Gearing up for Hamburg

On May 4, I'll be running the Hamburg Marathon. I'm over two-thirds through my training, and in the middle of the second of three peak mileage weeks - 80 kilometres total, including a 32 km long run. It's been a challenge, increasing my pace and mileage, but it's also been a good routine and great sightseeing! I run along the path below five days a week - it takes me past the Opera House and under the harbour bridge. It's an awesome route! Hopefully all the hard work will pay off with a strong race and PB in 5 weeks. My friend and running partner Mariana has been a real motivator and inspiration. If I keep working hard, maybe one day I'll be able to keep up with her!! (She is small but fast!)

Kiama

This week Paul and I took the train to Kiama, a small coastal town south of Sydney. From there, we walked a third of the area's 22 km coastal walk. We were treated to some spectacular views, and majestic rock formations along the way. Above is one of the many 'baths' or ocean pools found along the coast in NSW. Some are small, enclosed by rugged rock walls, while others are typical swimming pools that fill with ocean water during high tide. Paul, much heartier than I, hopped in shortly after the sunrise picture was taken for a polar swim!

Aussie Rules

Jenn and I took the ferry up the Paramatta River to the Sydney Olympic Park. I was excited to finally experience Aussie football - AFL. The game is hard to describe without seeing it yourself, but it combines parts of soccer, rugby, and football into something uniquely Australian. It is very popular, chaotic, and rough. But also highly skilled combining speed, power, and endurance.

The highlight of the game actually occurred off the field. The visiting Sydney Swans were winning by about 10 points in the final quarter. A little boy of about 8 years old was cheering wholeheartedly for his favorite team only a few rows in front of us. He sported a Swans jersey and was totally engrossed in the action of the game. Unfortunately the home team, the Giants mounted a comeback and scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. After each score the boy would look back at the video screen to review the scoring play with a growing look of panic and disappointment. By the third score, and as it became clear that the Giants were on their way to an upset win, the little boy started to cry. We felt a little sorry for him until we realized moments later that the boy was once again cheering enthusiastically but now wearing the jersey of the winning team, the Giants. As the boy and his family left their seats and walked past us the Giants scored again. The boy, confidently cheered "finish them!" with an enthusiastic fist pump. I asked the boy and his brother as they walked by "I thought you were a Swans fan?" His brother matter of fact stated "He swapped". A fair weather fan maybe but he certainly loves Aussie football.

The Night Sky

Paul and I went to the Sydney Observatory this week. Our timing was perfect as the sky was very clear. The Observatory has two telescopes: one built in 1874, the other computer-operated! Through the telescopes, we saw the moon, Jupiter and its moons, a star cluster and nebula. Below is a picture of the building. You can see one of the viewing domes on the left. It rotates and opens.

I've been making an effort to take more pictures recently. Here are a few new ones of the Sydney Harbour at sunrise, sunset and twilight (in that order). I'm going to miss that view! Jenn

Sporting Nation

This is truly a sporting nation. No ice and snow makes for a sporting dream of all year outdoor fun. We went to a rugby union game, which is the same rugby as back home, and were amazed how fast, athletic, and large these players were. It seems that there is a pro sports league for every sport in the country.
On our bike ride home from the game we spotted this aging dog wearing some very trendy glasses. You see some odd things on the streets of Sydney sometimes.

Fulfilling a childhood dream...

I became fascinated with sea turtles as a child after watching a wildlife documentary and saw footage of the little hatchlings scrambling towards the ocean. It seems impossible not to root for such tiny creatures, so determined, yet facing such overwhelming challenges. Within the first few minutes of life they must dig themselves out of a underground cave, instinctively find their way to shore and escape capture by their many predators on land and in the water. In the end, less than 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. It became my childhood dream to witness this adorable pilgrimage first hand! Imagine my delight when we saw a handful of hatchlings our first night on Heron Island. This was only the beginning. The following day, while standing on the beach, I found myself amid an entire nest of at least 50 hatchlings as they emerged from the dunes and hurried past me toward the water. Paul was snorkeling close to shore at the time and came face to face with a few. It was an incredible experience! We were excited to find ourselves in the middle of another hatching that night.
Every night of our trip we walked around the island at dusk. This was a great time to spot mature female turtles making their way up the beach to the dunes to nest and lay eggs. The nesting process is time consuming and labour intensive. Our second night, we joined a guided walk and saw a 50 year old turtle laying eggs, which are similar in size to golf balls. It takes about 65 days for the eggs to hatch and between 25 and 30 years for the turtles to reach maturity and begin laying eggs of their own.

Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 2000km along the north east coast of Queensland. It is the largest living system on Earth and is home to an amazing array of biodiversity. We travelled by plane and boat to a small cay, or reef island, called Heron Island. The island is about the size of a large city park and is home to a small resort and a marine research station. The history of this small reef island is interesting. In the 1920s there was a turtle cannery in operation. Who would ever eat turtle meat? The surprising history continued as the island soon hosted tourists who would actually ride and "race" the mother turtles who came to the island to lay their eggs. Thankfully turtle riding was banned in the 60s and Heron Island today is a protected national park and home to turtles, sharks, rays, countless fish, and thousands of sea birds.
One evening as we walked around the island watching for mother turtles and hatchlings, we witnessed the circle of life first hand. As we stood right next to shore at high tide there were several sharks thrashing about in only a few feet of water. The sharks were waiting for the soon to arrive hatchlings as they frantically made their way into the ocean. An Aussie man was wading into the water to scare the sharks away and help the baby turtles increase their already poor odds at survival.
The beauty of the marine life was all within easy swimming distance from the beach. One morning I was snorkeling close to shore and I spotted an adult turtle just relaxing in the water amongst the coral. I was so amazed how natural the turtle seemed in the water compared to the awkward maneuvering we had witnessed on land. At the same time I spotted a six foot reef shark slowing swimming by about 10 yards away and a large ray that had just rose from the sea floor to slowly glide right by me. Being that close to nature was incredible. (spot the shark in the sunset photo below)
Click here to see more pictures from our trip.