Secret Training

Years ago when my running buddy Glenno was also a shift worker we used to get together at The Ship Inn on a Wednesday morning for a longish run. We called it The Shiftwork Shuffle. We started late (7.00am or so) because we could. As others (non shifties) heard about it they joined in, but because they worked normal hours they talked us into altering the start time to 6.30am. Then to 6.00am. Then eventually to 5.30am. This totally defeated the reason we did the run in the first place! Anyway, that one is no longer on the agenda.

The way my shifts go I only ever do two 12 hour night shifts in a row, but between them I feel pretty crappy. The thought of any sort of exercise doesn't appeal. This week and last week I've forced myself into going out for a cruisey, untimed, 'no distance in mind' run on those days, and found it really helps clear the head and makes me feel 100% better.

Yesterdays was particularly good, I threw quite a few hill reps in. I headed out toward UQ so the warm-up wasn't exactly flat. Coming back down Sir Fred Schonnell Dve I found a couple of good hilly sidestreets and ran hardish up and slow down. Then at the bottom of it I turned into Douglas St. My massage guy put me on to this one, he takes his tri squad there. It has ten decent hills running off it, five on each side. I did six different ones before calling it a day and running home. It was somewhere over 8k all up at a guess.

So the Shiftwork Shuffle has been re-invented. But I'm not telling anyone else about it this time.