Last Sunday we were in Sydney, Australia for the Blackmore's Running Festival Half Marathon! And it was probably the best, most exciting, picturesque and interesting course we've done so far. But more on that later.
How Not to Train For a Half
When we arrived in Sydney initially, it wasn't our end destination. We rented a car to drive to Wagga Wagga, which is about 460 KM south west of Sydney. Which is a walk in the park for a Canadian, where a drive from Edmonton to Winnipeg can is about 1400 KM. So the drive to Wagga Wagga was a cakewalk. But... When you add that on to a cab ride, a four hour plane ride, customs, car-rental, etc., and then the drive, that is a lot of time doing basically nothing. So our first day was pretty sedate.
When we arrived in Wagga Wagga, we went out for dinner with our hosts, Dan and Lisa. Lisa was Kristie's PhD advisor, and now lives in Wagga Wagga.
Oh, by the way, I'm pretty much going to say Wagga Wagga as much as possible!
So we arrived in Wagga Wagga, and visited for a bit, and then went out for a special even dinner at Wagga Wagga University, where Lisa and Dan work. The university has a winery, and they were celebrating a new vintage that they just bottled.
Anyway, we were up kind of late, but luckily we don't drink, so we didn't have to worry too much about our run the next morning.
First Run
The next morning, we got up early to go for our first run, and what should we see, right in the park across the street? Kangaroos! Huge Kangaroos! They weren't even the Giant Red Kangaroos, and these suckers were huge! What a great way to start the run!
We ran around Albert Lake in Wagga Wagga, which I think is a man made lake, but it is just under 6 KM around the perimeter, so we did it twice. But one of the great things about running here is that there was tonnes of bird life! And I'm not talking robins or finches here; I'm talking Pelicans, Parrots, Cockatoos, Crested Pigeons, Australian Magpies, Ducks, Swamp Hens, Swans, and many, many more! This place is an ornithologist's dream!
Second Run
The next day, we did the same run, only this time we brought our camera with us. And this time, we hardly saw any bird life, and we didn't see any kangaroos that morning either. *sigh*
We were planning on doing another 10 KM, but the previous days seemed to have caught up with us, so we only did around 6 KM.
No More Runs for You
The next day, we left for Sydney, and we HAD planned to do about 3-4 runs before the race, and we had already mapped them out. But, the tourists in us, got the better of us, and we spent virtually every day just walking around Sydney!
We put on so much mileage via walking, and due to the hot weather, we were wearing our sandals for the first time of the season, and as such, we both got lots of blisters and very sore legs for days on end!
Luckily, the blisters had enough time to get calloused up, and our sore legs got better as well.
I've got to say though, I wouldn't change a thing about our pre-race days in Sydney! It is a gorgeous city to explore, and the best way to do it is via walking.
Race Day
On race day, we got up at 4:00 a.m. and called a cab to arrive at 4:30 a.m.
None of the ferries were running that early (we were in East Balmain and the race started at Bradfield Park, Milsons Point), but the cab dropped us off at a train station, which were running at that point.
We arrived at the starting line, which was basically right under the harbour bridge, and went from there.
The course itself, as you can see by the map winds all around the CBD of Sydney. There were a few hills, one of which almost had me giving up at the half way point, and it also had some incredible views! There were tonnes of drink station, lots and lots of volunteers and fans along the course, and was just a dream to run.
The final kilometre or so of the course wrapped around The Rocks, Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, and finally ending at the Botanic Gardens!
We finished the race in 2 hours, four minutes and thirteen seconds by my watch, but the official race time was a little less.
If any of you are into running, and travelling. You MUST do this course! You will not regret it! It was an incredible experience, and one I would love to do again in the near future!
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