Walkabout

Today, I spend 3 hours just walking around Sydney. Luke and his family did the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb. I did not want to do this! So, instead, I walked around Sydney, doing some last minute gift shopping.

It was a miserable day for walking around Sydney. Anne-Marie said that she had never seen Sydney so cold; very abnormal. It also misted/rained for most of the day, but it was light enough where I couldn't justify purchasing an overpriced umbrella in that touristy-section of the city.

Looking at Google maps, I walked somewhere between 4 and 5 miles. It felt really good since I have been too sore and tired from constant traveling to do my routine exercising. I'm anxious to get home and jump back into a regular routine.

Snorkeling

Today, we went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. We went on a day-long tour with three 1-hour snorkeling stops. I just did two of the hours because I was physically exhausted and really cold by the third stop.

But we saw some beautiful coral and giant clams that close when they see shadows. I held a "sea cucumber" and a piece of hard coral that oozes its own fishy smelling SPF 50.

This morning, I went for a run with Luke's dad who plotted out a nice route near and on the beach close to the resort we are staying at. I think the run was somewhere between 3 and 4 miles long. There were a handful of other runners on the beach. Ken was saying that there are even more earlier in the morning. Near the end of the run, it was getting fairly warm, so I can see why most runners would choose to run earlier, before the sun has really come up.

Ken's running strategy is to run as far as he can at a set pace, and then walk 50 steps, and then start running again for as far as he can and take another 50 steps. I tried this a few times, but have always found it to be difficult to slow down only to speed up again, but I think it's a valuable skill to work at since there are a number of reasons why someone may need to slow down or stop during a race, and then spring back into action.

For the first few days of the trip, Ken was concerned that his pace might be too slow compared to mine, so he didn't want to run with me. But it was really nice to have a running partner. And we both worked up a sweat, which is part of the point, so I think it was a success. Thanks, Ken!

Treasure Hunt

After a 36+ hour trip to Port Douglas, Australia, I was very stiff. In fact, I thought it would be perfect to do some Pilates, but adjusting to the time change and family outings was what I did instead for the first day and a half in Port Douglas.

So, this morning, I decided to go for a run, but being that the sun rises a bit later than it does in Minnesota, and because I didn't want to run by myself in this new place, and didn't have anyone to run with because all of the relatives are spread out over a number of rooms, and I have no way of knowing who is awake (for one), and who would be interested in going on a run with me (2)...I decided to go to the resort's gymnasium to run on a treadmill.

Well, after jogging around the whole of the resort for about 10-15 minutes, I couldn't find the gym, so I went to the front desk to ask about it. They pointed me off to a path that leads to a nearby resort. It turns out they share a gym with a different resort.

I finally found the gym, but couldn't get in, as the path led me to the back of the gym. After climbing through a small forested area to get to the front of the gym, there were signs everywhere saying that it is mandatory to have a towel for health purposes. Well, I clearly didn't have a towel in hand when I asked our resort's front desk where the gym was, so that was a bit frustrating; that, in combination with the signs that said there was a limit to the treadmill use: 20 minutes.

Since it took me some time to find and jog to the gym, I decided to hop on the treadmill (without a towel) and run for a mile and a half, then jog back to my room at the resort. So, I still ended up working out for 30+ minutes, which is the important thing. Also, I feel great this morning! Rather than jet lagged in previous mornings.

Oh, and even though I've called this entry the "treasure hunt," calling that gym a "treasure" is quite the overstatement. It appears to have a nice selection of dumbbells, though, that I can perhaps utilize tomorrow for my strength training.