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Saturday 15th September 2018 and it hit 28 degrees C today! It may be only Spring but we sure got a taste of Summer today. Unfortunately it is forecast only to last a day - tomorrow the weather will return to normal mid Spring temperatures ie a lot cooler around 14 degrees C max.
So my Saturday starts off with my usual Beginner Jazz class with Louie George. I notice a few regulars missing from his class (one deciding to do a ballet class) and 2 older ladies ( both seniors) - boy can they dance! Unsure what the song we danced to today was but it was slower. I enjoyed it.
After class no shower but headed off to Balmoral Beach for a swim. A quick chicken wrap from Mcdonalds and then to find the quickest way to get to Balmoral Beach - there isn't one. The buses were all running so late - class finished at 11.30 am but I didn't arrive at Balmoral Beach until 1.30 pm. By the time I arrived the beach was full of people. Every man and his dog was there and it was quite windy when I arrived. I spent just half an hour in the water had a hot shower then waited for the next bus to take me home. Unfortunately the 257 bus that should travel all the way to Chatswood Station dumped us at Crows Nest so knowing I had some time to wait for a connecting bus I did some grocery shopping at the 2 level new Woolworths just behind the bus stop. It is quite a nice Woolworths. Very open.
After a shop I hopped on the next 343 bus towards Chatswood. I dumped my groceries made dinner for my father then packed to make my way to the city on the M40 bus connecting to a M30 bus to Railway Square. I have booked myself into the YHA Railway Square for 2 nights but upon check in am so disappointed I decided that I may check out early as soon as I complete the Bridge Run tomorrow and have a shower. If this is what using enights is like I will never stay at the YHA Railway Square again. I requested a carriage and because I booked with an enights pack ended up on a 8 share female dorm inside and on a top bunk again. To make things worse - someone has taken the pillow so I had to walk downstairs to ask for and wait for one. Nightmare hostel! So many problems dealing with them to make a booking. I ended up not be staying another night but checking out early after the race is over and I've had a shower. I only got about 3 hours sleep last night awakened by constant opening and closing of the dorm door, people switching on the main light in the room, snoring, coughing , glass bottles smashing or bins of them being emptied throughout the night as well as many other noises. There was a toliet and bathroom inside the dorm room but it was so full of stuff and looked a little dirty I used the outside common bathrooms.
TBC.....
Photos attached
Sunday 16th September 2018. It is 6.30 am and I have been awake since 5 am. Did not get much sleep last night - coughing and other people in the dorm snoring nd banging doors and switching on lights at all hours of the night.
I had a shower organised my little back pack and am waiting until 7 am to catch a train to Milsons Point where the race starts.
Group B of the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival 10 Km bridge Run started at just after 8 am. Off we go. I walked most of the 10 Km course and took quite a few photos. I finished the race in approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes
(Post Script : net time 1 hour and 36 minutes - I assume this is the offical time recorded as I cross the sensors at the start and finish lines) . A little over the time I aimed for but I did stop to take more photos this time round. Even a video of going through the Cahill Express way tunnel. About 34 000 people participated in this years Blackmores Sydney Running Festival which comprised of the Marathon Half Marathon 10 Km Bridge Run and Family Fun Run - not huge compared to the annual City2Surf which attracts up to
80 000 participants each year. Postscript : offical number of registered participants was over 37 291 for 2018 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival
Queues for the portaloos @ Bradfield Park
B start for the 10 Km Bridge Run
Race start area under the Sydney Harbour Bridge Bradfield Park Milsons Point
Run across the Harbour Bridge
Through the Cahill Expressway Tunnel
Along the Cahill Expressway with stunning views of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Over the finish line in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbour backdrop
Water and a finishers medal collected after the finish line
Crowds of finishers near the gates of the Royal Botanic Gardens leading up to the Recovery Village and Baggage Collection areas
A nice spot to eat my pre ordered prepaid breakfast, soak in the sun , relax after the race and take in the harbour views
The marathon is still in progress below as viewed from above a set of stairs leading to Circular Quay East
As soon as I crossed the finish line, I collected a bottle of water, a medal and then walked through to the Recovery Village to pick up my preordered prepaid breakast box which consisted of a sausage and onion on a roll, a brownie, orange juice and an apple. I found a nice spot to sit down and enjoy it. No free fruit this year at the Blacvkmores tent - maybe there was next to the free massage tent however by the time I got there the crates were empty but I did manage to pick up another 2 tetra packs of nutragrain protein slurpies.
My nice prepaid pre ordered after race breakfast.
Back to the YHA Railway Square to have a shower change of clothes repack and check out early.
Back home for a asleep - end of a full weekend of exercise! Although I have Tuesday off this week I am not pushing to go to Ramon's Jazz Express/Workout class this week. I'll just pick up my passport do some shopping and go home and organize myself for my next adventure. Back to work again Wednesday.
Photos attached above and video also uploaded onto Youtube ( thanks to those that have already viewed it!)
Rating: 5/10 YHA Railway Square . The novelty of staying in an old sleeper has worn off due to poor customer service. Stay at one of the other YHAs recommended.
Rating: 7/10 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. No complaints, I prefer this to City2Surf. Flexibility and must do for visitors to Sydney if you want to get some exercise and see a bit Sydney Harbour.
Postscript : When I caught up with my German friend on exchange in Sydney, I found out he had got a last minute voucher to register for the Full Marathon. Very impressed - he told me it took him 4.5 hours to complete the 42 km marathon and he stopped running after the first 25 km nd walked the rest of the marathon. He said he started to feel hungry during the race. He showed me the countless marathon photos taken of him along the entire course of the marathon in contrast to mine which were only a few over the 10 km Bridge Run course. Medal and a finishers t shirt were his souvenirs to take back to Germany with him. He doesn't think he will do it again though.
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