Keep on Runnin'

Sydney Running Festival 2007

*All photography on this post belongs to Warren Clarke Photography published on the official Bridge Run Website.

The past few weeks have been nice. Meals a plenty, nothing too stressful, and good weather returning, meaning several days at the beach sun baking... albeit in 22-26degree heat - regardless way better than the past few months.

Staying out of trouble I was half training for another organised race/run. This time it was the 9km Bridge Run starting at Milsons Point, shifting up and over the Harbour Bridge, across Circular Quay and then up and into the Botanical Gardens before returning back down Macquarie Street to a final finish on the Quayside.

Myself and Aaron managed to get up at 6am and to the start venue by 7.25am - pretty bad going since we could've stayed in bed some extra time, or stayed out a bit longer at the previous nights engagement party in Wooloomooloo. But hey, heroes we are and a race we were to run. So after Glen McGrath had started the family 5km run off, it was, an hour later, our turn.

Unlike City 2 Surf, this race was about me bettering a previous known time, rather than about extending a personal running boundary. I was aiming for 5minute KMs, considering my C2S ones were about 5mins 14seconds. I was going for the full distance in 45mins.

So the start pistol sent us all packing, and pretty soon we were jogging across the highlight of the run. The police had shut off the Harbour Bridge to Traffic and it was the one chance of the year to run across it. So a completely different perspective on one of the big tourist attractions I see and travel across day in day out - pretty amazing really. I remember being a little in awe of the steel girders rising above me in perfect symmetry.

2kms, all good

3kms, I was wishing it were 4

5kms, I was into the Botanical Gardens watching the race winners running the opposite direction past me - not the best thing for running morale!

8kms, Finally the home straight down Macquarie Street. I dug deep and upped my tempo down hill to the Quay - only to find out what I'd thought was the finish line wasn't... and I still had the length of East Circular Quay to run to the finish line. Luckily the power of the people stepped in to help me out. A real roar of encouragement, and I found not just a 2nd wind, but a hurricane. I sprinted down those last couple of hundred metres feeling almost floaty light. The shouting crowds making me feel like I was finishing the Olympics rather than a Sunday morning Running Festival. One last lunge and I was across the line and virtually motionless other than my rapidly expanding/exhaling chest. I looked over my shoulder at the clock and noticed I'd not only cracked my target of 45mins but also cracked 42minutes - official time 41minutes 22seconds. 462nd place. Stoked Fon.

Lilac Wine

APEC week & The Hunter Valley

Politics are generally not something I follow too closely, or get myself into a state worrying about. This particular occasion, they directly effected my life (for a week) and so I couldn't help but sit up and take notice of what was going on.

For 7days, Some of the most 'important' world leaders descended upon this fair town to have a chat about the economics of the Asian region, and the rest of the world. Inclusive was a certain George Bush. For the American Premiers arrival and stay, Sydney went into lockdown mode. For the whole week, 8ft metal fences lined a large portion of the central business district and meant buses, cars, taxis and people could not flow down the streets and walkways as usual.

Email virals circulated showing the city rooftops inhabited by snipers, the streets lined with large numbers of police and mobile phone jamming devices wherever Dubya was at the time.

So with all this extra activity, I went about my usual days work with not too much interruption. It was kinda cool too, as the journo in me came out; taking my camera to work in the hope that I might capture something dramatic, to then sell my world exclusive scoop to the mass media... alas, nothing really happened and my picture of a bin lined with police tape didn't fetch a dollar.

On the upside, the Friday of APEC week was declared a public holiday, to which employees rejoyced, and employers slapped the foreheads.

Some old friends from my Asian travel days arrived in town on the Saturday, Kathi and Irmela. The boys and I took them down to Coogee for a dinner in the evening before we would head out to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting... and buying.

A similar trip to the one I went on last year, this time around I actually recall some of the wineries I sampled though :) The sun was in and out all day, so not exactly a hot introduction for the girls first day out in Australia.

Swing

Rastawookie

The forgotten blog! I can't believe I forgot to write about this.

So, Benny tells me how great this band called Rastawookie are, and after his Shapeshifter recommendation - I figured to give it a shot. A little more Drum & Bass fused with awesome female vocals and a great vibe of cool.

This particular gig, the band were shooting footage for their new video clip, and required all attendees dressing in 1920's attire. So with the help of Benny's shopping trip, we got our funk together and rocked up with Jeanelle and Matt.

The venue couldn't have been better, and did nothing more than to get us all in character, and mood for the gig ahead. A DJ span 20's - 40's instrumental tunes with the odd scratch worked in, which worked... every now and then. Though when the band finally came on stage, they set the place alight. Another great band that I felt unworthy to be watching... fun to $$$ ratio was through the roof.

My original lure of this gig was the possibility of being in a music video, though once I realised how much of a great time I was having, getting my mug on camera was the last priority.

Hold On, Hold On

"I'm over drinking"

Something I haven't experienced in some time.

The last time, was as far back as when I owned a car.

An experience of normality that's only an experience because everyone around you is filling themselves with booze. As the night draws on, social links meander, and the conversation about time-travel, or the tramp that lives at the end of the road with hair matted thick enough, and grown long enough to sleep on like a camping matt - don't quite hold your attention like they usually would...

The Alcohol free party... x5.

So my 'de-tox' was on, and with it came several evenings out with friends in usualy fashion where I had to exercise some self control to make it through the evening... or mainly the first half an hour where everyone would quiz you as to why you weren't drinking, followed quickly by some attempts to get you to cave.

In the middle of some of these gatherings came a return to the Teppanyaki place we'd visited for Aarons birthday last year. This time, it was Benny's turn to be the target of the eggy cannonballs served up by the crazy Japanese chef.... or so most people would have guessed.

After a few guys had thrown some stray raw eggs about the room last year, I figured it my duty as Benny's mate, to make sure he got hit by some a chickens finest produce. Though upon launching some of these across the room at speed toward the host, the chef caught site of me... and since I was then 'the trouble maker' (albeit one of the only people in the room with no alchohol flowing through his bloodstream), he decided to re-route his attacks toward me.

Needless to say I walked away with yolk all of me... along with some hard and crispy rice - thanks Lowen ;)

The Sunday of that weekend seemed a lot like the first day of Summer, and with it I visited both Coogee and Maroubra, and even ended up in the sea... for a second as it was still wintery cold despite the suns best efforts to warm it up.

After 12 days of alcohol free clear headedness, at approximately 7.15pm I broke with a bottle Pure Blonde followed by a few cool wines. I had travelled to Woolongong with Todd, Rog and Mel to meet with Anna at her folks place. A cool and calm weekend followed with some late nights, rambling in the undergrowth nearby and then a short trip around the 'Gong and a wander down the beach.

I slid back to Sydney early on Sunday morning to make the most of the weather, and again, head to Coogee Beach for a spot of lunch.