superb superlatives

We encountered a number of superb superlatives while down under. In Australia we saw the smallest breed of dolphin swimming in the harbor, the Little Blue penguin- the world’s smallest, the largest coral reef, the most recognizable opera house- Sydney, the oldest rainforest-Daintree and the deadliest snake, taipan.  Oddly enough a lot of that took place on the shortest day of the year, June 21.

Our week in New Zealand provided more, yet localized superlatives. In Christchurch I jogged in the south island’s largest park-Hagley, in route to Milford Sound we saw the country’s longest irrigator, largest national park- Fiordland, and of course the biggest sheep shearing stand. A real highlight for me came while staying in Mount Cook; our room looked out on Aoraki, the country’s highest peak. It was there that I had one of the best runs ever. More to follow.

Run further or faster, just run.

Tom

Footprints in Fiji

Methodically and laboriously a man smoothed the sand on a portion of beach adjacent to our resort, The Outrigger, in Sigatoka, Fiji. I felt strangely shameful to trespass across his sand canvass. As I did, my footprints looked out of place and oh so alone. Mine were the first to touch the blank slate for the day. I knew by mid-morning my footprints would be erased by masses beach combers. Thinking about footprints, I kept running out of the resort area. Very soon I encountered rocks, kelp, and shells which made the sand look littered in comparison to the man’s artfully raked expanse of beach.

Natural beauty prevailed. I liked the beach in its natural state, though running required more attention to what loomed under foot. When not looking down at the path, I gazed out over the water and noticed the ocean was free of lights and ships (this remained the case all day). In other morning runs this year I’ve appreciated the quiet of American farmlands, a few days ago I reveled in the silence of Aoraki, New Zealand and now I enjoyed the calming white noise of the Pacific Ocean. Like all our travels, Shannan and my footprints won’t be the first or the last, but thankfully they get added to the mix.

Leave foot prints. Run.

Tom

Muddy Morning in Christchurch

A misty morning in Christchurch, New Zealand seemed much colder than 33 degrees as I ran through Hagely Park. It's a massive green space where I enjoyed my trot along a small canal until a construction detour took me off track. Nearly a year after a devastating earthquake, the city still labored with water drainage issues. Work on the curb, gutter and water piped led to large construction vehicles creating mud holes all about the edge of the park. I ventured away from the mess out into an open filed (which was cordoned off). One of the distinct disadvantages of running in the dark came as I soon realized the field was a huge mud puddle.

As I tried to cautiously negotiate a way out my left shoe got stuck and slipped off in the mud. I've long since learned not to make abrupt stops in the mud. That never works out well. So I ended up taking as many as three steps in the cold muck before turning around to go back for my shoe. I was less than ten minutes into the morning run. So, I put the shoe back on and walked out of the mud.  Rather than being upset (and who was there to blame- I crossed the line into the field and I chose to run in the dark) I decide this little event would make the first jog in New Zealand memorable, and so it did.

As I jogged through the large park I fondly recalled my childhood were as boys we relished playing in the mud. The dirt came off and I lived back then and the same held true this time as well. Once I lightened up, the fun was on par with time of my youth stomping around in the mud just for the sake of it.

Have fun. Get dirty. Run.

Tom

So Long Sydney

I'm an early bird; even so a 2:00 am wake up ring came too soon. We had to be picked up by 4:00 to make the first flight to New Zealand. So, I did what had to be done and hit the streets in the middle of the night. To my surprise, lots of life was stirring on the streets of Sydney at this odd hour. Bars were open, cafe's conducted business through street level windows, even at this hour folks were buying meat pies, pastries and other sundries. Men and women meandered along the roads heading to work, home or off for more entertainment.

I made one last pass through the lovely Hyde Park up to the city hospital. Near the entrance to the hospital sits a large sculpture of a bronze boar. The previous day I learned, on the city bus tour, that it's good look to rub the boar's nose. So, I did. Then I ran downtown to admire a couple of war memorials before trotting back through the Hyde Park to the famous ANZAC WW I memorial. I spent a couple of minutes running in place and in contemplation of the memorial. Our hotel was a block away. I had to end the run, stop the watch and say good bye to Sydney. I had a very pleasant stay in the Olympic city and enjoyed my three runs there immensely. 

 I don’t know that I recommend running at 2:00, but I highly suggest you run in Sydney Australia.

Tom

Monday Morning in Sydney, Business as Usual

Oddly, Monday morning traffic seemed close to equal to that of Sunday morning in Sydney. Okay, it's odd to me; I find very little traffic in Atlanta when jogging prior to 8:00am. Pre-dawn meat pies and pizzas were prepared, placed and sold from shops that had street level counters. This, too, seemed out of the ordinary. Here we have a clear case of ethnocentrism, as in in my neck of the woods it's completely out of the ordinarily for traditional lunch food to be available and purchased before 5:00 am. 

Anyway, as for the run, after leaving the hotel, I turned in the opposite direction from previous day, as is my custom where possible. I headed out for my daily exercise hoofing it along the busy streets. In a mile or so I found myself firmly ensconced in a Red Light District. Sex shops, street walkers and more made that unquestionably clear.

One woman on the sidewalk stepped in front of me and asked, "How can you do this?" 

I thought the same of her. So, I clarified, "Do what?" 

"Run," she said.

"It's easy," I replied, while running in place as she had blocked my path.

"It's too early," she said.

Again, I thought he same of her. 

"This is the best time of day for this sort of thing," I said.

Then she made an alternate proposition for something physical to do at that time of day. I smiled, declined her offer and ran along. In a half a mile or so I exited the red light district. I kept running through a lovely I a boutique and upscale retail area. A glance at my watch suggested it was time to head back to hotel and get ready for a grand day of tourism. So, I did.

This is why I run when out of town. Give it a try.

Tom

Only an hour

What a difference an hour makes. One morning the promenade of Cairns teemed with activity. Less than twenty-four hours later the stunning boardwalk showed few signs of life. So what caused such a remarkable difference? An hour or so accounted for the lack of movement compared to the previous day. I left at 4:30 am and found the coastal tourist town still asleep for the most part.

I took a turn through the downtown first, and then returned to the seaside for the second half of the run. Though the scenery remained vibrant and invigorating, I did miss the energy of the other early birds.

Early or late, run.

Tom

The Depths of Difference

A parent of one of my students travels frequently for business. When taking about Australia he said, "The one thing I didn't like was after traveling for a day I wanted to feel like I had entered someplace utterly foreign on arrival." I got a sense of what he meant during my run out of the Sydney airport. The surroundings felt a lot like home. I ran passed a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Office Maxx, a Ford Dealership and the great American icon, McDonald's. I could have been in Dallas or Portland. Okay, so like the British, drivers in Australia use the opposite lane from folks in the U.S. In this way I could easily picture myself in London (where I also left the airport to run). 

Here's the thing, Australia is not like any other place, and even though I had some very familiar experiences at first, it soon changed. One fun thing to mention would be visiting Daintree, which some scholars and scientists believe is the world's oldest rainforest. Sure, you can't find that in Atlanta. Perhaps more interesting are the birds I mentioned I heard when running in Cairns. I was overwhelmed by their number and the very odd sound they made early in the morning. I elected not to run under the set of trees that housed them for fear of droppings.  Good choice as it turns out, the birds are not birds at all. They are very large bats.

Then there is this silly little incident. When running early in the morning I turned off a city street in Cairns for the more appealing grassy banks of a canal. Shortly after leaving the street I found the canal much darker and somewhat unsettling, especially as I moved away from physical structures. Behind me I heard a splash in the water, larger than seemed normal (for a city dweller). Even though turning around meant going back toward the splash, I ran away from the bank and back to the street (considerably faster).

Later that afternoon at Hartley's Crocodile Farm I learned one of the many silly things people do that gets them harmed by crocs is to be out on the edge of water in the dark. Yikes! So, yes looks can be deceiving. Let me be the first to say, Australia is really nothing like Dallas or Portland.

Avoid wild animals. Run.

Tom

Seeing Sydney

A large remarkable park and moderately sized community in downtown Sydney, Australia share the name, Hyde Park. The community marked the starting point of an hour long run through the city. Along the way, I marveled at St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral, its fantastic architecture, impressive plaza and the lovely water features of the adjacent aquatic park. I zigged zagged through the park, its gardens and statuary. During this early hour homeless folks slept on benches while embers of heated romance from the evening hours continued to glow as several couples kissed, cuddled and strolled in the park. I took note of a lot of movement by foot and automobile for a Sunday morning. Taxis hustled for fares, cars motored to goodness knows where in the streets and trucks made various deliveries. On the sidewalks many young women clad in short skirts walked with their beaus, security guards made rounds, and I ran in pursuit of the harbor. 

Just once I should look at a map before taking to the streets of in new towns. The haphazard route in search of the harbor took me by the art museum, royal quarters, and botanical gardens. At last, to my left I finally saw the glistening of the water. Rather than turning, I forged straight ahead hoping to end at a pier, which did happen. I found myself in front of the Sydney Opera House. Magnificent!

Feeling successful and energized, I scampered back to the hotel, which touted a "hot breakfast." Among other things from the international buffet, I enjoyed tater tots, baked beans and spaghetti (which pleasantly reminded me of the SpaghettiOs of my youth). What a way to begin the day! A fine day indeed, we planned a visit to the Natural History Museum, a lunch harbor cruise and a city tour.

Follow maps. Explore. Run.

Tom

A Cracker of a Day in Cairns

Something beautiful this way comes. That's precisely why I ran toward the sun as it rose over the Coral Sea. Young lovers embraced on the pier watching the dark relent and make way for the majesty of day's first light. I don’t think they noticed as I passed them. Numerous other people populated the boardwalk of Cairns, Australia, most for their morning exercise. None of us could ignore the sensational sight across the water.

The area beckoned fitness enthusiasts, if not for the stunning views, then for the multiple running/walking paths, permanent fixtures to complete resistance training, and a park stage where a large group assembled for early morning yoga.

I enjoyed the refreshing run, and inhaled the crisp ocean air. In route to and from the pier I was overwhelmed by numerous birds with calls unfamiliar to my American ears. This is the very best part of running on vacation and running in particular.

Get a great start to the day. Run.

Tom

Plan B

After resolving the situation with the ominous lost Tuesday (June 12), I still needed to go for a run as soon as we arrived in Cairns, Australia. Enter flight delay. Our flight from Los Angeles didn't take off on time as we waited for travelers with connections from other cities. Thus, when we arrived in Sydney we didn't make it through immigration and the international terminal in time to catch the next plane. Times like these are precisely why I like rough plans and not finely tuned ones.

According to our new schedule, once we arrived at our destination we were to be escorted to a cultural show and dinner. Time was fleeting. I had been sitting in airports and on planes for twenty hours. I was at my limit for accepting things beyond my means of control. I knew more existed. Much could happen with weather (it had started to rain) and a world of other things to cause a delay of our next flight. I decided to seize the moment.  I dug out a pair of socks and running shorts from my bag, tucked my passport and boarding pass into a plastic bag and went for a for a rainy run from the Sydney airport. 

 Plan B-Run.

Tom