Balls Head Reserve Run

G'day mates, 3 days in Sydney and I reckon I'm going native. The goal today was to run around some of the smaller bays in Sydney Harbour, heading towards Balls Head Rerserve (I am very proud of my restraint in not commenting on that name)

So once again I got a feel for the course with google maps and once again I forgot about the hills. Road planners (if there ever were any) have a twisted sense of humour. The goal seems to have been to avoid anything flat and any streets that cross at right angles. They have been very successful with this approach.

This is a typical road: I am standing level with the train bridge

This is my course that I ran this morning. Garmin and Google were a little too generous, seeming to grant to me the ability to walk across water.



I wasn't really sure where I was going (story of my life), but the general principal of keeping the water on my left on the way out and on my right on the way back seemed to have worked. I am here after all.

Entrance to Sawmillers Reserve

Not that I'm going on and on about the hills in Sydney, but but the walking path entrance to Sawmillers Reserve needs a switch back, before getting to the stairs.

Berrys Bay, looking back at CBD Stydney

Hey, a bridge and (if you look real close, an opera house) from Berrys Bay

Running in Balls Head Reserve

I've been told that there are large numbers and varieties of spiders in Australia. Judging by the number of webs that I ran through in Balls Head Reserve, this is probably true!

Australian Naval Emergency Services
and a nasty little storm cloud that decided to rain just on me on the run back to the apartment

You can find more pictures at: Balls Head Run

That's it for now, on to the Gold Coast Marathon!

Running for Charity:
I am doing all my runs this year, starting with the Run for Reach Half Marathon and the Ottawa Capital Marathon to raise funds for a local charity called Mood Disorders Ottawa (MDO). MDO is a small but vibrant, volunteer run organization (100% of donations go to programs for our members) the that supports people with mood disorders and their loved ones. To these ends, MDO provides resources, programs, support groups, social and recreational activities for our members and their families and friends.

For anyone wishing to do the right thing and pledge/donate to MDO through my runs may do so here:
Coast Airport Marathon - Gold Coast, NSW, Austalia - July 3, 2011 -Marathon -Andrew Goodwin
Hunter Valley Marathon - Hunter Valley, NSW Australia - July 17, 2011 - Half Marathon - Andrew Goodwin

The pledges are handled through the Running Room pledge site, and tax receipts are issued automatically. Anybody pledges will mentioned in is this blog (if they so choose) , for what that's worth....

Information on Mood Disorders Ottawa can be found at: www.mooddisordersottawa.ca
More Information of the MDO and the races can be found at: http://www.northbridgetech.com/Charity.html

Ads on this Blog: All the profits from any ads on this blog go directly to Mood Disorders Ottawa.

The Run Ain't over until the Fat Lady Sings - Sydney Opera House Run

Flew in From Miama Beach Vancouver, BOAC Air Canada:
I'm in Sydney Australia now, having flown 14.5 hours from Vancouver. It was an uneventful flight, except that when you land, Australian immigration sprays the inside of the plane with insecticide. Nothing says "welcome" like bug spray.

Trans-oceanic trips are odd events. You get on plane at one end, endure an endless "sit" in a flying cigar, and de-plane in a completely different place. There is no sense of movement or of traveling any great distance, you just find yourself there (or here in my case).

The first view of Australia after leaving the Internationl Airport Terminal

Choosing hotels over the Internet is like playing darts blindfolded; but we got lucky!

Views from our Apartment

On to the Run:
My planned run had me running from the apartment over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Opera House and back, but this really wasn't that far so I added an extra leg through the Botanical Gardens to Mrs Maquaries Chair.

This is the course that I ended up taking: Opera House Run.
There are a couple of things to note here:
1) Thanks to google maps, I had it in my head that Sydney would be flat. Wrong!
2) It is winter here (daytime highs in low 20s, night time <10), so you will see people in winter coats.
3) I am not the first person to think of running the bridge, there are signs that say, "Joggers slow down"

Here are some shots from the run:

Stairs to the Bridge (centre right)

Walkway on the Harbour Bridge (look another runner!)

Opera House from the Harbour Bridge

Random Stairs on way to Opera House
 (couldn't find 'em on the way back)

Circular Quay from Bridge (Ferry Terminal)

Circular Quay from ground level

Opera House from Circular Quay

Opera House - again, only closer

Bridge from Opera House

Sailing around Farm Cove Point, tough life!

Royal (hey same Queen as ours!) Botanical Gardens and CBD Sydney

Whoa! A runner, an Opera House and a Bridge!

Furthest point of the run along the water in the Botanical Gardens

On the way back, look! The Opera House!

You can see more picture at: Opera House Run Pictures. Warning, there may be some more pictures of the Opera House!

I should get at least one more run in before heading up to the Gold coast for the race and I'll document that one for the blog as well.

Running for Charity:
I am doing all my runs this year, starting with the Run for Reach Half Marathon and the Ottawa Capital Marathon to raise funds for a local charity called Mood Disorders Ottawa (MDO). MDO is a small but vibrant, volunteer run organization (100% of donations go to programs for our members) the that supports people with mood disorders and their loved ones. To these ends, MDO provides resources, programs, support groups, social and recreational activities for our members and their families and friends.

For anyone wishing to do the right thing and pledge/donate to MDO through my runs may do so here:
Coast Airport Marathon - Gold Coast, NSW, Austalia - July 3, 2011 -Marathon -Andrew Goodwin
Hunter Valley Marathon - Hunter Valley, NSW Australia - July 17, 2011 - Half Marathon - Andrew Goodwin

The pledges are handled through the Running Room pledge site, and tax receipts are issued automatically. Anybody pledges will mentioned in is this blog (if they so choose) , for what that's worth....

Information on Mood Disorders Ottawa can be found at: www.mooddisordersottawa.ca
More Information of the MDO and the races can be found at: http://www.northbridgetech.com/Charity.html

Ads on this Blog: All the profits from any ads on this blog go directly to Mood Disorders Ottawa.

Day Tripping in YVR

So we're moving steadily towards Sydney, but we stopped for a day in Vancouver, to break up the flight. We still have a 14 hour flight to Australia.  YVR has to be one of the nicest airports in Canada.

Jade Artwork in the Airport

Story Pole in YVR (can't, I"m told, call them totem poles any more)

I didn't think that I would get a run in today, but things worked out in my favour. It wasn't a dramatic run, not the sea wall in Stanley Park, just running on roads around the airport. This is my course today:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94440038

Planes, at an airport. Who'd have guessed.

Behind those clouds are mountains, really there are. I'm told it was sunny yesterday.



Random water

Got to go, they're calling my flight, 15 hours in the air. Glad I got to run today......

Coasting to the Gold Coast - the setup

The Set-up:
Starring at a blank dialogue box is always so inspiring...

So where to start? Oh, yeah, I am going to Australia for a month, and while I am there I will be running in two races; the Coast Airport Marathon and the Hunter Valley Marathon (running the half marathon). My daughter will be joining me in the Hunter Valley race. We're not too competative, but the best time over the first  6KM gets family bragging rights for all eternity....

Now, I figured that I would write a race/travel blog, mainly pictures, of the places that I (we) run during the trip. What's my inspiration for this you may ask. Well, I was hanging around the kitchen while my wife was cooking dinner, apparently being a minor annoyance. She told me to go and do something useful (thats the cleaned-up version), but instead I started this blog.

Where I run Now:
For the sake of comparison, the setup begins with some photos of where I normally run, my home course, if you will.

The road that I live on: (I hate running on gravel, I think that this is scheduled to be paved 3 days after hell freezes over, or when the Leafs win the cup)

Yes this is still the city of Ottawa, just not downtown or the 'burbs.

No, I don't actually run in the river, just over it...

Trees, shade - GOOD!

All those large hydro towores were destroyed during the Ice Storm (its OK, I'm over not having power in January for 3 weeks, I hardly even mention it any more)

If you are interested, more picture can be found at: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gn1g1WSNUkDy2Q_R10iFuA?feat=directlink

I will be posting more pics as we travel to OZ, so stay tuned!

Running for Charity:
I am doing all my runs this year, starting with the Run for Reach Half Marathon and the Ottawa Capital Marathon to raise funds for a local charity called Mood Disorders Ottawa (MDO). MDO is a smal but vibrant, volunteer run organization (100% of donnations go to programs for our members) the that supports people with mood disorders and their loved ones. To these ends, MDO provides resources, programs, support groups, social and recreational activities for our members and their families and friends.

For anyone wishing to do the right thing and pledge/donnate to MDO through my runs may do so here:
Coast Airport Marathon - Gold Coast, NSW, Austalia - July 3, 2011 -Marathon -Andrew Goodwin
Hunter Valley Marathon - Hunter Valley, NSW Australia - July 17, 2011 - Half Marathon - Andrew Goodwin

The pledges are handled through the Running Room pledge site, and tax receipts are issued automatically. Anybody pledges will mentioned in is this blog (if they so choose) , for what thats worth....

Information on Mood Disorders Ottawa can be found at: www.mooddisordersottawa.ca
More Information of the MDO and the races can be found at: http://www.northbridgetech.com/Charity.html

Ads on this Blog: All the profits from any ads on this blog go directly to Mood Disorders Ottawa.