St Kilda

Very annoyingly, the injury to my knee reopened and I couldn't run for a week. I'd moved to 4 runs a week and was finding things getting more comfortable. I started back to running this week with a very heavy legged 10km. I started a bit fast and maybe over estimated how far I should have gone to start with. Probably an easy 7km would have made more sense. Anyway, I followed that up today with an easy 12km. After about 48 hours rest, the run today began with pretty stiff legs, but they soon eased and I actually found the run really easy. The plan is to build up to over 40km per week in the 4 runs I plan. I'm currently not working for 2 weeks so this seems plausible. When I get back to work it will be harder to maintain the enthusiasm!

Pigeons playing Pooh sticks

I ran along down to the bay and along to the neighbouring suburb, St Kilda. I'd driven through St Kilda a few days ago and saw a big tent on the waterfront so I went to investigate. Actually, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it might be. St Kilda is a buzzing sea front suburb in the summer but it becomes much quieter in the winter. The tent represented the winter festival and housed an ice skating rink. It's a nice idea, but Australia struggles to really "do" winter and to me it seemed a bit lame.

An empty St Kilda beach on a warm and sunny winter's day

St Kilda has is an amazing hang out for eating and drinking. Acland Street is full of cafes and restaurants, the Espy sits on the top of the Esplanade, which links Acland Street to the other major eating and drinking area in Fitzroy Street. In some respects, St Kilda comes across as Melbourne's version of Bondi in Sydney. Both areas have attracted bohemian and artistic elements, and now attract a young, party crowd. There is a European feel to both suburbs but a darker reputation also exists with drugs and prostitution linked to them.

Personally I can't stand St Kilda in the summer. It is heaving with people, the service in cafes is either rushed or unfriendly, and the suburb becomes badly littered. On the other hand, today in mid winter it was great. The beach was clean, the streets were litter free, and there was space to walk along the paths. St Kilda became a normal suburb, rather than a tourist resort. There were more families walking dogs than skateboard groups and St Kilda beach was beautiful on a mild, sunny day. In some respect it was a shame I was out for a run as it would have been great to hang out in St Kilda today.

Temporary ice skating on St Kilda beach

Spout

I have rather neglected this part of my blog recently. It isn't that I haven't had things to say, I just don't seem to have got round to writing things. So I'm going to make a big effort to post here once a week. So first on the issue of coffee, I have to admit to becoming pretty set in my ways. I have a number of cafes around Melbourne that it is always a joy to go to to have a coffee if I'm in the area: Artful Dodger in Elsternwick, Saloop in Gardenvale, Dundas Street Cafe in Albert Park, Old Paper Shop Deli in South Melbourne, Amsterdam Street Cafe in Richmond, Cafe Nova in Fitzroy, etc. But I'm always on the lookout for somewhere new. One suburb that has had a distinct lack of decent cafes since I've been living in Elsternwick is nearby Ripponlea, which is a big surprise as it is the home of the culinary delight, Attica. Apart from this, one of my favourite Indian restaurants, Bala da Dhaba, is also in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea. So it was with great hope that I went to the relatively newly opened Spout cafe in Ripponlea yesterday. Spout has only been open 3 months and is basic from a decor point of view. The walls are brick and the chairs and benches have little or no padding. There were no pictures or photos on the walls, and I didn't even see a menu jazzing the wall space. However, that didn't belittle the place, but actually made it feel quite intimate, and didn't detract fromt he coffee or food. It seems that more and more cafes are going for this basic look, and it has something to be said for it, in my opinion.

Now, because I'd just pigged out at my friend's, Nick and Zoe (thanks for the brekky), just before going out for this coffee I didn't order food, except for a biscuit with my coffee. Looking at food being served made my mouth water though, which is a good sign. I'll certainly be going back to try either the breakfast or lunch, which had a middle eastern flavour to it. Also the menu wasn't too big, which makes me believe that what is on it will be cooked to a good standard. I always tend to be a bit dubious when the menu is massive and has lots of different influences. The coffee was excellent. My long black had quite a strong acidic hit initially, but then rounded out to a fairly earthy and smooth flavour. It was full bodied and maintained texture throughout. I'd give the coffee an 8/10 and say it was the among best coffees I've had for quite a while. I suppose the main criteria for judging how good a cafe is, should be how comfortable you feel in there. Personally, I found the staff friendly and helpful without being pushy and didn't feel overcrowded or in too open a space. So, all in all, I really enjoyed the ambience and had a great cup of coffee! I also had a melt in the mouth piece of shortbread that will take a few kilometres of running to burn off!

Running

I definitely had a mid year lull to my running program. Earlier I had injured my knee which knocked the enthusiasm out of me. I then picked up a bit before the Puffing Billy Run, but it wasn't the greatest build up, and I didn't pick up my running program afterwards but made excuses to not run. About 3 weeks ago, I had a minor cold and was getting disgusted with myself finding reasons not to run. So I started again on a 3-4 day week running plan with the goal being a half marathon. My running program is not too stressful and I am not running to try to break records, but because I enjoy it! Of course, it is great to run faster, but I'm happy just to jog around and take in the sights as I go. Basically, my weekly plan is:

Saturday evening: long run 10-12km+
Monday morning: slow short recovery 5-6km
Tuesday evening: mid distance reasonably paced 7-9km
Thursday evening: mid distance steady 8-10km

Now my plan is to push these distances out a little. The Saturday run will hopefully get out to 20km. This week I did 15km for the first time and it hurt towards the end. The Monday run will stay where it is. I just jog to the bay which is a bit under 3km, take a break, and then jog back again. The Tuesday run will also probably stay the same as well, while I might try to push the Thursday run out to 10-12km as I get more used to the distances. Anyway, the aim is to run the Great Ocean Road half marathon next year so I will not only have to get used to the distance but I'll also have to get used to hills, as it is apparently a tough course. So there will be no excuses to stop me running. I have to go after work most days and if I'm feeling tired, then I'll just run less or slower. And the weather will be no deterrent. Today was a classic example!

Fog Shrouded Port Phillip Bay

Great Train Race 2012

Yesterday, Sunday 6th May, saw the annual Great Train Race held in the Dandenong hills. And it also saw me get up at a ridiculously early hour, to compete in my first race. The race starts in Belgrave and threads through the hills to Emerald. As an added bonus, a competitor in the race is the local steam train, Puffing Billy, though for me, the backdrop of the beautiful rain forest made the run pretty spectacular.

Rain clouds over the rain forest before the start of the race.

My build up to the race hadn't been too good. Earlier in the week I'd come down with a cold, and on Friday, I was seriously considering not running. But I decided to go along and see how I felt at the start. Well, with the adrenalin kicking in, my cold disappeared and so I decided to give it a shot. The race was seeded into different groups depending on a runner's best 10km time. I was starting near the back of the group and hoping to get around the 13.2km course in about 80 minutes. I travelled up to Belgrave with my good friend David who started in the group in front of me, and there were a further 2 faster groups as well.

David

Me

It was pretty cool at about 10C which was good for running as you were not going to overheat. There were some troubles with getting going for some runners, but from the back the big bunch kept us all fairly tightly packed. The course starts in Belgrave, and heads downhill for about a kilometre before the first of 2 pretty decent sized hills ending in Emerald with a couple of kilometres downhill at the end. I decided to take it very easy over the first downhill bit finding myself close to the back of the field, but then just kept a steady pace up the first hill passing lots of runners in the process. A lot of those runners then passed me back again on the next flat/downhill section which I took again quite steadily, before the second hill which is steeper and longer than the first. This hill took it's toll on runners at the back of the course with lots stopping or walking for a short while (me included) but once it was over, the race was fairly easy to finish even though there was still about 5 kilometre's left.

The buzz of running with lots of other people, and the cheers of encouragement from spectators helps you along, and of course there was the sound of the steam train tooting in the distance. There are 2 trains that race. The first will finish the distance in less than 1 hour which is out of reach of the majority of runners. The second train finishes around the 75 minute mark which is something to aim at (in fact, I will make an effort to beat this train next year). During the race there are a number of train crossings to pass, and as the race goes further the train becomes more of a factor. I was aware of the second train somewhere near me around 8 km into the race, and it passed me just before a crossing at the 10km mark.

All that can be seen is the smoke going into the distance as Puffing Billy passes me.

I eventually finished the race in around 80 minutes, though I'm not actually sure of the final time. My legs were pretty heavy at the end, and I was pretty weak on the downhill sections of the race. But I was glad to finish and complete my first ever race. On completion there were free Gatorade for all competitors and free trips back to Belgrave either by bus or on the train itself. David and I decided to take the scenic option and went back on the train. This took the best part of an hour which is great for sightseeing but not so good for muscles seizing up while sat on the cold, open sided, train.

Puffing Billy taking runners and tourists back to Belgrave.

Puffing Billy

Taking part in the event gave me great satisfaction, and a great sense of achievement in being able to finish the distance. Today I feel a bit sore, especially my calves which are not used to hill running like they had to do yesterday. And I noticed a small piece in the Herald Sun today about the race. Forgive me while I try to work out how anyone can run 13.2km in 41 minutes 33 seconds....

...never mind, I'm planning to be back again next year to try to improve upon this year's performance.

Autumn in Black Rock

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year, and some of my most favourite memories are associated with it. It was always holiday time for Caroline and myself when we were in the UK and chief among these was a fly-drive to the North East of the USA, where we saw the breath taking colours of the fall. Autumn in Melbourne is also beautiful, especially when summer lingers like it is this year. Today was a bright sunny day in the mid 20'sC, perfect for a walk by the bay.

We drove the short distance to Black Rock, and had a coffee before walking. We tried Cafe Odo which is right on the corner of the Beach Road and Balcombe Road and I had a great long black, full bodied, decent strength, gentle, with a pleasant after taste. There were plenty of snacks that all looked good and some bigger sized meals. I think this is a regular haunt for many cyclists stopping on the Beach Road, but by the time we got there, I guess many had been and gone.

Sun glistening off the waves at Black Rock

We then took a walk along the bay to Ricketts Point which is a couple of kilometres. The bay has beaches and rocks along it at this point so it is interesting to almost anyone. There were snorklers, swimmers, people looking in rock pools, walkers, runners, dog walkers and families enjoying a glorious day in early autumn. The deep blue sky reflected off the water, giving it a beautiful blue appearance, and the combination of resting sea birds such as Cormorants, Silver Gulls, and Albatross with a group of Black Swans added to gentle feel to the day.

The view to Rickett's Point

Rickett's Point has a cafe and rest area, which was really busy, not a big surprise for a sunny Sunday afternoon. We had an ice cream, admired the view and walked back to Black Rock and the car. Taking into account that Caroline has a bad back, and that I ran 13km yesterday and was feeling pretty stiff, this was the perfect day out. A gentle walk along the bay on a beautiful autumn day.

A day in the Life....

I am a very lucky man. I have a job I love, I live in a place I love, with a person I absolutely adore. Life is beautiful. Take today for instance. A normal Wednesday for me starts with a class at 8am before school starts properly. This means getting up about 6.30am, getting ready and driving to wherever I have to teach. En route to my first school I pick up a coffee to start the day, and if I get to the school early, then I just sit and read a book to kill the time. So it's a pretty relaxed start to the day, and as I love my job as a chess coach, things don't get much more stressful. The first lesson, in a primary school goes sweetly enough with a mixture of kids who I taught last year and some raw beginners. Teaching groups of mixed ability is perhaps the most testing part of my job, but I've had plenty of experience and things run pretty smoothly.

9am and I leave my first school with a 4 hour break before my next class at about 1pm. Today I will not finish work until about 7.30pm, which some people would consider too long a day. However, the breaks I get in the day compensate these things for me, and during the morning break today, I visited Port Melbourne to check out the World liner which is docked in Melbourne. It was a beautiful morning, about 20C with mainly blue skies and a pleasure to walk along the promenade. While there it seemed natural to grab a coffee and some breakfast at one of my favourite cafe's in nearby Albert Park, and I was still back home for about 10.30am.

The World in sunny Port Melbourne

This gave me some time to do some admin work and preparation for my classes. Again, I got to admit that as my job involves teaching my favourite pastime, chess, preparing for classes is quite enjoyable for me. Then came the hard part of the day for me. From about 1pm through to 7.30pm I am either doing classes or travelling between classes. These were on the whole pretty good fun, as the classes had a range of different level kids. I have one toddler class, a couple of Primary School classes, and a Secondary class. These classes need to approached and handled differently, so I have a great diversity in the material I show and the teaching methods I employ. Boredom does not enter my job but with the amount of classes I do There is a fatigue factor, which can almost be described as burn out which usually starts to happen around week 7 or 8 of the 10 week terms we have in Australia. Luckily, to compensate for this I get school holidays mostly off to recharge. That works out as about 12 weeks of holiday per year, so I don't suppose I can grumble too much if my hours are slightly antisocial.

I'm currently at home writing this article and looking at some chess articles partly for work and partly for pleasure. It's 9pm and I'll be awake for a few hours more, relaxing with my wife and 2 cats and at some stage, I guess I'll wonder how it was that I became so lucky as to end up in this idyllic life.

Milford Sound

The final day of our walk in NZ fiordland took us on a 21km hike from MacKinnon Pass to the sea at Milford Sound. Although this was a half marathon in distance it was a lot easier walking than the previous day as it was basically flat, with perhaps a little descent over the day. Still 20km is a fair distance and the majority of our group were carrying aches and pains from the day before. Once over the MacKinnon Pass the climate becomes a lot wetter with metres more rainfall during the year! We were fortunate enough to have a rainy day for our walk on this final hike. I say fortunate because we were walking through rain forest and the sights and smells came to life for us. Things started well as crossing a river which leaves our lodge behind we spotted a pair of rare blue ducks. This sight even got the guides excited! The rain cooled the air which made walking easier than on the first day, and it also added to the eeriness of the rain forest. Thick hangings of moss, tree ferns and mist on the mountains around us gave the whole area a fantasy feeling.

 Fantasy feel at Mackay Falls

Rare blue ducks having an early morning swim

The great thing about the rain that day was the effect on the waterfalls. Mackay Falls, and Giants Gate Falls were both spectacular (I was particularly wowed by Mackay which were gushing and booming magnificently). But saying that is was just a magical way for the tour to end, and breathtakingly beautiful and atmospheric. At the end of the walk, there is a short boat ride to the town of Milford Sound where we stayed for the night. The lodge was more like a decent hotel full of luxury, and Ultimate Hikes transported prepacked bags for us which were waiting in our rooms with fresh clothes and whatever else we wanted. We had a great final evening before turning in including a presentation of certificates to everyone for making it along the hike.

The following day was to start with a boat ride around Milford Sound followed by a bus ride back to Queenstown. The trip around the Sound was again spectacular. Every day on this trip saw different scenery and each day only added to the whole. On the boat trip we saw seals, and amazing mountainous scenery. To be honest, by the end of the cruise I was about ready to admit defeat when it came down to sightseeing. I just wanted to close my eyes and savour that which I'd already witnessed. Even the bus journey back to Queenstown went through the alpine road which was pretty spectacular. I'll finish with some photo's taken around the Sound and a full recommendation to anyone to go to this beautiful part of the World. Thanks very much to Ultimate Hikes who were excellent guides and got us through it with minimum harm!

 View from Milford Sound towards the sea

 Atmospheric views with cloud shrouded mountains.

 Plenty of waterfalls lined the Sound...it was photographers dreamscape

 View from the sea looking back down the Sound

Steady rain for 2 days ensured the waterfalls flowed magnificently 

Mitre Peak, which we could see from our room in the lodge!

New Year's Resolutions

It's the last day of 2011 and about 35C outside, so today I've decided to stay inside, try to stay as cool as possible, and work out what goals I should set for next year. Most of these are to do with running, but I'll get some others out the way quickly.

1. Play more chess and push my rating towards 2300. This is what I need to become an FM titled player. I have about 140 points to rise, but at this level that is very hard. I will have to up my game, which means putting some work in :(

2. More coffee!! My best coffee of 2011 was probably at St Ali's in South Melbourne. Unfortunately, St Ali's is always packed and the service is always stretched (don't get me wrong, they're really good in there, just always rushed off their feet). So I'm on the search for more good coffee places, and I'll no doubt hit some bad ones around the place.

3. Running. So here it is. What are my goals for the New Year? Well first, as far as this blog is concerned, I'm not going to post about every running session. I've decided to break my training into 10 day blocks and I'll blog about my sessions rather than each individual workout.

The sessions will consist of 3 long runs, 2 of 10km and one longer. There will also be interval training, speed and strength training as well. OMG, this sounds serious! Actually, it is pretty much the same as what I'm doing now except each run is targeted at improvement, even if only a small bit.

And the reason for this is that I don't want to make a complete idiot of myself when I enter some runs this year, which I am going to do!

Puffing Billy Run: I became aware of this after joining an Australian Runners Forum, CoolRunning, and the more I think of it, the more it appeals to me. So I am going to work towards running this race which is about 13.2km and I'll be happy to complete it in anything under 80 minutes which is roughly 6 minutes per kilometre. It's on 6th May so I have 4 months to prepare for it and as I'm already running 10km, I should be able to handle it....I hope!

De Castella Run: this is one I saw a flyer for in 2011. Unfortunately, it was about 3 days before the race was due to take place. The Rob de Castella run is a 15km run for a cause which is quite important to me, mental health research. My wife has been a mental health nurse for about 15 years so this seems an appropriate run to aim for. The de Castella run is on 26th August, so there is plenty of time between Puffing Billy and this one for me to train and try to improve more!

The big goal for 2012 is to push my running out to 20km. Then I will consider a half marathon for 2013, and maybe even take on the marathon distance in the future.

Running Diary 22/12/2011

Hazy day by the bay today.

Actually, 'running' diary is stretching things a bit today! It has been very warm today, and I went out to run earlier than I should have, at about 5.00pm not waiting for the day to cool down. This proved to be a mistake. I was planning on running 10km today, but struggled to loosen up in the first kilometre. After 5km I decided to have a break. I was very hot, and puffing badly so I walked for maybe 200-300 metres, before trying to run again. This time I managed a bit under 3km before my legs told me that was enough for the day. It left me with about a kilometre to walk home. This is a bit longer than I usually leave myself, but I feel pretty good now, so it wasn't a bad thing.

I know the dangers of hot weather running, but didn't fully prepare for this run and chose a bad time to go out. Even now, the temperature is about 27C outside so it hasn't cooled down much from the top temp of 27.6C. All this can be checked out on the excellent weather site, BOM. But really, you only need to look outside, and step out the door to know if it's going to be painful training.

You don't need the weatherman to tell you it's hot!