Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Tonight the winter Olympics openned in Vancouver and our 3 ring circus is in full swing. I think that I should be the MC but feel like a juggling clown.
However, we took a few minutes to watch the fireworks tonight. The atmosphere is wonderful and everyone is busy.

Olympic Flame

This morning the Olympic Flame arrived in North Vancouver. Hundreds of people have run with it, over 104 days on it's long journey, through thousands of communities all over Canada.

So today we were thrilled that we could take off from work to go and enjoy the excitement. There was quite a crowd gathered out side here early this morning and it really was great fun!

Only real men wear tights!?

After a week in Canada all I can say is that, apart from working and sleeping the only other thing I have done is some running. It is a great place for running because of the cooler weather and it is easier to find circular routes that include trails, than in those other hot places.

I have finally broken out the tights and have been seen prancing about in the forests and on the trails of Vancouver. I am not sure that I really qualify to wear running tights yet but it's too cold for shorts and I am aspiring for greater things. Only 6 weeks to the silly event in Paris so best just pretend that I am man enough for the tights and get on with it.

Arrived

We had just checked in on the radio to the traffic separation scheme entering the Juan De Fuca straight, as the forecast was warning of hurricane force winds off of the North West corner of Vancouver Islands. Another bullet dodged and we were well on our way to the safety of sheltered waters.

I would like to say that the sun rose but actually it was more like, day broke to reveal the scene that was exactly in my minds eye when I wrote the last entry here.

We are safe alongside, greeted by old acquaintances and starting to feel the buzz as the city is making final preparations for the Olympics.

Unfortunately the only running I am managing is from my nose!

They can almost smell the Maple Syrup

It has been a long ocean passage. In it self an unremarkable journey but we have been very lucky indeed with the weather! I had taken some advice, read lots of books, studied the endless marching of low pressure systems and tried to time the gaps. I looked at historic wind and current charts and looked at the route that Captain Cook took when he did this journey (he did it in the summer!) In the end we were just lucky!

Best was for us to stay south for as long as possible, adding 600 miles to our journey but skirting out of the weather systems, then making a run for it up the coast hoping for a gap between the endless violent winter depressions. On one day, we heard that a 700 foot container ship had lost more than 60 of its containers from the deck in bad weather. We were chugging along just 130 miles to the south of it! It is not really a place for a pretty yacht. I think that it could be compared to putting a girl guide in the middle of an international rugby match.

The thing that always strikes me with travelling by sea is that it is just time, sea and weather. The view is more or less the same through the whole journey. Some days it is rough, some it is calm, sunny or raining but pretty much what you see, is an endless watery horizon. On this journey we have crossed a season as well as an ocean. There has been no tell tail signs of leaves changing and days drawing in, just Bam! It was hot now It's cold and dark and it's winter. The view is still the same though.

The last land we saw was the lush green of Diamond head and the turquoise water peeling in over the reef at Waikiki, palm trees swaying in the warm breeze. Tomorrow it will be raining and we will cruise up the Juan de Fuca straight with snow capped mountains ahead and pine trees shrouded in mist. The contrast is incredible. We are excited to be arriving in Canada and I for one am very relieved that this journey is nearly over.

Activity Details for Last 8 in Hawaii. Ala Moana beach

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Last 8 in Hawaii. Alamoana beach

We say farewell to Hawaii tomorrow. It has been ace working here! As the Travelling Wilbury has become the running wilbury training diary I have decided to share my last after work run with you.

Now I will stay quiet for a week or two until we become connected enough to write again. That is if my fingers are not too stiff from the cold.

Magic Island Biathlon

Three of us got up early on Sunday morning to take part in the local swimming club biathlon. The event entailed running 5 kms and an open water swim inside of the reef at Ala Moana of 1km. Perfect conditions and the normal wonderful atmosphere that hangs over the beach here at Ala Moana, were all present and enhanced by the small group of athletes that had started to gather and bustle about. It was starting however, to be evident that this was not a fun, I will enter it for a laugh sort of event. Out of the 165 entrants, I think that I was carrying 90% of the whole fields body fat.

Anyway, the whole thing was taken seriously and we were all issued with a timing chip and given a quick briefing. Then, before we knew it we were off!

I knew that I had set off on the run too quickly but I managed to keep a good pace, knowing in my head that I needed to gain as much ground in the running section as possible before the swim.

After entering the water, my arms took a few minutes to win back the blood that my legs had been using just seconds before. This was a strange feeling! Soon though I could be seen scrambling to my feet in the shallow water again trying to run up the beach towards the finish line, my heart beating faster than it has in a long while but a with huge smile across my face.

I came 83rd overall and completed it in 50 minutes. This is not a fantastic achievement but I really enjoyed the event and this Sunday's three miles (5km) took my seven day running total up to 49 miles. This is soon to come crashing back to zero miles over the next week as we head out into the windy North Pacific. Lucky us!

Over zealous Hawaii 50

This week has been a busy work week and I have pretty much been either working, running or sleeping. Apart from Thursday evening, when I went with some of the crew to Waikiki for refreshments and to enjoy the atmosphere. We managed to enjoy the atmosphere till quite late and we were in a bar called the Shack or the Hut or something. It was not really my scene as I am not 20 years old and was not wearing my spangly boob tube, so I felt a little out of place. The live music was good though and our group was in good spirits so I stayed but my stamina for such an evening was waning. It was time for me to leave. I wanted to tell someone I was going to duck out quietly. Actually they had all had enough and soon the momentum gathered and we all left the bar together.

We came straight out of the bar into a lively street. It was about 0130 but there was still lots of bustle. I had seen a cab, checked the street and ran over road to the taxi. He had seen me wave and was pulling in on the other side. What I had failed to see were the three cop cars that were parked out side the bar! As I arrived on the far side of the street I was surprised that the group of what was obviously hookers, were all waving their arms and shaking their heads at me. I thought, oh it's just hookers waving their arms and shaking their heads at me again' and ignored them. However it inspired me to look over my shoulder. What I saw was 4 female cops also running across the road and I wondered what the hell was going on. I said to Nursie who had run across with me, "Quick get in the cab lets get out of here." The Cab driver said, "no way man! You guys are being chased by the cops" and sped off at high speed without us.

It was at this point that we realised that WE were the ones being pursued by the Hawaii 5O female division! Our crime...We had Jay walked! But so had they hadn't they? I didn't see them walk 100 meters down to the cross walk and wait an hour for the light to change. Anyway these fearsome women (with guns) 4 of them plus a rather skinny Asian guy cop who was less intimidating, were less than impressed with our 'lack of respect towards the laws of the United States and its enforcing officers' and that we were trying to run away from the scene in a taxi. We were actually just tired and thought the cops were running across the street to bust some hookers for drug dealing or something that required five armed police officers. Not, as it was, to hassle poor unsuspecting tourists. After a lot of tongue biting on my part and some sweet apologising by our Australian nurse we got away with it.. Just like all the hookers and probable drug dealers that were right there! However the hookers seemed genuinely concerned and were obviously trying to stop us from getting in trouble in the first place. Also I think that their presence at the scene helped to make the story better, more surreal anyway.

The rest of the crew were standing at a safe, we have nothing to do with them, kind of distance and soon showed up with their best laughing and pointing. It was clearly time to go home.

Saturday morning run

After a slightly traumatic checking out of the trails last week I hit them in earnest today and am happy to say that there were no dramas. There was a funny moment though. I had made it right to the top of the trail to the summit of a small mountain and I was happily trotting back down the path when a very skinny older lady who was walking up the hill said to me, "You missed the peak!" I looked at her oddly and thought to myself 'No I didn't lady. I was very definitely on the peak, and how would you know anyway?" Luckily these were just thoughts and she could obviously seance my confusion and she repeated " you missed the peak!" Wacko, I thought.Then she clarified slightly in her very German accent " You just missed seeing a piig! A beeg wild piig just valking past me on zee path"
Those damn pigs!

Famous Bamboo Path