Seednee, Orstrahlia (and a few others bits and bobs)

Haven't had a lot to say recently- busy, it's winter, training has been waaay less than ideal.. yada yada. I guess we all go through these funks some time, and I can assure you that I'm about 90% happy, it's just that the extra 10% is talking loudly right now. Also, have found myself wasting far too much time on bebo and facebook and neglecting my blog- so pointless, yet so addictive. Tsk tsk!

I spent two days working in Sydney last week, which was great, but has left me a bit drained, especially since it was too bloody windy to land in Welly last night, so we detoured to Auckland, where I stayed "overnight" (does 2-6am count as overnight?) before flying back home on the first flight out. No biggie, but still a pain. Luckily the job I was doing over there wasn't too stressful, or else I'd be wiped.

Anyway, Sydney was my first o/seas business trip as well as my first solo international trip (that realisation surprised me- was sure I'd done it before). I found the first day a bit stressful, getting from airport to hotel to work and back into town, when I basically had no idea where I was. I managed to find the pub to have a drink with fellow blogger Ellie- my first ever official blog-meet (seeing Mike after Rotorua doesn't count, as I'm such a woos I didn't say hi). A glass of wine with a friendly face was exactly what the doctor ordered!

After that I felt a lot more comfortable, and made my way back to the hotel easily (no mean feat- my sense of direction is appalling!). After some room service and a late swim in the gorgeous 15m (so they said, I'm thinking 10, or else I've grown gills...), I went to sleep feeling much more positive about the day ahead.

Unfortunately, I slept in, which started things off not quite on the right foot, but decided "b*gger it, I want a run!" I knew I wouldn't really have time for the 9k route suggested by the hotel (awesome jogging map!), which incorporated some of Ellie's tips, and to top it off, couldn't find my watch, but decided I'd sneak out, explore the waterfront and see what happened. The city was beautiful (though I wish I hadn't missed the sunrise), and I would love to go back to explore properly- my 40ish minute run around the Opera House and through part of the gardens wasn't quite enough! Got ready and checked out in record time, and decided to walk across the bridge to work. Cool! I was a complete nerd and took pics on both the run and the walk- have mislaid camera, so can't post them. Maybe later (but really, they just go "bridge, opera house, bridge, opera house, opera house, bridge, tree, bridge...") After work, I wandered down to catch the ferry back into town- ended up being a bit of a mad rush (had my check in time wrong), but the ferry ride was nice, exploring the North Sydney area a bit was great, and I made it to the airport *in time*.

In training news, the 10k "A" race is tomorrow, but it's been demoted to a "C", or maybe a "B-"! My training has been haphazard for the past few weeks, and although I might scrape a PB (and have programmed a fast n fun playlist), tomorrow's not feeling fast! Still, it should be a fun day, and am having brunch with Speedy A afterwards- her second mary and she's out for a big-PB and hopefully sub-3:40. So, send the vibes to her, not me!

Actually, send them to Jodi (and Susan) at Ironman CdA! Jodi is amazing, and a complete inspiration. She managed to keep up with her training while finishing her thesis and becoming Doctor JT, and seeing how strong she was through stressful times has really reminded me that we can keep working, training and living when maintaining that balance gets tougher. Have an amazing day Jodi!!