Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

NOL middle on Isaacs Ridge. Not strong enough to cope with a physical course - I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that if I've barely run a hill in training in 6 months then I'm not going to be much good on them in a race.

Steady through the first six - surprised that Grace caught me so quickly when I was catching Rachel, but this turned out to be because she'd taken an unwitting short cut - then made a bit of a mess of trying to pick the green on 7 and ended up about 4 contours below it, losing a minute or so. Also dropped about 30 seconds overshooting 11, a control site created by Australia's most determined car dumper. (Winsplits shows me losing time on 8 and 9 too, but I think I was just really slow across the rocky slopes). By this time the big guns were going through me - Craney, Brodie and Ian (not for the first time, I was a bad influence on Brodie who made a mistake as soon as he caught sight of me) - and I'd seen Simon on the crossover and knew that I wasn't going to achieve one of my pre-race targets, defending 20 minutes on him. Dropped down to the track for the long leg, figuring that since I was going to be walking any significant climb I might as well do it as steeply as possible. Held it together technically for the rest of the course, but didn't enjoy climbing almost all the way back up the slope on the final loop (evidently I wasn't alone in this because 23, a leg I barely ran on, was almost my best split of the day).

The good news is that my hamstring, which was sore this morning when I got up, came through the race fine. I won't be able to work miracles in three weeks, but I do feel enough confidence now to add at least a bit of hills and a bit of "speed" to the mix in training.

Course 1 - Splits

I'm not sure how many times I would have gone out on the eastern side of Red Hill, either training or coaching, between 1983 and 1993, but it was a different experience - the wiggles in the contours on the map of that era were essentially random and bore only a passing resemblance to what was on the ground, so the contours on that slope weren't terribly useful for navigation (except for which way was up and which was down).

This was a sprint on a decent map, and went reasonably smoothly. Struggled uphill as I expected (although not as much as might have been possible, and of course starting on the top helped). Not a lot of speed but perhaps better in that respect than two weeks ago. Only one minor time loss, coming into 10 a little high and dropping maybe 15 seconds or so.

Sprint B final at Canberra Girls Grammar. I've been around the edge of here many, many times (on the school bus, and later on dropping-off-little-sister duties), but I think I'd only previously set foot on the campus twice.

Before the start of the weekend I was thinking my aspiration today was not to come last but it was clear from the entry list that this wasn't going to be a risk, so I readjusted my aim to scoring a point (which would require 15th). A little disconcerted at the start by seeing Simon Rouse confused after starting a minute in front of me, but settled reasonably well. Only one mistake but it was a visible one - ran to the wrong tree at the map change/spectator control and lost 20 seconds or so. Started to fade away a bit in the second half (especially uphill), although that would have made no difference to my eventual placing (18th).

Hamstring pulled up a little sore post-run, although it didn't cause trouble out there. Will need to see how it goes tomorrow.

Something you wouldn't see happen in too many other sports: we were holding the OA annual general meeting today (constitutionally it has to be in March or April and the usual Easter timeslot isn't available this year, so we held a short meeting to deal with the legalities and deferred everything else to a special meeting at QB3). With the presentations taking place during the B final, the start time of the AGM was "whenever the President finishes" (I did take a couple of minutes to change my running top before taking the chair).

There were about 350 people at this event, which we think is the largest non-national carnival event in the ACT for at least 30 years. Being a joint ACT/NSW state league event helps but that's been done before without quite the same crowd. Good to see.

C • 15th 3

Final Course 2 - Splits

Heats Course 1B - Splits

A fairly standard session at Fitzroy - almost but not quite starting in the dark now. Will be glad when the changeroom renovations are over (probably around the time I go to NZ).

I'm unconvinced that too many people care about section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, but one who probably does is the person who drove past with a car covered in anti-Islam slogans. It's probably as well for them that they were driving straight through because I don't think Fitzroy is a place where people would take kindly to a parked vehicle like that.

Headed up to Canberra this afternoon/evening - first time for a year I've done the road trip in this form (and among the last that I'll do it with the exact same final destination). Fairly smooth for the most part although I think I've done a bit to reduce the insect population in the vicinity of Lake Hume. One stop near Violet Town to do a media interview from the side of the road, and another regular stop not quite the same because the Albury La Porchetta is no longer a La Porchetta (although it still does much the same food).

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