Wrapping Up the Sydney Experience

Blogger Meet Up

It isn’t very often that I have the chance to meet up with a blogger buddy, but luckily it worked out that Melanie (of Mel Tries to Run) was able to come up to Sydney from Canberra on Saturday evening.  We met up with another runner friend of hers, went for cocktails and grabbed some super yummy Thai food in Newtown.  The evening was full of really fantastic conversation and I’m really glad that we had the chance to meet up.  Thanks again for a fantastic evening Mel!!

Hmm, looks like I caught a wee bit of sun…

Running

I managed to squeeze in some final runs in Sydney on Sunday and on Monday.  On Sunday I headed back to Circular Quay and the Opera House, plus I spent a bit more time exploring the Botanical Gardens.  It was slightly less humid when I started running as a light drizzle was coming down, but as soon as that finished the humidity kicked back in.  I went from feeling like I could run forever to feeling…ugh.  But the scenery was great!I hadn’t quite planned to run on Monday morning as that was the day I was leaving for the airport.  My parents had a much earlier flight than I did and they were out of the hotel room by 5:30 am.  I didn’t have to leave until 9 am to catch my flight and as I lay in bed and watched the sky brighten I figured I should really just get up and run.  We were staying in a part of Sydney called Darling Harbour so I just went down there and ran along the semi-circular boardwalk. I’m glad I got a last few miles in before having to rush off and catch my flight.  It was a nice way to end the trip.

Lessons Learned and Things I Was Reminded About in Australia

1. There is no better way to sightsee than on a run or a bike ride in a new place.  I got to see things I may not have noticed if I wasn’t running past it.  Running past the Sydney Opera House and up its stairs was a definite highlight.
2. Humidity and I?  We are not friends.  While all of my runs were incredibly scenic and beautiful they were also fairly hard.  I’m attributing it mostly to the humidity although I wasn’t quite the active runner I would have liked to have been in December.  So needless to say, I am actually kind of looking forward to getting back to running in cold, snowy Calgary.
3. Mozzies (aka mosquitoes) love me.  I do not love them.  My parents would get the odd bite here and there, but by the end of the trip the final count was 21 bites on my right leg, 16 on the left.
4. Swimming in a gorgeous outdoor pool is pretty well all I need to get excited about swimming again.  Time to get back to working on that stroke.

And with that…I’m back in Calgary.  Back to work tomorrow.  And my first block of Ironman training starts too!!  I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with you guys.  Google Reader is telling me that I have just over 600 unread posts!!

Virtual Valentine Exchange?

I am not the hugest fan of Valentine's out there. True, I've typically been single on Valentine's Day, but even as part of a couple I think that you shouldn't need one day on a calendar to show the other person how you feel. But past the bah humbugs, last night I was remembering when I was a kid at school we used to decorate envelopes to hang on the front of our desk. During lunch or a break in class you would try to drop a Valentine in your friends' envelopes without them knowing. It was a cute way to tell your friends (or the boy that you had a crush on) that you cared.

So what would you guys think of a virtual Valentine's exchange? At Christmas Nikemom put together a Christmas card exchange that I thought was a lot of fun, so kind of along the same idea.

• E-mail me at runnerleana at gmail dot com with your name, blog address and e-mail address by Friday, February 13th at 6 pm PST.
• I'll e-mail you back with your secret Valentine Friday evening.
• Send your secret Valentine an e-card, or a note, or whatever you like on Saturday, February 14th.

You may discover a new blog or get to say hi to a friend! I realize there isn't a lot of time, so if you could help me out and pass the good word along to your readers as well, then that would be fantastic!

February 14th is also the Freakishly Flexible 5K for Non-Runner Nancy. Head over this way if you would like more information and to participate.

And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a free download of Running the Sahara here!