CK Multisport Coaching

Well the last two days have been action packed.  I don’t think I’ve sat down other than for about 3 hours from 6:30 am till 11 pm yesterday and today has been much the same.

I started yesterday with a great ~7 mile run around the streets and water paths of Sydney.  I keep surprising myself with how good my runs are going considering ALL the walking I’m doing during the daytime.  Unfortunately, My heal has been giving me fits for a few months now and all of this running and walking is certainly not helping, so that’s top on my priority to figure out when I return.  For now, I will ignore in typical Kim-injury-fashion 🙂

After a quick breakfast, Dawn and I parted ways and she and Kevin ventured to meet up with his cousin while I trekked to the local bike shop to rent me a cruiser to head to Bondi!  The ride there on my cruiser was fun / interesting / long / scary at times but I still loved having the mobility of a bike.  You can just get everywhere so much faster and cheaper than walking or cabs.

Once I finally found Bondi, it was magnificant!  The beach is surprisingly small, but I couldn’t quit reminding myself I was at one of the most famous / beautiful places in the world!  I rented a beach chair and parked my rear end there for a good ~3 hours.  The sand on Bondi is like powder and felt so good between my toes.  The weather was absolutely perfect….just warm enough to be out in a bathing suit, but no signs of sweating, humidity and even a chill breeze that blew threw every few minutes.  It’s crazy how 6 days ago I was bundled in a North Face vest, scarf and boots and now I’m in a bikini!  I stuck my toe in the water for exactly 1 second before scurrying back to my chair with chills…yet people were frolicking around like it was 80 degree water!?   Bondi again reinforced that Sydney is 100% somewhere I would consider living.

I spent the whole ~30 min bike ride back contemplating seriously taking 1 year off from work and moving here.  I thought about all of the logistics of my house, car, dogs, family, etc….and I honestly think I could make it work.  I would never do anything like that permanently, or at least wouldn’t plan to at first, but the notion of it is seeming more and more appealing the more I get out and see new parts of the country / world. I plan to spend a lot more time thinking about this possibility for the next few months.

We finished last night with an awesome seafood dinner on the Floating Restaurant which is an old restored boat that has been turned into a restaurant.  And….Gelatto for desert, finally!  I’ve wanted to have some Gelatto everyday since I arrived but have restrained.  I was hell bent on Gelatto last night and it was worth every bit of the $8 and billion calories 🙂

Today was the most interesting experience I’ve had yet.  Maybe in my whole life.  If you aren’t aware, I’m afraid of heights, and this fear seems to be growing more fierce the older I get.  I’m not afraid of flying, or being on solid grounds up high, but I’m afraid of open stairs, in particular.

That said, what better activity than climbing over the arch of a bridge 150 meters above the ground!?  What.  Was.  I.  Thinking?!  Dawn was bound and determined to do this climb and I figured I had to do it because, I guess, I just did?  I don’t know.  I’ve been apprehensive and scared about the doing it since we’ve planned it, but I didn’t realize JUST how scared I was until it was time to get out there.  You’re VERY well secured, the bridge is obviously very stable, but when you have a fear of heights, that doesn’t matter.

I cried.

I can’t remember the last time I cried in fear of something.  I remember as a child getting trapped in a tight space and crying because I was getting claustrophobic, ad I remember getting lost with my best friend from High School (Jess Areman) in the woods while venturing off the designated ski paths at Stratton Mountain and maybe crying then (and maybe peeing my pants!)…but as an adult????  I couldn’t believe how not-well I handled the situation!  Dawn was a trooper, as was our guide, trying to make me feel better and I definitely got better as the climb went on, but it’s certainly nothing I will ever do again!  The site from the top was truly magnificent, when I could actually look out and enjoy them.  I spent much of my time up there death-gripped onto the rails counting down the minutes till when we’d turn around and head back.  The total climb was about an 1 – 1 1/2 hours and I’ve never been so relieved to be done with something.  We went immediately to the Opera House bar for a cold beer after leaving the bridge.

So tonight is our last night here and I’m feeling emotional about it….shocking.  I’m sad my vacation I’ve been planning for 14 months is over.  I’m excited to get home.  I’m ecstatic to see my doggies and kitty.  I’m depressed to have to go back and catch up on 3 weeks of work.  I’m scared to look at my bank account.  I’m thankful for this experience.  I’m excited to get back to a regular workout routine.  I’m dying to sleep in my own bed.  I’m dreading leaving Sydney and this beautiful part of the world – there is still so much more I want to do.  And, most importantly, I’m hungry and in the mood for another cocktail – so with that, we’re off to party it up on our last night at Sydney!  Thanks for checking in everyone over the last few weeks.  See you all when I return!

Today was our 2nd full day in Sydney and it was just as enjoyable as the first.  I was up bright and early and at the pool by 8am for a lovely 3500 meter swim.  That part was, um, one of the less enjoyable parts of the day.  😉  I was reminded how “old” I am when there were still Halloween parties going on from Saturday night when I was walking to the pool.

We decided to spend the morning at the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife Park seeing so many animals!  I was in heaven!!  My favorites were the koala’s, the wallaby’s with Joey’s in their pouches and the kangaroos….they are all so adorable.  We walked for nearly 3 hours around all of the exhibits before making our way over to the Harbor Bridge to check out the scenes.

We plan to do the skywalk over the Harbor Bridge on Tuesday, which is apparently well worth the $220 they charge!   We walked for quite some time to get to the bridge so we stopped and I enjoyed a fabulous glass of wine at a little cafe.  The wine here has not disappointed.

I ventured back to the hotel alone and decided to do a bit of shopping on the way.  There are a lot of American stores here, but they offer much different products.  I picked up an adorable pair of flats at a local boutique and set my eyes on a few things I want to try on when Dawn and I shop on Tuesday.  I think we must have walked at least 6 or 7 miles today…funny how running 6 or 7 miles is NBD but walking wears me OUT!

Tomorrow we’ll be out bright and early and head to the Sky Tower that overlooks the city and then rent bikes to ride to Bondi Beach.  We planned on the beach today but the weather is looking nicer for tomorrow.  I’m excited to see the beach!

As I sit here writing this blog entry I am underneath the Opera House in Sydney overlooking the most beautiful (romantic) scenes of my life. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is to my left, the crystal clear blue water in front of me with huge yachts and cruise ships passing by. I had to sit down and capture the moment – at least in my mind and for my friends and family who read.

Rewind to yesterday where we were still in Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand. We stayed in a tiny little apartment outside of the city on Thursday night and went to a hip little pub for dinner and an awesome beer which I can’t remember the name. We were up bright and early yesterday morning to walk around downtown Christchurch to see the damage from the earthquake, which is very evident. The city is pretty much all blocked off and is a construction zone thus we didn’t get to see much. We spoke to our waitress about the quakes a bit on Thursday night which was very intriguing.  There were 3 quakes in the last 2 years which have taken a toll on the downtown, but the suburbs seemed to have survived quite well.  The little suburb we stayed was adorable, “Dilworth-like” with its restaurants, boutiques and “motels” which we’ve discovered are actually not “motels” like we’re used to.  Thank god.

After our walk around town and a quick breakfast, we hit the road en route to Mt. Cook – the highest peak in NZ. The ride was about 4 hours, but well worth every minute spent in the car.  The sites along the way, including Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki were breathtaking. I have never seen such blue lakes completely still as no boats were present. For this non-swimmer, all I wanted to do was throw my wet suit on and dive in.  Miles of endless, flat, crystal clear blue water would have been very liberating.  Driving the roads around the lakes and into Mt. Cook made me wish I had my road bike with me very, very badly.  I may have built it on the side of the road just so I could go for a ride!

We arrived at Mt. Cook about 2pm with enough time to hit one long hiking trail after lunch. We opted or the 3 1/2 hour trail with no information previously about what kind of trail it would be. Come to find out, it included no less than 10,000 steps to the top of a very, very tall peak where the top was fully covered in several feet of snow.  As we set out on our hike, we thought it’d be cool to get as high as the snow caps, but had no clue we actually would.  I used the hike as my workout for the day and hit the stairs pretty hard.  It was very very challenging but the scenes from up top were well worth the climb.  We ventured down the mountain shortly after as we certainly weren’t dressed for snow and sleet and headed back into the lodge at the base before hitting the road.  We chatted with a handsome gentleman from Seattle who was in NZ for 10 weeks backpacking after graduating grad school before getting back into the real world.  He was awesome to chat with and I wished we exchanged information.

I drove us home, on the left side of the road, for the first time and it was totally fine. I was apprehensive about driving on the opposite side but had zero issues, thankfully, and we were back safely by about 11pm in time for our 5:00am alarm for our flight to Sydney!

That brings me to now.  I decided I needed a “solo day” upon arrival so I dropped my bags at the hotel, changed and immediately set out for a run around the new city.  One of my favorite things to do as I’ve mentioned several times before.  There’s no better way to see a lot of sites in a short amount of time, then running.  I planned to go for 30-40 minutes and ended up going ~90 minutes.  Not only did I feel surprisingly good after our strenuous hike yesterday, but the sites were utterly amazing.  I love killing two birds with one stone!

I ran by a pool/ health club /cafe right on the water, with a 50 meter pool overlooking the sea.  I know I’ll be spending a bit of time there the next few days.  I saw the Opera House, Botanical Gardens, fountains, museums, and all sorts of other amazing sites. I made my plans for where I’d want to revisit after my run post shower and I knew the cafe overlooking the water and the pool would be top of my list.

I just finished a wonderful salad with fresh fish and capers and a light tasty glass of wine.  I continued walking for a while where I decided to sit and mediate, for the first time in my life.  Hearing the water in the background, the ships, and most of all, the various chatter and languages taking place was more soothing than a massage.  I mediated for over 25 minutes, when I sat down planning on about 5.

As I listened to all the tourists walking by and talking, I took a moment to be thankful and appreciative once again that I have the opportunity to be here. I’ve heard Aussie, British, Scottish, French, and tons of Asian languages and accents.  What i have not heard a ton is American accents, making me that much more appreciative knowing how much more rare it is for Americans’ to visit.  This trip is EXPENSIVE.  I might have to eat lettuce for the next 6 months to save money and drop the few lbs I feel like I’ve gained from so much eating out, but it’s worth every red cent I’ve spent and every pounds I might or might not have gained – these 2 weeks are my “off season”, after all, and we’ve experienced parts of the world many people never will in their lifetime. I’m savoring every moment!

My impressions of Sydney so far:

1.  This place is uber romantic. I would love to be here with someone special.  🙂

2.  All men wear Speedo’s. All men who wear Speedo’s don’t look that awesome in Speedo’s.  of the men who wear Speedo’s, wear white speedos. I’m praying this trend does not catch on and make its way to America. Some of the men who wear white Speedo’s have tattoos and piercings in and on and around places that startled even me, someone who is not offended by anything.

3.  The weather at this time of year is AWESOME here, from what I can tell. I hate to diss NZ, but the weather certainly put a damper on my love for the place. I’m in a tank top and shorts right now, and could put on jeans and a light sweater and be fine in both get-ups. Perfecto!

4.  This place is all tourists.
5.  I wish Charlotte was on the water. Cities located on water are just a step above the rest.

6.  The people here are extremely active. I felt like I joined a local running race while I ran along the water because there were so many people running. I made sure to our run all those that looked like they cared. 😉

7.  I add Sydney to my list of Santa Monica and Boulder, CO as the only other places I would consider moving.

Hey gang-

just a quick check in from overseas.  We spent 2 days after the race in Auckland and had a great time.  The day after the race I was totally exhausted with a nice headache from several post race cocktails so I decided to take a “chill out” day to pack my bike, take a nap and spin out my legs.   We finished the day with a really nice dinner at the Sky Tower which overlooks the whole city of Auckland and rotates 1 full circle per hour.  The weather was crystal clear for the first time all day so it was awesome to see the beautiful city.  I love all cities that overlook water and Auckland doesn’t disappoint.

Yesterday was our last day in Auckland so we took a road trip to Rotorua which was about 3 hours away.  We did a gondola ride, two luge rides down the mountain and Dawn and I put on our adventurous hats and did a Sky Swing.  The Sky Swing is basically a little chair 3 people can get strapped into, you get lifted 40 meters off the ground (feeling like your going to fall out forward the whole time) and then you pull a chord which releases your little chair and you swing through the air over a cliff.  It was so fun/scary/exhilarating and the video they took of us was classic.  Dawn is screaming and I am stone faced in fear!  ha.

After the little adventure park, we drove to the Redwoods where we hiked for about an hour.  The redwoods are unreal and the hiking/running/walking trails were absolutely spectacular.  I wished so badly I had my running shoes with me.

Today was our flight to Christchurch.  Given the earthquakes they’ve had here, the city is pretty much in shambles, which we didn’t realize when we booked our flight.  So, we decided a few days ago we’d fly into Christchurch and then rent a car to make the 6 or so scenic drive to Queenstown.  All went smoothly with flight and car rental, but about 2 hours into our drive South to Queenstown, we realized we’d gotten on the highway going North!  DOH!  We only have 2 days here on the South Island so it wouldn’t have made sense to turn around and drive 8 hours back to Queenstown from Kiakura.  We made the best of our snafu and enjoyed a day in Kiakura seeing the beautiful beaches and scenery, ate some (more) wonderful local food, and then visited the seals at a lookout.  There is nothing cuter than a fat baby seal!

We’re back in Christchurch tonight and are planning on venturing tomorrow to Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand for some hiking and exploring.  We’ve had a great time so far.  There’s been absolutely no shortage of good food, great wine and delicious beer.  I’m looking forward to our trip to Sydney on Saturday…I will try to check in when I can!  Wi-fi is hard to come by!