I'm going to throw my type A personality out the window for a few moments and go out of chronological order while I play catch up on life's most recent adventures. I hope everyone can handle it. We had such a great extended Australia Day weekend (think 4th of July American friends) exploring Victoria that I was anxious to sort through all the photos and recap it here.
Pretty much since the day Steve and I went to our first Grand Slam tournament (the US Open back in 2006) we've been scheming how to get to all four slams. It worked out pretty nicely when we lived in Europe that we could hop over to Roland Garros and Wimbledon. But we never seriously knew if or when we would make it to the Australian Open (hence the AO). Well low and behold then we moved to Australia, and so, it became a priority on our travel itinerary. Last year was well, not really possible, that whole having a baby right around the same time made it difficult. So this year we waited and marked our calendars for the ticket on sale date so we wouldn't miss out.
Sunset at the Twelve Apostles
It just so happened that it timed out perfectly to plan a trip over the holiday weekend and so we were able to snag some extra time to drive the Great Ocean Road (and if you're catching up to speed now this is the GOR). This was somewhere that I wanted to make sure Steve got to experience since I had been fortunate enough to visit once before back in 2003. However, my tour before was a jam packed day trip along the roughly 243 km stretch of scenic coastline. This time we managed to plan it out over the course of 3.5 days, staying in a different town each night so we could maximize our ability to explore the area and not push the limits of driving with two young children in the car!
Our trip started early on a Wednesday morning with a just over one hour flight down to Melbourne. While Steve travels frequently to Melbourne for work, he often flies into the other Melbourne airport. This time upon our arrival at the Avalon Airport (we love our discount airlines), we disembarked on the tarmac and seriously felt like we had arrived in the middle of the outback considering the flat, dry, empty terrain stretching for miles around the airport. Luckily we were quickly assured that this was indeed the outskirts of Melbourne.
First view of Victoria leaving the airport... did we accidentally go to the outback?
With one big suitcase, two car seats, a stroller, baby cot and a couple of carry-on bags (I'm pretty sure we had just as much stuff for our three week trip to southeast Asia as we did for this five day getaway) securely packed into our rental car we took off. It was a 45 minute drive into the city from the airport and we found our hotel and lunch. Our mission from there was naps for everyone so that we could stay awake (and preferably happy) for the night session that we had tickets for. With some success we were ready to go and make the quick 15 minute walk to the grounds of the Australian Open!
It was a beautiful evening and actually extremely cool in comparison to the heat the Australian Open is typically known for in late summer here. We got there as soon as we were allowed in to explore the grounds, play at the kids area and grab dinner before the featured men's quarterfinal match started on Rod Laver Arena.
Donating a gold coin for a used AO ball.
Thankful I captured the moment, before an epic mom fail moment shortly thereafter when I lost them both (the balls, not the kids that is)...
Practicing for future press interviews?!
So much fun in the kids area!
Family photo in front of the legend, Rod Laver.
So excited about her "big" AO ball, which I didn't lose.
While we were excited to be there for such a late round match (all the other tournaments we have been to in the first few days of the fortnight) it also meant that in the evening there are hardly any matches remaining on the side courts to watch. That was ok as we were very happy to get to see Rafael "Rafa" Nadal play for the first time.
Intent fans
We were also thankful Morgan fell asleep within the first 15 minutes of the match starting and for Emma's good spirits and genuine interest watching the match and cheering for "Rafa!" While our seats were near the top of the arena, Rod Laver arena is relatively intimate in comparison to say Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York so we still felt very close to the action. Luckily in typical Aussie attitude, all the other spectators seemed just a little more relaxed than some of the other tournaments we visited and not too annoyed that we had dared to bring children to the match, gasp, especially in the evening!
Emma did a great job and only needed a few gentle reminders to speak quietly and Morgan slept the entire singles match . She actually woke up, albeit happy, at about 10:30 to watch the start of the men's doubles match that then took the court. While we stayed for a little bit of the doubles match, over half of the rest of the audience cleared out before it even started. We made it for the first set before we all decided it was best to call it a night as well.
It was a great time and we were sad to see it come to a close. Although it was fun to go as a family, I might be plotting ways to go back next year sans kids as well. Having completed our "grand slam" it's difficult to say which tournament is my favorite. They all are special for different reasons. It's hard to compete with getting engaged in NYC the day before we went to the US Open, celebrating Emma's first birthday at Wimbledon, being lucky enough to watch some of the greatest of all time (Roger and Serena - yes I'm on a first name basis with them) at the French, and now getting to bring our two little girls with us to the Australian Open. I think it's fair to say they will all hold a special place in our heart.
Rod Laver Arena
Go "Rafa!"
Raonic in action!
Nadal in action!
Yes, Morgan slept the entire Nadal v Raonic match.
One last photo on our way out...
... And then the walk back to the hotel at 11:30 pm, Emma needed the hat over her eyes in order to sleep.
Amply tired to say the least we all slept late on Thursday morning, took advantage of a big buffet breakfast at the hotel and a swim in the pool to kick off our Australia Day. Then we checked out and hit the road to start our journey down the Great Ocean Road.
Post swim time!
The Great Ocean Road officially begins about 100 km southwest from Melbourne in the surf city of Torquay. The beaches there are immense, surf waves big and wind strong in this section of the Great Ocean Road. It is affectionately known as the "Surf Coast" until you reach Cape Otway.
While we drove quickly down to Torquay to the starting point it didn't take long to figure out that we were going to be stopping a lot for photo ops from there on out. We started with an overlook spot at Bells Beach before finding our way for an afternoon treat at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery. I would highly recommend the stop for anyone, but especially those with kids. We only enjoyed the treats, but there was a great lawn full of games and activities to give kids a break from sitting in the car.
View over Bells beach
Photographer in training
Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery success.
Morgan takes her eating seriously.
No idea the name of this beach that we randomly pulled off on the side of the road for, but I do know it was beautiful.
From there the next planned destination was Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet where we took a short walk around, but unfortunately had arrived too late in the day to walk to the top of the lighthouse.
Split Point Lighthouse
Exploring around the lighthouse
So many gorgeous surfing beaches
And beautiful rock formations
View from near the lighthouse
Next up was the town of Lorne. While we would have liked to stay longer and walk around the quaint town, we were starting to lose steam (especially those seated in the back of the car) so we settled for a quick dash just up to Teddy's Lookout. From there the coastline got much steeper as the road clung tightly to the oceanfront curving along steep hills and thick trees.
View from Teddy's Lookout outside Lorne
We were thankful to escape the last stretch with only one mild case of motion sickness in the back. We felt slightly better when we pulled over at one of the few spots to stop along this stretch and just behind another car with a young child, doing the exact same thing as us.
We finally reached Apollo Bay just in time for dinner, having drove about 200 km that day (only 100 km of which was actually on the Great Ocean Road). We found the spot to be for Australia Day at the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse and enjoyed dinner before driving up out of the valley to our Airbnb for the night. It was a beautiful spot complete with no mobile service, pet deer, beautiful birds and many other types of wildlife. Unfortunately we didn't spot the koala that lives somewhere on the owners property. Nonetheless we were very thankful for a quiet, relaxing spot to crash for the night, but not without first attempting to watch a throwback VHS on a 12 inch TV screen before Steve and I passed out too tired to watch the whole movie.
Our welcoming committee at our airbnb outside Apollo Bay... pet deer.
Love the beautiful birds in Australia!
Day two on the Great Ocean Road and we started our day with takeaway coffees, bacon & egg rolls and pastries from the Apollo Bay Bakery and enjoyed them at the beach side playground. We were far from disappointed with our breakfast choice so we promptly turned back around and got takeaway sandwiches to bring with us on the road for lunch later. We got in the car for the quick 20 minute drive to Maits Rest Rainforest Walk, which was absolutely beautiful and a great 30 or so minute easy walking trek.
Loved the huge trees at Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
Could even explore inside some of them!
Can't keep the camera away from her now!
Girls pose in front of a big tree!
Back on the road we found Castle Cove Lookout for more stunning bright blue waves before driving a bit further and picking a random patch of grass for our picnic lunch.
Halfway into the Great Ocean Road drive seems a little late for a sign posted about which side of the road to drive on...
Castle Cove Lookout
When you find a random spot on the side of the road for your picnic lunch and you decide someone needs to get some energy out so you start having races.
From there the goal for the afternoon was to make it to the changing coastline that is referred to as the "Shipwreck Coast" and the famous Twelve Apostles (about 90 km total from where we had started the morning in Apollo Bay). Of course arriving in mid afternoon it was hot in full sun and jam packed with tour buses. While it was enjoyable, we were constantly being bumped by people and found the views not as good with the sun at that time of the day. It left the "stacks," as the rock formations are termed, looking a bit dark. Still gorgeous, we knew we had plans to come back later so we weren't too worried about it.
First view of the Twelve Apostles mid-afternoon
Two lone stacks separated to the east... known as Gog and Magog
Loves riding on her daddy's shoulders
Me and my girls
Instead we made our way just a few minutes back on the road to Gibsons Steps, which is a steep staircase down the vertical cliff to the beach. In many ways it reminded me of our arrival several years ago by ferry when we visited the Greek Island of Santorini and the dramatic sheer face cliffs. We threw a few sand toys in a bag and enjoyed the gorgeous views and surf from "below" most other vantage points on the road. We definitely could have stayed down there all day if we had planned accordingly, but the tides were really too strong there for swimming much anyways so we just enjoyed getting our feet wet, digging for crabs and chasing seagulls.
The beach at Gibsons steps
The stuff summer holidays are made of
That night we were staying just a little further inland from the nearby town of Port Campbell at another quaint Airbnb (seriously Airbnb is the way to stay in Australia). We enjoyed making our own dinner that night before throwing pajamas on the girls and heading back for sunset at the Twelve Apostles. Amidst everyone's growing tiredness we debated going for a few minutes, but once there, were more than happy with our decision to go.
Another adorable Airbnb find along the Great Ocean Road
Gorgeous colors at sunset
My happy traveling baby
Happy daddy, happy girls
On day three it was time to pack our bags again to explore the last section of the Great Ocean Road. While the day started a bit overcast we still made one last quick stop at the Twelve Apostles to see them again in different light before making our way onto a series of dramatic rock formations along this section of coast. It was easy to see why it was termed shipwreck coast for anyone so unfortunate to get caught on a boat in a storm near those cliffs and "stacks" that jutted out of the water.
There were so many amazing spots to stop, it would be easy to spend countless days in the area exploring all the different areas. We made it to Loch Ard Gorge, the Arch, London Arch (formerly London Bridge), the Grotto, and the Bay of Islands.
One more stop at the Twleve Apostles the following morning to see the different colors
The Razorback near Loch Ard Gorge
Tom and Eva Lookout near Loch Ard Gorge
Another view of The Razorback
Playing on the beach at Loch Ard Gorge
View from the beach of Loch Ard Gorge
The Arch
The former London Bridge... now called London Arch, because, well, it fell down.
The colors of the water and rock formations are stunning
The grotto... photo compliments from Emma. When I told her she didn't get the archway in the background she replied and told me there were people in the way and she didn't want other people in the photo. She's getting good!
The photographer sits for her own portrait at The Grotto
Bay of Islands
From there with a little time left in the afternoon we made a pit stop at Cheese World just outside of Warrnambool, which is deemed the last city on the Great Ocean Road. Our expectations were not high for Cheese World and we only stopped because we were all hungry and heard they had great cheap milkshakes. It was amply corny and a little outdated as expected, but the milkshakes and ice cream didn't disappoint any of us so we gave it a two thumbs up. With renewed energy levels we stopped at the massive Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground. This playground was no joke with several different play areas that included massive play structures, a maze for children and adults to find their way out, a water splash area, two big flying foxes (ziplines for Americans), a pond with paddleboats, the list went on and on. For many it could be a solid day outing and likely several episodes of lost children.
Flying fox!
We spent an hour playing before the short drive further onto Port Fairy, our final destination (100 km total driving from where we had started the morning). We had decided to go just a little further as we heard what a nice, quaint town it was and we were not disappointed. While we missed the resident seal at the marina when we went to dinner, we instead had a memorable sunset stroll around Griffith Island, which was teeming with wildlife to discover.
Enjoying a sunset family walk on Griffith Island in Port Fairy
Port Fairy Lighthouse at sunset
Starfish and crab catcher!
New friends spotting wildlife together
I used to think I was a mountain person, but sunset walks at the beach are getting me. I might become a beach person.
Such a peaceful last night.
The next morning we awoke and after finding a great local breakfast spot (Australian breakfasts are still probably one of my favorite parts of living here) and we hit the road for the fast "inland" route back to the airport. As the girls did great on the 2.5 hour car ride back we had extra time to stop in the town of Geelong to play.
They love swinging with each other
From there it was back to the airport and home, just in time to watch the epic final match of Federer vs Nadal on tv when we got home and wonder why we hadn't bought tickets to the finals instead. While sad that our holiday had come to an end, I can't lie I was pretty happy to be home and know I didn't have to pack or unpack that suitcase one more time. Until our next adventure that is...
So I was recently reminded of two things. One, it has been a really long time since I posted a blog. Two, the trees in Australia are stunning.
On that first point. We've been a little busy the past few months, really since the end of October when we headed back to the states for a two week, three city tour (more of that to come in a future blog). Then there was Steve who was really busy with work when we returned home in November and December. And I kept plenty busy as well packing our two bedroom unit for our upcoming move (which when you have two kids can amazingly be filled with a whole lot of stuff!). In between the busyness we tried to make the most of the Christmas festivities all around us. We then took a trip of a lifetime to Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and an unplanned one night stop in Malaysia over the Christmas and New Years holidays. Oh and we moved house the weekend we got back from our holiday with the help of many extremely generous friends. That was followed by that whole unpacking house thing. And we were fortunate enough to have yet another amazing long weekend trip to Victoria (a state in Australia for those Americans who have no sense of Australian geography) to see watch some tennis and drive a postcard perfect stretch of road. And finally here we find ourselves in February, which means time to get back into a routine. Cue big sigh here. Time to catch up and start blogging again...
On that second point. The trees. Wow, I love the trees here. And since winter isn't really all that cold we get to enjoy leaves on the trees much of the year, although some of them still loose leaves during winter. But I think it's pretty easy to say that November will likely be one of my favorites months of the year in Sydney because as the weather warms up for the summer, the jacarandas blooom. For nearly a month the city (especially the lower north shore where we live) are covered in purple blooms. It is absolutely gorgeous.
The day we got back from the states in an effort to keep the family awake and avoid jet lag we went jacaranda hunting to one of the most well known streets in Sydney for them. We found we were not the only ones who had the same idea to meander down McDougall Street in nearby Kirribilli for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was easy to see why.
Fresh air to keep us awake!
Veiny branches of the Jacaranda trees
The whole street was spectacularly lined with the trees forming a beautiful archway. With our matching Elsa princesses we enjoyed the colors and the smell of the trees before finding our way to the playground at adjoining Milson Park for the afternoon.
A few other beautiful palm trees
Elsa twins at Milson Park
While unfortunately the blooms from the Jacaranda trees are now long gone we are still enjoying many different types of trees from what we grew up with in the midwest. And we'll be ready and waiting for the purple blooms to come back next spring!
Where has another year gone? I doubt we are the only ones that feel like we just welcomed 2016's arrival. As we prepare to usher out the year we are without a doubt thankful for the year it was. Our first full year in Australia, our first year as a family of four, but far from our first year to thank God for all he has carried us through.
The year started out with our settling into the heat that January and February brought Sydney. While we complained about the heat and humidity and life with "air con" as it's called here, we were pleasantly surprised that albeit a few hot nights, summer in Sydney wasn't as bad as we had envisioned it might be. We enjoyed a trip to Batemans Bay and Jervis Bay to start the year, but unfortunately the rain came down in buckets for half of the trip. It did however mean that Emma got to enjoy her first ever trip to a movie theatre, and eventually it did lighten up to allow us several kangaroo in the wild experiences (thankfully none that involved meeting our car after dark) and sunny waves at the world famous Huskisson beach.
From there we got the final things ready for a certain someone's arrival including Abby's parents making the trek down under. Thankfully for all parties involved Morgan made a very timely arrival in mid-February, one day prior to her due date and right in the middle of Mary and George's visit. We were so happy to have extra caring hands to leave Emma with when it was time to go to the hospital (so much that we weren't even sure she noticed we left). And all of big sister's dreams came true when she found out she had a little sister and surely scenes of Frozen played in her head.
The first few weeks adjusting to life as a family of four were as seamless as we could have asked for. Morgan is our stereotypical "easy second baby" and we are still waiting for the day that all goes south. After Abby's parents headed back to the states we were thankful for continued offers of help and extra meals from our amazing church family. It allowed us extra bonding time while Steve had a few weeks off work as well. By the time Easter came around and Morgan was five weeks old we even snuck in a trip a few hours north of Sydney to the coastal region of Newcastle, Port Stephens and Hunter Valley.
We're not quite sure where the months of April and May went. Something about slight sleep deprivation, work for Steve picking up (busy season here is during the Australian winter), and Abby learning what staying at home full time with two little girls meant. Oh yes, but we do remember the part about glorious fall weather in Sydney.
Come June and we welcomed winter in Australia. No, it's far from the Minnesota winters Abby grew up with and even St. Louis winters Steve is more accustomed to, but it did get colder. And just as we complained about no air con in the summer, we learned a little about what no heating feels like and a lot about what poor insulation feels like (talk to most any Australian and you'll learn it's not just our house). That part about Uggs being house slippers? It's true, it's cold inside Australian houses in the winter!
We also graciously celebrated the Queen's birthday in June and took the three day weekend to visit the Snowy Mountains (about a five hour drive from Sydney). It was opening weekend and as we came to find out was more of a norm, there really wasn't any snow on the slopes. There were still tons of fun activities to welcome winter to the Australian "alpine" town of Thredbo we stayed in and it was a fun family getaway. We even made a stop off in Canberra on our drive home, so we could check visiting the capital of Australia off the list too!
Emma celebrated the big number four with plenty of her new Aussie friends at a nearby park at the end of June before kicking off her start to preschool here. It was mid-year (school year runs January - December here), but we were able to find an opening for her to go two days per week. While there was initial hesitation on her part (mostly because it meant she had to give up some other activities) it took her all of about 30 minutes to adjust according to her teachers. Being the socialite of our family she had no trouble making new friends, meanwhile mom and dad just had to adjust to the new Aussie vocabulary she is bringing home. It also meant Abby and Morgan adjusted to a much quieter house on Thursdays and Fridays, but are quickly learning to treasure that time!
We wrapped up the summer by Abby running two full marathons. It had been her longest break in recent time from running one. While it took plenty of effort and commitment on everyone's part, it made for a couple of fun weekends - one in the small town of Mudgee (about 3.5 hours NW from Sydney) and the second right here in Sydney and even included a run across the beautiful Harbour Bridge and a finish in front of the Opera House.
By the end of September we found ourselves already celebrating the one year in Australia mark and another holiday weekend meant a trip to the nearby Blue Mountains with friends. And the end of October brought us back to the US for a two week visit to Missouri, South Carolina and Minnesota. It was a busy couple weeks, but we loved seeing so many of you!
Needless to say we are thankful Morgan has adjusted well to our semi-crazy traveling lifestyle, especially since we still have one last destination left for the year as we prepare to head to southeast Asia to finish out the year. It certainly is a blessing to be able to explore and learn about new cultures (in addition to Australia). There is so much to be gained as we explore the world given to us and we pray that God continues to safely guide us while we do so. It truly is exciting to be able to teach Emma small things here and there as she understands more about where we live and travel to.
We look forward to our return to Sydney to start off 2017 as we know God has many great things in store for us, including a new address about a kilometer down the road from our current house (check out our Christmas card for the new address). In the meantime we will continue to ask for patience and enjoyment while we learn how to parent a very passionate, smart, creative and high energy four year old and to treasure the sweet innocence of another giggling, smiling, madly crawling, put everything in her mouth nearly 10 month old. We know there are many learning curves ahead for all of us. To learn our new norm of two little girls that clearly adore each other and are quickly learning how appropriately or not appropriately "tackle cuddle" each other while they play together. Hopefully 2017 will bring us more moments of laughter than "she took it from me" moments, but we fully expect both.
We pray that all of you are surrounded with love and laughter this Christmas as well. And while we might not be in the same time zone (or even close to it) for many of you, know that we think of you often and wish you a very Merry Christmas!
With love,
Steve, Abby, Emma & Morgan
Christmas card photo from the Santa Fun Run for Australia Variety Children's Charity. No, we don't normally walk around the city wearing Santa suits in the middle of summer!
In honor of our first Saturday of "summer" this December we headed out to finish the rest of our Spit to Manly "hike" we first began back in September, see here.
One might say it started out a little rough... more than a couple of wrong turns once we got off the bus trying to get back to where we left off on the trail led us all thinking we might just turn straight home and forget about it, especially with a four year old saying "when will the bush walk be done? Where's the ice cream? I want to go swimming at the beach!" All of course which were fair questions as she had been bribed with both of those outcomes, but not so great when we still knew we probably had two hours of walking to finish out the 5k+ we had to get to the end.
Sorry Morgan for cutting off your head in this photo for this selfie with your older sister.
We finally got back in the groove on the trail where we had left off previously and Emma enjoyed her role as leader and chugged along at a good pace while reminding the rest of us to walk carefully. We enjoyed some nice overlooks, tiny hidden beaches, and big friendly lizards along the way.
Beautiful views
Happy sisters!
Lizards have to take in the views too
Morgan came along for the ride nicely except for making both of us more than a little sweaty. The ergo and Australian summers really don't mix well.
Three of four were looking at least
Thankfully it wasn't until the last 1 or 2k that Emma really started to ask to be carried and we obliged a decent amount with hopes that we would make it to the finish and not have to camp out overnight instead.
Skipping over the tree roots!
And as all good parents do, there were plenty of rewards given at the end for everyone surviving including milkshakes, playground time, splashing in the fountains and beach time. It had been awhile since we had made our way out to Manly and we forgot what a fun area it is full of beautiful beaches every direction you look, trendy beach shops, cafes, markets, and street musicians.
These two seriously think each other are hilarious!
Based on this last photo, I think we ended on a high note, just wish we had a video of this one and her "roar!"
A defiant - I'm going to put my foot on this table no matter how many times you guys move it!
It was a busy winter here prepping for three different races! And can I just say that running in the winter in Sydney is just about as perfect as can get? Sometimes a little rainy or overcast, but rarely ever too cold and definitely not too hot. I think I'll enjoy training for something again come next winter, but let's just say I'm not planning to do any long distance training the next few months here... running and the heat definitely don't mix for me.
Finally catching up on writing this, my first race was the City2Surf right here in Sydney in mid-August. It was an odd distance at 14k (just under 9 miles for my US friends) and started in the Sydney CBD (downtown) and finished at Bondi Beach. I ran with 80,000 of my "friends." Yes, you read that correctly, 80k! I think I misinformed you all in a previous blog when I said 60,000.
Just a glimpse at one of many starting corrals
Surprisingly it really didn't seem that massive. I think the largest race I've run in comparison is probably a marathon or two that were about 25,000. City2Surf did a great job of segmenting out the different waves to start over the course of over an hour.
Beautiful Bondi Beach made a pretty good finish line
It was a beautiful meandering course through some of the most scenic of the city's "eastern suburbs" before encountering it's own version of "heartbreak hill," which was certainly no joke. It mirrored Boston Marathon's own heartbreak hill in the way that it deceptively seemed to finish 3 or 4 times before turning a corner and discovering there was still more to go!
Coming from an event manager's perspective... these people were planners, glad I didn't bring my children to get lost!
And for mid-August it was surprisingly warm with picture perfect Australian blue, sunny skies. While my little team of cheerleaders didn't make it out to the mass chaos that was that side of town I still had a great time running solo and just taking the experience in!
She was upset it wasn't her own medal, but still pretty proud to think "momma won the race!"
Some last minute planning left me also booked the following weekend for a run, but this time for my first full marathon in over two years! I was excited but nervous and had thrown in this weekend trip to Mudgee, NSW (about 3.5 hours NW from Sydney) only a few weeks earlier.
Rest stop!
While I had already planned to run the mid-September Sydney full marathon way back in February as I had registered for it (in typical pregnant me fashion) the day before Morgan was born. However, in some crazy sense of training mode me I had decided I should do another full marathon as part of my training. I figured it was either run a race or run a 32-35k solo training run, and frankly the race option sounded more fun.
Mudgee was going to be a super small race (less than 100 people ran the full) so it sounded like a nice change of pace from the City2Surf. And in all ways except for one, it really was a great weekend away. The one negative - well Morgan didn't sleep but a few hours the night before the race. Tiny hotel room, first night away from home in awhile, who knows what else. But sleep is overrated of course, that's why they always say to make sure you sleep well two nights before the race and luckily I had! Nonetheless I was grouchy enough to the point when I started getting ready that I contemplated not doing it. Then I thought that was silly after our entire family drove all the way up and hurriedly ran the 800m from our hotel to the starting line.
Upon arrival the whole clan was happy to be out of the car!
It was a perfect, crisp late winter morning to start a race with a nice warm up forecasted for the day. And that it did. I enjoyed the rolling hills, vineyards and kangaroos as my scenery to an otherwise very quiet course. About 7-8 miles in I thought it wasn't going well at all while I endured a long, slow uphill and was worried the night before was taking a toll on me. But luckily just at that point there was a slight overlap in the course and I was uplifted by other runners ahead of me exchanging "well done mate" as we ran past one another. I enjoyed some fellow conversation with the rare runner I passed or passed me along the course including one that was sporting a jersey of a former client of Steve's and one whose watch had stopped and we spent an inordinate amount of time trying to convert paces between miles and kilometers so he could figure out how fast he was running.
Emma wanted to run the rest of the way with me when she saw me around mile 20
My little buddy at the finish line with me (no she didn't run the entire last 6 miles with me)
She even got announced when we crossed the finish line!
And in the end I finished far better than I anticipated. I saw my cheerleaders around mile 20 and then I knew I was in the homestretch, especially when I passed a couple vineyards handing out both wine and water to runners! It was again, picture perfect Australian weather and I even finished just one spot out of prize money (before you get too excited, really it was a small race). Steve is already suggesting booking our return trip next year...
Happy to see this face (even if she did keep me awake most of the night)!
Everyone's happy to be done!
Pretty cool when an extra medal shows up in the mail a few weeks later too!
With Mudgee complete I had one big race left on the calendar - the one that was first on my calendar to begin with. It is a rare day lately that I run a marathon in the same city in which we live, which is normally how I like it - making it a destination race and vacation all in one. However, this time I was excited to have a little less pressure in the preparation and packing of getting us somewhere new and instead just being able to sleep in my own bed the night before. I even got the VIP treatment of my personal team of supporters driving me to the start line.
Support team doing some prep work to find me on the course
I wasn't lucky enough to go three for three in the weather department though. It was overcast and rainy. At least it kept it cool. My body also didn't hold up quite as well for the third race as I had hoped. I was fighting a bad case of plantar fascitis and hadn't been feeling very well the week leading up the race. So I set out to just finish the race. And thankfully that's what I did. Far from the time I had hoped for, but I got a tour of this beautiful city on my own two feet and I even kept running the whole time. They even shut down all 8 or so lanes of traffic on the harbour bridge (which is a BIG deal) and we finished under the steps of the Opera House!
The race finished just in front of the Opera House!
It was a long, wet, slightly painful race but I could smile at the end because I was thankful that I once again had the opportunity to both start and finish the race. I guess it's time to start planning #18...
