From the Johnstones in Australia, Thursday 19th February
G'day mate, it's Abi here.
Sorry I haven't got back sooner, its been quite frantic over this side of the planet.
It's stinking hot over here, and sometimes I feel like it was easier to run in all the mud and hills in England than the sun over here (especially if it's before school, and I feel like I'm going to fall asleep)!
I have also found some differences to life over here. For example: coming home to find cockroaches in your kitchen was I bit of a suprise.I also had an incident with a bluebottle, which got stuck around my face at my first swim at the beach since I got back.
It's been quite hard trying to find a nice running club over here like TAC and am still missing it. However I have joined one called UTS northern suburbs. I have also had to adjust to my new coach called John Atterton, and who had his 80th birthday in September. Running didn't start as smoothly as I had intended either and am still trying to adjust to the heat while I'm running. Hopefully it should improve though and everyone seems very friendly and are very interested in what it's like in England. I also did my first park run over here, on the week that I arrived, which was a surprise for my jelly legs.
School was also a big change for me and Hamish. Although I think that it was a bigger change for Hamish as he was moving into year ten, where he was one of the very few new kids. But he is starting to adjust know..... I think!
I hope every thing over there is going well and say good luck to everyone for nationals from me!
Hope it's not too cold,
Abi!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello. It's Amanda here.
It has taken me a while to surface for air and I am sorry to have not written sooner. We have thought of you all every day and Abi and I crave those bracing Tuesday and Thursday night runs. The sun of Australia is wonderful as long as you are not a distance runner. Hamish is at a school in the west of Sydney ( away from the nice coastal breezes) and he collapses in the door each day at 6.15pm in a crumpled, dehydrated heap.
The kids have thrown themselves into every activity they can at school in an effort to make friends. Hamish has also really increased the amount of school work he does. Australia has one year less of secondary school so his A levels start next year.There (are no GCSEs) and he has a week of assessments coming up soon. He has been running twice a week and swimming twice a week at school. I watched him swim in a school meet last Friday ( they are most Friday nights until Easter) and he is tiny compared to the other boys in his age group. His peer group at school spend a lot of time in the gym. Abi did one park run when we arrived. Not many runners but a very friendly run.
As far as I can tell the Australian track season never stops and cross country running is a seriously fringe pursuit. I approached a local athletics club called UTS Northern Suburbs and they explained that you join the club but then have to approach the coaches individually ( and pay them) depending on what your interest is. I was guided in the direction of a man called John Atterton. I am told he is 80 but cannot believe it. He is so alert and attentive and fit.
He does a Saturday session called the "Funny Farm" run because it is held in the grounds of a local mental hospital. Last Saturday when we had arrived he had just finished mowing the path the the runners were going to use because he thought the grass was too long. Abi has only done 3 sessions with him. He said to me at her age his focus is on building speed and strength and that the ability to run longer distances comes later. I don't know enough to question him and there are so few middle distance/.cross country coaches in Sydney that there are few alternatives. Tonight she did 9 300m reps in a group of 6 aged 12, 14, 15, 17, and 28. The number of distance runners in Sydney is small. There are lots of adults running by themselves or with adult groups but Aussie girls play netball or hockey or swim and the boys play Aussie Rules, Rugby or Rugby League.
That said, tonights's session reminded me of TAC in miniature. There was a group of 8 senior men belting around the track with their shirts off, and a group of about 6 hurdlers in the middle of the field ( it is a grass track). There was a hammer thrower in the net at one end of the field and a group of javelin throwers at the other end. Also using the track were a significant number of sprinters - about 15. Mainly females in their late teens/early 20s and looked to my uneducated eye to be quite fast.
Still, it's not TAC and we miss you all terribly. We will be thinking of you all on Saturday.
Love Amanda.
Sorry I haven't got back sooner, its been quite frantic over this side of the planet.
It's stinking hot over here, and sometimes I feel like it was easier to run in all the mud and hills in England than the sun over here (especially if it's before school, and I feel like I'm going to fall asleep)!
I have also found some differences to life over here. For example: coming home to find cockroaches in your kitchen was I bit of a suprise.I also had an incident with a bluebottle, which got stuck around my face at my first swim at the beach since I got back.
It's been quite hard trying to find a nice running club over here like TAC and am still missing it. However I have joined one called UTS northern suburbs. I have also had to adjust to my new coach called John Atterton, and who had his 80th birthday in September. Running didn't start as smoothly as I had intended either and am still trying to adjust to the heat while I'm running. Hopefully it should improve though and everyone seems very friendly and are very interested in what it's like in England. I also did my first park run over here, on the week that I arrived, which was a surprise for my jelly legs.
School was also a big change for me and Hamish. Although I think that it was a bigger change for Hamish as he was moving into year ten, where he was one of the very few new kids. But he is starting to adjust know..... I think!
I hope every thing over there is going well and say good luck to everyone for nationals from me!
Hope it's not too cold,
Abi!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello. It's Amanda here.
It has taken me a while to surface for air and I am sorry to have not written sooner. We have thought of you all every day and Abi and I crave those bracing Tuesday and Thursday night runs. The sun of Australia is wonderful as long as you are not a distance runner. Hamish is at a school in the west of Sydney ( away from the nice coastal breezes) and he collapses in the door each day at 6.15pm in a crumpled, dehydrated heap.
The kids have thrown themselves into every activity they can at school in an effort to make friends. Hamish has also really increased the amount of school work he does. Australia has one year less of secondary school so his A levels start next year.There (are no GCSEs) and he has a week of assessments coming up soon. He has been running twice a week and swimming twice a week at school. I watched him swim in a school meet last Friday ( they are most Friday nights until Easter) and he is tiny compared to the other boys in his age group. His peer group at school spend a lot of time in the gym. Abi did one park run when we arrived. Not many runners but a very friendly run.
As far as I can tell the Australian track season never stops and cross country running is a seriously fringe pursuit. I approached a local athletics club called UTS Northern Suburbs and they explained that you join the club but then have to approach the coaches individually ( and pay them) depending on what your interest is. I was guided in the direction of a man called John Atterton. I am told he is 80 but cannot believe it. He is so alert and attentive and fit.
He does a Saturday session called the "Funny Farm" run because it is held in the grounds of a local mental hospital. Last Saturday when we had arrived he had just finished mowing the path the the runners were going to use because he thought the grass was too long. Abi has only done 3 sessions with him. He said to me at her age his focus is on building speed and strength and that the ability to run longer distances comes later. I don't know enough to question him and there are so few middle distance/.cross country coaches in Sydney that there are few alternatives. Tonight she did 9 300m reps in a group of 6 aged 12, 14, 15, 17, and 28. The number of distance runners in Sydney is small. There are lots of adults running by themselves or with adult groups but Aussie girls play netball or hockey or swim and the boys play Aussie Rules, Rugby or Rugby League.
That said, tonights's session reminded me of TAC in miniature. There was a group of 8 senior men belting around the track with their shirts off, and a group of about 6 hurdlers in the middle of the field ( it is a grass track). There was a hammer thrower in the net at one end of the field and a group of javelin throwers at the other end. Also using the track were a significant number of sprinters - about 15. Mainly females in their late teens/early 20s and looked to my uneducated eye to be quite fast.
Still, it's not TAC and we miss you all terribly. We will be thinking of you all on Saturday.
Love Amanda.