The first bit

This morning I completed my recce of the Point-to-Pinnacle course, in three stages. This time I did the first bit - from the event start at Wrest Point Casino down on the River Derwent up along the Huon Road to Fern Tree, all the while looking up at the top of kunanyi / Mt Wellington in the distance and thinking, yikes! That's where this thing ends. For the return trip I chose the scenic route, down the Pipeline Track and through Waterworks Reserve before hitting the side streets of Sandy Bay back to the car. 18.7km all up.

It was a gorgeous morning before the rain passed through this afternoon. I hope the weather is kind for the actual event. If I add together the three stages I've walked, I did it in just over 3 hours 30 minutes, with just a few stops to take photos and tie shoelaces. So walking it in one go I guess I'll be tired and a bit slower, but I think I can complete it within the 4 hours and 40 minute time limit. Two weeks to go...

Walking Wellers: Fern Tree to The Chalet

It didn't look like a great idea as I drove through Huonville towards kunanyi / Mount Wellington - or Wellers as we often call it at home. There was a large grey cloud sitting on the mountain and the windscreen wipers has been going since I left home. But I was determined to use Sunday morning for a training walk from Fern Tree (400m) up the mountain, feeling hopeful that I'll be fit enough to take on the Point to Pinnacle (walk, not run for me) in November. In typical Tassie weather, the sun came out not long after I parked the car. I reached The Springs (720m) much quicker than expected, so I stopped for a coffee at Lost Freight before continuing up Pinnacle Road. It started raining not long before I reached The Chalet (at about 1,000m) and then the rain turned into snowflakes. At the shelter, I put on my rain jacket and started heading back downhill. Ten minutes later the sun was out again! I intended to walk down the Middle Track from The Springs, but it was closed. So I got to enjoy a detour past Silver Falls on the way back to the car. Next time: The Pinnacle.

Parkrunning

After many - and I mean MANY - months of "thinking about it" (making excuses mostly) I finally completed my first parkrun this morning. Parkrun is a global movement and there are more than 350 of these events across Australia each week, bringing people together for better health and mental wellbeing, fun and a sense of community. Around 2,000 people run every week across Tasmania, as I found out watching this video of local MP David O'Byrne talking about the first anniversary of the Geeveston Parkrun in the Tasmanian Parliament last week.

The sun came out as I arrived in Geeveston and the friendly volunteers made me feel welcome. A tree had fallen across the usual track in last night's high winds and they'd set up a small diversion. Three laps of the course - for me part-running, part-walking - a stretch and that's exercise done for the day. Then it's off for coffee and well-deserved cake or onto whatever other activities the day holds. I can see why it's kind of addictive. Now let's see how my legs feel tomorrow!

Cha cha cha

Learning ballroom dancing has been on my bucket list for years, for a few reasons. I love dancing, and really miss it since giving up ballet all those years ago. Unlike ballet, ballroom dancing is something you can keep doing all your life. Opportunities to bop away on the dance floor or to a band are rarer these days. And I hate going to social occasions and watching others dance. Boring.

It was just a pity that all the classes were in Hobart, and I knew I wouldn't manage to drive in after work for classes every week. Then I spotted that Long-Steps Ballroom Dancing was starting a beginners class not far from us, every Wednesday night at the Soldier's Memorial Hall in Ranelagh, and decided to give it a go. So far I've learnt the evening three step, tangoette, the rumba and a few simple progressive dances, and today I went to a Saturday workshop on cha cha cha. It's so much fun.

David and I tried a couple of lessons over the years, including swing dancing which we thought would be great, but didn't really enjoy it. The dancers were fine, but they weren't good teachers. So here's the difference at Long Steps. Lindsey and Ian are very good at explaining things clearly and simply and getting everyone moving. It might feel a little awkward at first, but before you know it, things click and suddenly you're dancing away. It's great exercise for the brain as well as the body. I'm surprised how puffed I can get when we do a quick progressive jive as a warm up!

If you've ever thought about it, come along and give it a try. A new dance is taught each month, and we go over some old ones and do some easy progressive numbers to start the class. They also offer private lessons for those who would like some help or to learn something for a special occasion, like a wedding. Advanced classes are coming to the Huon Valley sometime too, so for those who have danced before, keep an eye on the Long-Steps Facebook page.

Winter fitness challenge

This is what I saw when I went out on my little run this morning:

If you're moving to rural Tasmania and (like me) don't like gyms and prefer to exercise in the fresh air, here's some honest truth. Be prepared for the mental barrier to climb just a little bit higher. I prefer to exercise first thing in the morning before work, and at this time of year when I go out, it's dark until after 7am. I mean pitch black. There's no ambient light or street lights like you get in the city. I find it easy to go out walking or running at 5.30 or 6.00am when I'm in Sydney for work. Here, I wear a head torch that illuminates the patch of dirt road immediately in front of me, helping me to avoid puddles and potholes. Apart from the occasional hopping sounds of pademelons fleeing from my path, I could be anywhere. Sometimes forestry guys in their utes whiz by on their way to work and the occasional truck thunders past and I have to step off the road until they pass. In the daytime, walking in the forest is beautiful, in the dark it becomes just a little bit scary.

Boo hoo, I hear you say, you're just making excuses not to exercise. Fair enough. I much prefer to walk and run in the cold than (say) the humid heat in Sydney, but I won't pretend its not harder to get myself out the door here. This morning it was a pleasant 7 degrees, unlike yesterday's sub-zero temperatures and chunky frost (I stayed in bed). While it will no doubt get colder over the next couple of months, I am so happy at the passing of the winter solstice this week, as it will start to get lighter at both ends of the day. Hurray!

A few months ago, David and I decided to bite the bullet and get a personal trainer to visit once a week. It seemed like a splurge, but it's been absolutely worth it. For the first couple of sessions we were able to exercise outdoors, but since daylight saving ended our trainer comes to our home and we work out in the living room. The bonus is I can wear a t-shirt and can see my own feet! Without someone (nicely) bullying me I doubt I would ever work as hard. Another step I think I'll have to take is to vary my exercise time and go out after 4pm some days when I'm too brain dead for complex work but before it gets dark. If you have any good winter exercise strategies, please let me know. It has been a challenge, one that I'm only just starting to get on top of.

Sunrise walks

The days are getting shorter at both ends. The sun now rises after 6am, making it the perfect time to go for a walk or run to kick start the day. It's still cool, but light. Need to make the most of it before I'm back to walking in the dark, all too soon.

Cathedral Rock revisited

Owww my quads! I'm in Sydney for work this week and I can walk up stairs just fine (with only a little grunting) but going down stairs - owww! The pain is worth it. For a start, it reminds me just how unfit I really am. It also reminds me of the beautiful view from Cathedral Rock on Saturday morning. I don't mind climbing hills, but on the way down I had an attack of "shaky leg" and knew I'd be in a bit of pain afterwards. It has been almost five years since I last went up Cathedral Rock. I highly recommend this walk. It is very pretty all the way, with a big "wow" when you reach the top.

Hobart morning walks

I needed to be in Hobart early on Thursday and Friday this week, and as I wasn't confident I would be able to get there with the snow and ice on the roads, I stayed in town for two nights. One thing I do like about city living is the early morning walk or run. At dawn, before the influx of office workers. The main difference between walking or running in the city and where I live is pavement. It's harder on the legs, but it makes weather irrelevant. There's no snow, mud, darkness or frost to deter me from getting up to go outside.

Mud glorious mud

We've had a lot of rain lately. Not as much as Launceston, but still, a LOT of rain. River levels are high, dams are full and paddocks under water. Perfect timing then, for the annual Winter Challenge multisport event run in Franklin yesterday. It rained on and off during the event, but the mud was already there waiting to coat the competitors from head to foot as they ran 10km, mountain biked 18km, road biked 37km and kayaked 11km through the Egg Island canal and up the Huon River. One mud-covered competitor was heard to say as she climbed off her road bike for the final kayak leg of the event: "Never again!". Don't blame her.

We have been marshals on the run leg of the event for the past few years, stationed at farm gates in paddocks, and it's always so impressive to see these amazingly fit guys and girls power past us. Many of them even spare the breath and energy to say thanks on the way past. Seriously, no need to say thanks, it's kind of an honour just watching them and we always enjoy the few hours out in the fresh air.

New year, new routine

Towards the end of last year, the level of exercise we were doing fell to almost zero. I was travelling and a bit frantic at work in November, then we had visitors and Christmas to keep us eating and drinking too much... it really hit home for me when I attempted a hike up Snowy South and  found I really wasn't up to the task. Unfortunately the Wing Chun karate school David had been enjoying decided not to run classes locally anymore. I love dancing but haven't found any classes nearby, David loves tennis but same deal... long story and excuses aside, we needed a new approach.

Now we get up when the dogs wake us to be let outside (before six) and go out straight away for a walk on the forestry roads near our place, rain or shine. I am really happy about this. It is such a beautiful time of the day and I feel like I have achieved so much more before it's 9am, instead of sitting straight down at my desk to work after breakfast. I know that if I left it until the end of the day, my thoughts would be on dinner and it wouldn't happen. And with both of us committing to it, we have to keep each other honest. Often, we are rewarded with views of endless wilderness, beautiful sunrises and mountains, all only half an hour's walk from home.

Forestry operations

A few months ago I set off to walk through the forestry area to the west of our place but found my planned route was blocked by tree felling operations, the first we've seen in the area since we moved here. For a month or so we saw various trade vehicles, utes and trucks driving past our house before 7am each day. Some of them were heading back down the hill later in the day, which our neighbours collecting their children from school around that time were understandably not happy about. There's barely enough room for two cars to pass each other in a couple of places on our road, so I would hate to come face to face with a log truck.

Activity has since ceased, so last week I walked up again for a look. Although the tall trees you can see in the second photo below are now flattened, the logged area was a lot smaller than I had expected. There is an awful lot of timber lying around, I hope some of it is collected for use before the burn off and replanting occurs.

On the way I passed an echidna. We have seen quite a few of them around lately, aren't they lovely creatures?

Winter Challenge 2012

Our marshal point for today's Winter Challenge multisport event in Franklin was a little further up Hope Hill than last year. Our little job was to open two farm gates in soggy fields dotted with large cow pats ready for the runners in the 10.7km run leg that starts the event, make sure the runners followed the correct course, alert emergency personnel if someone needed help and close the gates once everyone had passed. By the time runners reached us, they had completed more than three quarters of the run and only had a steep downhill left to go (through  the aforementioned soggy fields and cow pats followed by mud and gravel roads). Apart from one guy limping, all the runners were in amazingly good shape when they reached us. Last year there had been a few more injuries.

I am amazed how many runners were either chatting with each other or took the time and breath to say good morning or thank us. Really, no need to thank us - it's a privilege to watch and be inspired by you all. After the run, there's an 18km mountain bike, 37km road bike and 11km kayak to complete. Phew. I heard that close to 50 people out of the 500 participants had entered to complete all four sections, the rest as a team or relay. Wow. Loads of respect for you guys.

After closing our farm gate, no cattle in sight, we walked back downhill to watch some mountain bikers on a nice muddy downhill. Only a few spills this year. Later, we took the dogs down to the foreshore and saw some of the road bikers and kayakers coming in. Around the start-finish area it became obvious how much high tech gear is involved in competing in multisport events like this. Every second car had a muddy mountain bike or a kayak strapped to the roof and an entire team of supporters camped on chairs nearby to transport it all.

Fitness on the foreshore

Each Monday evening for the past few weeks I huffed and puffed along with more than 20 local women as part of a six-week exercise program, made possible thanks to grant funds obtained by Franklin locals Lorrie and Jane through the Huon Valley Health Services Advisory Committee. We met near the Franklin Bowls Club at 6pm, with any Huon Valley women welcome to join in free of charge. No memberships, no long commitments, just a health assessment and waiver form to fill in - easy. The sessions consisted of interval training and core strengthening for an hour each week in a program devised by fitness instructor Miranda, so it's great exercise in a short amount of time. And it's social too, which means I'm more likely to go. The first week we trained in the very hot afternoon sun along the river. For a couple of weeks we exercised inside the Palais Theatre as rain poured down outside. Unfortunately I'm going to miss the last two sessions as I'll be travelling for work. But quite a few participants expressed an interest in continuing (on a paid basis) so who knows?

Article from Huon Valley News