So, what have I been up to lately? Oh, only running 14km despite being sick for over a month earlier and not being able to run. How about you?

The weekend started by flying into Sydney just after lunch on the Saturday. I waited at the airport for half an hour before meeting two of my friends, and headed to the hotel. We dropped our stuff off, where suddenly we all heard the bells chiming at the same time.

It was beer o’clock.

We settled on a bar in Woolloomooloo, sitting on the balcony upstairs overlooking the docks while sipping on some wine and eating some light afternoon snacks. I was incredibly fatigued from a late night before, and struggled to get some energy together. I managed to down one glass of wine though before we all went back to the hotel. I had a power nap, Julie had more wine while looking out the window at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Jens went for a run (because it’s totally natural to go for a run the afternoon before a 14km race, though in all fairness he was testing out his knee as it had been hurting lately).

Dinner consisted of a russian feast that included cabaret, something I wasn’t expecting until I saw a sign in the restaurant. As part of the feast, Jens and I agreed (after a bit of coaxing from the host) that we had to have a vodka shot with our entree. I immediately took the shot, and was startled to see Jens sipping small bits while he was eating his entrees. That not how you take a vodka shot!

Here’s a few photos from the restaurant (click to view larger sizes):

Beers at the Russian restaurant

Bottoms up!

Herring entree

Goulash and mushroom crepes

Chicken something for my main

Cabaret dancers

Strawberry crepe

After downing one of the strongest cocktails in my life, followed by a more subtle cocktail and managing to avoid getting on the dance floor with Julie, we finished dinner and made our way back to the hotel. We turned the tv onto the music channel, and continued to drink wine until the screaming of our subconscious minds reminding us about the following morning grew too loud, and we agreed it was time for bed. Jens and Julie returned to their room, I drunkenly painted my fingernails then passed out asleep on the bed.

My alarm went off early the next morning, and upon rising discovered I was the recipient of a hangover headache. Not cool. Glancing out the window I saw it was pouring with rain. Even less cool.

First port of call was the hydralite packets I’d thoughtfully packed, and after downing one of those, showering and messaging Julie with a weather update I decided to go in search for a poncho. After losing a small fortune at the corner store but finding myself in possession of two ponchos and painkillers, I waited downstairs at the hotel for Jens to pass by. He was in a running group that started nearly an hour before Julie and I, so we arranged for him to wear his jacket to the starting line then pass it to me as he ran past. I was thrilled to see the rain had eased off so it wasn’t coming down by the time Jens started, however the roads were still quite wet.

I photographed the start of the race, collected Jens’ jacket, and after packing up the rest of my gear upstairs made my way back down to reception and checked out. Julie was already waiting for me, and given the time we opted to just make our way to the starting line rather than worry about breakfast. We figured waiting until we got to Bondi sounded like a good option.

Approximately 15mins after our official starting time, we finally passed the starting line and were on our way!

Superman leading the pack

Storm Troopers amongst the crowd

The route for the City 2 Surf

Our split times for the race

One hour and 49mins later it was all over. Given I had been sick for nearly 6 weeks, the last 3 with bronchitis, I remain incredibly proud of how we did for the run. A few days earlier I’d tried to go for a run in the morning and had struggled to run for almost 2mins straight. Here I was, 1 hour and 49mins later and 14km further from where I started, knowing I’d only walked approximately 1 – 2km of it. Regardless of how fast I could have been, I still remain thrilled, and now I have a good benchmark for next year.

Reward for my efforts

Throughout the whole race I had been able to smell barbecues and food on the grill, which made my hunger even more insatiable. My stomach kept growling, and I kept assuring it that it would be stuffed full soon enough. Thankfully the hydralite had pushed away any thought of a hangover too, not to mention getting gatorade from the numerous drink stops along the track. By the time we arrived in Bondi I was truly ready to shove anything I could find in my mouth, and I was stoked to receive a text letting us know that Jens had found a table at a cafe. He had some lemon squash and coffees waiting, and we quickly made up our mind on what to eat. I don’t think I’ve ever had a big breakfast so fast, and I felt sick by the time I finished. But boy was my stomach satisfied!

After a 20min queue for the bus, then standing for 40mins on the bus, we found ourselves back at the hotel where they were kind enough to let us use the showers in the gym to wash away all the sweat and return to beautiful smelling individuals. There was a quick visit to a local bar for one more afternoon drink (I got an OJ, so hardcore), then I was off to the airport to fly back home to the beautiful (and much warmer) Sunshine Coast. Coming home was a great conclusion to another fantastic weekend away for the City 2 Surf.

After 3 years of going to the City 2 Surf, I am definitely in love with this tradition.