Have I not talked about running yet? That seems a bit out of character…
The plan:
Well, there is no plan here! Normally I’ve got a marathon or ultra on the horizon, am running once (or more) a day, putting in the miles, doing the workouts, long runs and the like. I will admit that I get just a tad obsessed (my family may have noticed). But things are clearly going to be a little more relaxed on this trip. There are no races planned, and I’ll just fit in some runs here and there when the travel schedule, terrain, and climate allow.
Fiji:
I had romantic ideas of running on some mountain trail here, but then reality kicked in: I arrived tired and jet-lagged into the tropical heat of the island. We were there for only two days, with one day on a boat. The only realistic option seemed to be a run on the beach, as some people were doing. But, imo, running on the beach is best left to rom-coms.
Melbourne:
Once in Melbourne though, I laced up my shoes and got out the door pretty quickly. It turns out that I was not the only one to think about doing a run Sunday morning: the paths were packed with runners, and the road with cyclists! I’ve done all my Melbourne runs along the water, with my longest out to the colourful cabins at Brighton Beach. Why explore when everything is perfect for a runner: no traffic lights, water fountains and bathrooms aplenty, and a coffee shop at the end of the run? I just have to get used to keeping on the left.
Sydney:
I wasn’t too adventurous in Melb, but running is a great way to explore a city. You cover more ground than walking, and have more time to look around than biking. The main thing that I discovered in Sydney: it is full of hills! I covered a lot of ground in Sydney, following the intricate coast in the North end, where I surprisingly stumbled upon some single-track track trails in pockets of suburban forest; running across the iconic Harbour bridge out to Bondi Beach; and finding my way back on exhausted legs after our surf lessons at Manly Beach. Did I mention the hills?
Running along The Great Ocean Walk:
One of my shortest, but more memorable, runs was an early morning out-and-back along the Great Ocean Walk, west from Aire River. I crawled out of our tent (already wearing my running clothes) and headed out along the quiet, sandy, rolling, single track. It was not too exciting at first, but then the forest opened up to the spectacular views of the coast. Adding in the wildlife sightings (4 wallabies, an eagle, and no snakes), made this a definite highlight. Maybe someday I’ll aim to do the whole 105 km?
There are a few other runs I could mention here… but I wouldn’t want this post to run-on for too long.
5 billets SVP 