School Concert, Class Assembly, and the Melbourne Half Marathon

This week I was back at work for my fourth and final term at my Aussie school.  To my surprise I didn’t have any new students waiting to join my class but I know this is only temporary.  For what ever reason this week wasn’t too bad.  We had our school concert on Thursday night and it was our week to present the assembly to the school on Friday.  Both went off without a hitch.  Our after school meetings were cancelled too which was great and allowed me to get home to meet up with Tammy a lot more quickly.  It’s too bad  the meetings were only cancelled this week.

Tammy had a good week exploring Melbourne, visiting the Great Ocean Road, and checking out the fun on Phillip Island.  It was really nice to have company for the week.  We managed to eat out a few times too which is a real treat for me being here on my own.  Obviously we missed the fun times we had with Nancy but soon enough I’ll be back in Vancouver.

Today was the Melbourne Half Marathon.  If you remember I signed up for the race a couple of months back but I really had no idea when I’d make the time to run.  Needless to say I didn’t train for this run.  I think in the past three months I’ve run five times TOTAL and the longest run was 40 min.  Heck before this morning my last run was three weeks ago when Tammy and Nancy arrived and we ran 30 minutes to a fantastic craft market (can you see where my head is these days?).  I have run for the odd tram but I don’t think that really counts for training. Anyhow with no expectations Tammy and I headed to the start of the race.  Our plan was to follow what Erica and I did for the Nike Women’s marathon a year earlier and that was to run five minutes walk one minute over and over with an extra five minute walk added in every so often.  We met up with Linh from my school. She was running her first half marathon and like Tammy and I she had no training.  

We took a few photos at the start before heading on our way.  We were very lucky because the sun was out and the weather was perfect.  The event was impressively well organized  too.  Tammy, Linh and I got into the routine of walking and running.   We certainly didn’t run quickly but we consistently moved forward.  We chatted with a few people along the way and some nice Aussie took some photos for us.  A little after the half way point Linh needed to walk a bit more than we had planned and so she dropped back.  I was so impressed with Tammy’s determination.  She’s been through so much these past few years and she still has a lot of day to day pain to deal with.  I was a bit worried that at some point in the course she would be in too much pain and that it would be a long walk to the finish.  But no, she kept going, and we managed to keep her pain in check.  We did our final victory lap on the grass of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (to a Melbournite that’s a really big deal) and while I set a new personal worst I had a ton of fun doing it.

Tammy and I with the Bananas in Pajamas before the race started.

Tammy, Linh, and I before the race start.

Linh, me, and Tammy on the course

(yah, we weren't up with the crowds)

Entering the MCG

(We reconnected with the marathoners and five km runners so it was crowded again)

Tammy crossing the finish line

(I was just a few seconds ahead so that I could take this photo for her)

Me just after we finished.

After a quick shower and some much needed food Tammy and I headed into the city to meet up with my friend Jenny Smith and her family.  I met Jenny in Vancouver over twenty years ago but we’ve been out of contact for many years.  She and her husband Ray live in Brisbane these days with their children Emma and Owen.  Jenny and Ray ran their first half marathons this morning and they both had fantastic races.  It was so nice to catch up with Jenny.  It has me thinking that even though I don’t have many free weekends left before I head back to Vancouver I really should find some time to visit Brisbane.

Me and Jenny

Emma, Ray, Me, Jenny, and Tammy

(in one of the small alleyways in Melbourne)

Anyhow, that’s my week in review.  Tammy heads back to Vancouver tomorrow.  We’ve had a really great visit.  I know she misses her husband and children a lot but I also know it’s been great for her to have to be responsible for only herself.  My loneliness won’t last too long though because  my sister Judy arrives in less than two weeks.  I also have a trip planned to Kangaroo Island this up coming weekend so time will continue to fly.  Some where I need to find some time to make a dent in my report cards.  Once Judy arrives, Nancy H and Mike come shortly after that.  By the time Nancy H leaves it will be the end of November.  I leave Australia on Dec 21st.  So time is ticking by very quickly.