Training Log Archive: blairtrewin

My ambitions have increased a bit in recent months and I thought, with a free Sunday, it was time to start to get closer to doing proper long runs and commit myself to something (as opposed to extending being a bonus if I was feeling good), heading out to my old home territory in Heidelberg and the east side of Eaglemont before coming back through Wilsons Reserve. The first 5k was reasonably hard work, mostly uphill and mostly into the wind, but felt good enough that I thought the run might really get going on the other side. That didn't really happen; handled the rolling middle section OK, but struggled later and my quads (which I don't think liked the long Darebin Street descent) felt just about ready to give up the ghost on the short sharp climb out of Wilsons Reserve. At that stage I was wondering whether I'd make it home without being reduced to the walk of shame, but managed to see out the last 3k, and even felt confident enough to do a bit extra to take it out to 90 minutes.

The wind was making its presence felt elsewhere too; it must have been a rather boring quarter for the full-forward and full-back stationed in the northern (upwind) goal square at Pitcher Park, 100 metres away from anyone else.

And I've probably run Darebin Street several hundred times before, but today was the first time since I've been keeping track (online) of such things.

This made it my biggest week since early 2018, by quite a significant margin (5k beyond the previous benchmark from early April). Definitely knew that I'd been doing some work through the remainder of the day.

Event: Bendigo Bush 7 - Tappit Hen
 

Another Neil special that we've been waiting for for a while, the Tappit Hen map at Tarnagulla. The main feature of this is one long gully with a lot of mining features (but flatter than these often are), for which we warmed up with some reasonable gully-spur before coming across the town (during which, somewhat to my surprise, it turns out I added Loddon to the list of LGAs where I've completed streets). It was an interesting area, although I suspect there's a limited number of options for making use of it.

My run was reasonable but not much more - dropped about 90 seconds on #14 and a couple of smaller wobbles elsewhere, always felt like I was going pretty slowly (not least on the parts of #13 that didn't involve elephant tracks), but found the distance pretty straightforward (and don't seem to have done myself any damage on a fall coming into #3). Found quite a bit of mud in the later stages, but didn't really get rained on while I was running.

It's been pretty cold in Melbourne (and southeastern Australia more generally) this week. The local fruit and vegetable shop plays an American online radio station as its choice of music, and it seemed a bit odd to come in from the cold to be greeted by a US Forest Service ad on how not to start wildfires (Smokey the Bear did not make an appearance). Perhaps the US Forest Service should have been listening to their own advice, because a few weeks ago they managed to start what has become the largest fire in New Mexico history (which is still going) while attempting to do a prescribed burn.

C • Prescribed burns 2

Early Friday session. Not bad by the standards of these; moving pretty well except for the requisite tightening up around the 5-10 minute mark (quickly settled down), and rolling along quite nicely in the second half, although fairly slow. First sighting for the season of the cold northerly wind (generally a June and July phenomenon), but still reasonable conditions for running.

Finished off some loose ends to complete Princes Hill, the tenth completed suburb (though some of them aren't terribly big). This also completes all of the City of Yarra north of Alexandra Parade, so I guess I'll be going south next time I do a run from the pool (which may be a while, given that most of my Friday runs these days are from the office, and this is the second-last Friday before I go away anyway).

I'm sure other members of the Royal Family were deeply distressed that Prince Andrew had to miss this weekend's festivities through a positive Covid test.

Moved into the water, for what is supposed to be a relaxing recovery session and performed that function more than adequately today.

The occasional session from Fishermans Bend in advance of dropping the car off for a service, visiting some of the bits I haven't been to on previous sessions of this type (and not noticing any heritage-listed smells in the process). Hard work at the start but settled nicely after the first 10 minutes, and ended up being at the better end of the scale for my recent runs - could have happily gone further but was running late.

Now that's the last month of the financial year, what we'll describe as "minor capital works" were to be found in some abundance, making footpaths an obstacle course in spots. Further out I got to places where there were no footpaths, under repair or otherwise, and one short stretch which I don't think was intended for pedestrians at all (but I needed to brave it to link up two other bits).

Didn't quite manage to step from the past into the future, but did step from the past into the present.

Plans bounced around a bit today as they can on a work-from-home day with lots of rain (not, admittedly, by Sydney or Brisbane standards). Ended up going out at lunchtime in pursuit of some of the areas on the east and south side of Hays Paddock. Run was a bit of a grind, but coped with the numerous small(ish) ups and downs without too much drama, and missed most of the showers (although there was one right at the end).

The count increased to 2013, the year of the three Prime Ministers (not the only one of its type, but most of the others involved a deputy serving for a few days/weeks between an incumbent's death and a leadership ballot for the replacement). Not sure whether this will be the last one before I step into the future - depends on how tomorrow works out.

At least most of the participants in our elections accept the result. This is more than can be said of the US, where a candidate in the Republican primary for governor of Georgia, one Kandiss Taylor, is refusing to concede defeat on the basis of massive alleged election fraud. It would have had to have been massive to make much difference to her chances of winning - she got 3.4%. (She had already attracted my attention for her slogan "Jesus Guns Babies" - clearly some people weren't paying very much attention during the bit in Bible studies about taking the Lord's name in vain).

South Wharf intervals before work (partly for complicated logistical reasons to do with other activities in the day, partly because on cold outbreak days the conditions are often best early in the day). Felt a bit slow and hard work on the ones into the wind, but gradually got going (65-68). Back tightening a bit later.

Since I was last here, the waterfront along here has sprouted a series of statues of endangered species, ranging from gorillas to polar bears. Didn't spot any of urban Liberals.

Warm-up and down. The GPS was doing a few particularly creative things in the inner city today (no, I did not do a 400m section with two river crossings in 45 seconds).

This brought up 30 hours for the month, a target I've had a couple of near-misses on in the last couple of years but haven't actually achieved since 2017. (Running distance was slightly below that of March, with a few orienteering events in slowish terrain part of the mix).

C • River crossings 1

Monday morning Pilates - a smaller class than usual (perhaps the others were scared off by the forecast, although I'm not quite sure why). Seemed reasonably standard although the instructor thinks I'm improving on some of the more challenging exercises (not so easy to perceive this myself).

Moving onto the pool. This was reasonably routine too. It was evident on arriving at work (from the emptiness of the bike area) that my colleagues had paid attention to the forecast, but perhaps insufficiently detailed attention because if they had, they would have known that the generally most reliable model predicted (accurately) that most of the rain would be between 10am and 5pm.

The commute home was lacking in serious rain (there was more moisture from the road than there was from above), but it did feature a display of infrastructure disdain for cyclists of a sort which is rare in the inner suburbs (much more common out in tRicky country) - a pub which has built an outdoor dining area into the Napier Street path, thus (a) forcing said path into a 45-degree kink downhill between the new building and a traffic island and (b) meaning that cyclists and pedestrians (one of whom I narrowly missed) can't see each other at the Johnston Street intersection. Definite Cycle Facility of the Month areas. I'm amazed the Yarra council allowed it (assuming they did and the pub hasn't just gone and built it illegally).

C • Cycle Facility of the Month 1