The Kananook Creek Trail Run v MTB

A while back i was told by one of the Primary School dads about a MTB track he rides which runs between Eel Race Road, and Mile Bridge. As i was dropping the car at the mechanic, which is near the far end of the trail, i thought i'd give it a go.  

He said i'd know the start by the "No Cyclists" sign at the Eel Race Rd end, unfortunately i was starting from the other end.  However, there was really only i place this end of the trail could be...so in i ventured... 

The path itself is a great walking path which generally follows the Kananook Creek. It has a combination of sand and chip bark surface as it meanders along the sand dune ridge through the trees and shrubs.  It goes for about 5.5k, with a couple of road crossings and a rail crossing.

As i was riding it, which was tricky in bits and included a few sets of stairs, i thought it is a much better running trail.  I tested this theory and decided to run back to get the car later in the arvo.

Well it turns out i was right.  The section of the ride home i did along the path i was averaging 5:40 (min:sec) per k compared to running at 5:25

The Eel Race Road end of the trail is more clearly identified, as below. And yes, the primary school dad was correct, i knew i was on the correct path by all the "no cycling" signs...but as i was going at slower than running pace, i just kept on going :)

So here's the path, and it's also marked in the Melway map if you want to wander it :)

There is also a return via the trail between the beach and the Nepean Highway, so when i'm up for a 20k return run, i know where i'm going.

I think i might have to find a few more trails to run, it's a great way to ensure your long slow run is actually done slow.

Happy Trails :)

Portsea Twilight Fun Run

The Saturday just gone was time for our 2nd annual trip down to Portsea for the Portsea Twilight Fun Run.  For those of you who don't know, Portsea is a place to avoid at this time of year.  There's only really one way in and out, and it's "The Place" to be seen, and a day trip from Melbourne, so it's absolutely nuts!!

Event preparation had gone well for myself, i trained hard early in the week, with an easy swim and ride in the days leading up to the race - i wanted to go in relatively fresh while still training for the Sandy Tri in 4 weeks time.  Claire, who was lining up for her first fun run "run", had a mixed lead up with the past month including getting over a knee injury, a back injury and a case of the miscellaneous childcare disease from Em.

So we arrived in time for the famous Portsea Undie Run, a 100m dash for those who are willing to strip and sprint for the chance to win some new running shoes. This was followed by the warm up aerobics - which generally means we walk the other way.  As luck would have it, the start was about a kilometre from the number pick up / finish line, so off we went.

Claire was doing the 3.75k, which started 30 mins before the 7.75k event, so off to the start we went.  The 3.75k event started on the same course as the 7.75, but turned at about the 1.5k mark and headed back.  

Claire had a fantastic event and ran / walked her way to her Portsea PB!!

The course, as shown below on the plan and profile, is relatively flat for the first 1.5k and last 2.5k...but the bit in between is a kin to some sort of living hell for those of us then live in the flat lands...

I slowed on the hills and got damaged a bit, consequently i didn't quite have the legs to go as hard as wanted over the last 2k. Having said that, i was quite happy with the race i ran.  I bettered last years time even though they added a kilometre to the distance :)

Edit: i forgot to say i ran 38 min 21 seconds for either the 7.69km or 7.75km course, depending upon whether you believe the garmin or the race organiser, which equates to 4:59 min/k or 4:57 min/k... Either way, i beat the 5 min/k i was aiming for :)

Here i am finishing, being the *serious athlete* that i am, i was more concerned with stopping the Garmin than holding form over the finish ;)

So, now it's time to get serious about Sandy and hammer some distance out... :)
and then it's back to the hills for Puffing Billy Great Train Race and 13.2k of hillish hell!!

Photographer documents his life in self portraits everyday for 12.5 years

Jeff Harris documented his life by taking a photograph every day for 12.5 years.  What starts out as a simple process of taking 5 minutes out of every day, becomes a very profound and i found inspiring journey.  Be sure to watch it all the way through.




Watching this has got me thinking, i don't know what about - but i am thinking...

Tim's European Adventure....Part 1

It was early 1974, a 1 year old non-tweeting Timbo (me, obviously) and his parents (who shall be referred to as mum and dad, for obvious reasons) set about on a tour of the world.  I  have absolutely no recollection of the trip, but i do know it lasted about 8 or 9 months, involved a few long boat trips and touring Europe in a campervan...


Here is me with mum and dad and the trusty campervan, which according to the logo emblazoned upon the front, appears to be a Commer.  And yes, i am wearing purple, and Mum and Dad appear to be in matching outfits...

Now lucky for us all dad was carrying a camera, and for the youngsters amongst you, back in the old days cameras weren't digital - which is probably lucky because although computers existed back then, the PC as we know it didn't - and photos were an actual process where the image was transferred via exposure of light onto a film or slide negative...but i digress.  Anyway we ended up with a significant number of slide and film images.


So in the great tradition of the Slide Night, i'm going to bring you countless images of the trip, in some sort of random order.  Actually, mum is doing the digi capture of the slides and i'm pilfering off her FB site.  


He we are in front of the Fairstar in Tenerife, just slightly disappointed that mum and dad's clothes don't match.

Here's me and mum in Amsterdam having a picnic lunch. Just wondering why the bottle closest to me looks suspiciously like a beer bottle, let's just put it down to Amsterdam in the 70's.

And the last of today's shots is dad and me in a camping ground in Barcelona.

Until next time... Cheers

New Years Training so far...aiming for Sandy OD tri

With Portsea Twilight this Saturday, a two week holiday in about a week and a half and Sandringham OD tri in about 4 1/2 weeks, and following a less than impressive December training wise, the New Year was the time to ramp things up...


New Years Day - mid 30's - about 40 minutes in the house of pain that is the bike on the wind trainer... oh yeah, this was late in the day once i'd re-hydrated from my 50k NYE bike ride...
2nd Jan - 40c - 9k run, with about a 1k of lovely soft beach sand in the middle, back by about 7:45 to avoid the worst of the heat...
Yesterday - 1.7k swim, 500m w/u, 500m single arm pulls alternating on the 50m, 10 x 25 max sprint / 25 recover with 10 sec break, 200 cool down. Man that hurt!!
Today - Nice easy 8k run before work...


It's not too hard to keep motivated running around a river with the beach only 3k from home...

Hopefully i can keep this up, training through the holiday might be a little tricky, but so long as i can find a gym with a spin bike, and a pool, should be all good :)

Getting my Training Back on Track!

It was just before Christmas, 12 months ago, that i decided that it was time i got fit and active again.  So here i am 12 months later, knee injuries recovered from, knee caps tracking straight, achilles tendon fixed, a truck load fitter and healthier!!


A few fun runs completed last year - 

• Portsea Twilight (6.7k), 
• Run for the Kids (14.4K), 
• Puffing Billy Great Train Race (13.2k of HILLS!), and 
• Arthur's Seat Challenge (6.7k rising 300m...hell in sneakers!!), 

and it looks so simple in pictures...

and i'm lining up for Portsea again on Saturday. 

As good as running over the Bolte Bridge and through the Domain Tunnel was, i don't think i'll do the Run for the Kids again...the crowd kind of sucked... But the others are definite starters  :)


Following my knee injury (which was during week 1 of a 16 week half-mara plan), it was agreed with my physio that i would cut down on the amount of running i was doing, so i thought... after a 20-odd year break, it was time to get back into triathlon (i did a season when i was 17/18).  So back in the pool and on the bike i went.


Highlight of the cycling year was the Eastlink Bike Ride, 75k from Ringwood to Frankston and back, with the tunnels attacked just before the finish...although a close second was a group ride along the Great Ocean Road...in the pouring rain...50k of hills and bends and awesome scenery...

And as you can see from the charts, my speed and cadence was up and down with the hills...

So, where to from here...


Well apart from the Portsea Run on Saturday, i'm entered in a couple of Olympic distance triathlons (1.5k swim, 40k ride and 10k run), one at Sandringham in about a month and then Noosa in November!!


So as well as all my other inane ramblings i'll bombard you with all my training...Cheers :)

I really must get this blog active again

In an attempt to get this blog up and going again i've installed the app on my trusty iphone.  I'm also going to mix things up a bit.  A bit of something for everyone which will hopefully include random events, sailing stuff (when i get time to fix that damn hole), my training data - in case you haven't heard i'm an athlete :), and of course my photography.


In the interim here's a picture (crap quality - 20MB reduced to 40kb to put on FB, original somewhere at home) of a cockatoo...

A picture of me when i was a bit littler...

 

And one of me (black hat and striped top) sailing up at Lake Macquarie (NSW)...

Anyway, Cheers until next time...