After some anxious moments, with both my wife and middle son coming down with bugs 24 hours before we left, and after a 24 hour journey via Bangkok and Singapore, we finally arrived in Sydney at lunch time Thursday. It is now lunch time Friday and I have already managed to fit in two runs and a visit to the Australian Hotel in the Rocks to try a couple of craft beers.
The first run, yesterday afternoon, was just a 10 km jaunt from central Chatswood, where we are staying, through Artarmon to Flat Rock Reserve and back. After tyhat I went out to the pub and had many little Australia versus Japan experiences, like the absolutely useless level of organization surrounding the construction at Chatswood Station (but good , then getting change of a couple of dollars and feeling like a ton of metal, and having to ask for a glass when purchasing a bottled beer...
The second run was this morning to Lane Cover national Park. Running past Blue Gum Creek and Turrumbra reserve, there was no doubt what country I was in. I mucked up the roads a bit an ended up on a bush track for about 3 km. Slow bush bashing kind of stuff, but also really beautiful through that classic Sydney sandstone bushland. At times you could think you were hundreds of miles from the city, not a few kilometers. After I broke through to clear ground I crossed the bridge on Lane Cove Road and then ran back to the Park entrance via the proper road at a decent clip. Very steep hills back up to Chatswood. All up 16 km in 1:30, slower than normal due to the bush bashing and hills. But a nice run.
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5 comments:
Noice :-)
They've been 'fixing' Chatswood Station for about 5 years. That's how we do it down here and keep the trains running ;)
I know all the LCP bush tracks like the back of my hand - we used to do both sides of the river (12k) in under an hour on a good day.
See you Sunday for another slooooow run :)
Don't try to compare too much Stephen. Aussies like to think they are living in the best country in the world. While I agree they have a good arguement to make I know its not worth trying to tell them otherwise.
I was in the bottleshop in Banglow near Byron Bay last year and the guy serving me saw by my credit card that I was not living in Australia and after telling him that I lived in Japan. He said, "I don't know how anybody can live in such a foreign place." I should have said something like said "Yes, you really have it made living here" but being the arguementative, smart arse that I am, I said. " "Your mother probably came from Greece or Italy so if they could do it so could you!" After that he didn't want to continue the small talk. ;)
Does it feel like home?
Enjoy! Drink good beer. Run when you can.
Pete
Good to have you on our soil for the holidays Steve. It all sounded so hectic before you leave that I am sure the few runs you have done since being here have been wonderful in more ways than one.
Keep up the good training and I am interested in your comparisons of living in different places as I have a narrow experience of the world and it's many cultures.
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