with Sunday, I felt like I had something left (and like Sunday the fastest kilometres were at the end).

Quite proud of my multi-tasking today; I managed to get a whole presentation written in the time I was on the phone to Origin Energy to sort out what needed to be sorted out with my electricity and gas.

Street-O at Belmore, using it as intervals practice (which always confuses those around). Didn't feel as if I had much strength trying to go hard uphill and was a bit lactic on the last couple, but reasonable otherwise. Not as hilly as it can be here, and a bit on the short side; not massive amounts of route choice either with only minor variations between people as far as I can see.

Put my warm-up to good use: checking out potential post-run eating places.

We await news of what's happening to our Sports Commission grants post-Budget, but one of the less publicised Budget measures is already bad news for the orienteering community - the carbon tax and the mining tax may be history (at least for now), but we now have the banana tax. This impost is a 75c/kilo levy, being raised in order to fight the good fight against the spread of banana freckle disease.

Slow and unenergetic this morning - not one of my better days, though not totally awful. Pushing myself reasonably hard at the moment on a number of fronts which may explain some of that (the number of accumulated boxes downstairs is growing slowly, apart from the two full of local Labor archives which I offloaded at a meeting tonight). The ride in was pretty hard work too into the wind, and seemed to last forever (it will be 15 minutes shorter soon, unless I choose to extend it).