walking – Page 2

Byron Bay in a Half Day

October 28, 2018 by Vicky Leave a Comment

Last weekend, the Aussie, Naomi and I spent the weekend on the Gold Coast. Saturday was filled with a gym visit where Naomi and I went through my weights “routine” for arms followed by some cardio then some shopping and a relaxing afternoon and evening with the three of us. It was fantastic.

On the Saturday my trainer (Felicity Neale) sent me a message that on Sunday for breakfast I needed to have a re-feed of bacon, eggs and toast. I didn’t need telling twice and so began the plotting for where we should have the said breakfast.

I have never been to Byron Bay, which is just over the New South Wales border, and the Aussie hasn’t been for a while. I have wanted to visit since we got to Brisbane and I realised it was only just under a two hour drive from us.

As the drive was under an hour from the Gold Coast, Naomi suggested we pay a visit to the Beach Byron Bay restaurant which is right on the ocean and serves delicious breakfasts.

We got up early and set off for Byron Bay. There was much excitement as we crossed the Queensland/New South Wales border and our clocks changed to the new time zone (It is the small things!).

We arrived at the Beach Byron Bay Restaurant and were greeted by a beautiful restaurant and slightly grumpy French waiter, who luckily warmed up as breakfast went on. I ordered a coffee and the eggs, bacon and sourdough bread which tasted a-m-a-z-i-n-g. There was much discussion as to the Aussie’s ability to finish my bacon but there was none left for him!

Afterwards we did a bit of a drive around and found the Tourist Information Centre so we could find out about walks around the Cape Byron Lighthouse. We drove up most of the way and found a parking spot which left us about 10 minutes walk from the Lighthouse itself.

We took many a photo and took a look around the museum in the Lighthouse. They do run tours which appeared to be free but there were none starting at the right time for us so we consulted the map and started what should have been a return walk from the Lighthouse down to the most easterly point of Australia and after avoiding a snake crossing the path down to it, the Point.

The scenery was stunning and it reminded me again how lucky I am to get to explore these places. It still blows my mind when I get to see them in person and they are even more stunning than in the pictures or I imagined.

The only trouble with the path and getting to the point is that there is a lot of downhill travel, and in particular steps downhill. The uphill portion was not so fun but I was pleased at how well I managed it. I know for definite that I never want to do the Stadium Stomp, but that I can get up and down stairs easily when needed.

We were meant to carry on along the return walk but I got a bit disorientated coming back up the stairs and took us back to the Lighthouse the way we came, oops!

After a quick water pit stop, we headed back to the Gold Coast in the early afternoon and then back on to Brisbane.

All in all it was a fantastic whistle stop tour of Byron and I hope we can get back again soon to explore some more.

MS Moonlight Walk

October 21, 2018 by Vicky Leave a Comment

After the extremely wet Bridge to Brisbane that we did a few weeks ago, seeing the weather forecast of rain on Saturday 6 October 2018 which was also the date of the MS Moonlight Walk did make me think oh no, particularly as I had felt ambitious when I signed me, Naomi and the Aussie up for the walk and had signed us up for the 10km walk rather than our usual 5km.

The walk didn’t start until 6pm so during the day we watched the clouds roll in as well as a touch of rain before heading to the Cultural Centre to meet Naomi.

Upon arrival we picked up our red lanterns and waited for the walk to start whilst feeling the rain get heavier and heavier. Luckily I had bought some rather fetching rain ponchos so we were able to avoid getting quite as drenched as for Bridge to Brisbane.

The event got off to a lovely start with presentations to the top fundraisers as well as listening to people who have MS talk about how they are fighting to beat MS.

With the sun going down we started on our walk along Southbank and the long and windy, sometimes up and sometimes down hill path to the Story Bridge, which if it is possible to have a favourite bridge would 100% be my favourite!

We walked along pathways and roads which we have never been to or along before which was lovely and to be honest the rain didn’t really dampen the experience for me. It was also lovely to see the volunteers along the route, pointing us in the right direction and from time to time handing out things to keep you going like water, bananas, cookies and yoghurt.

As we came back through the botanic gardens at the 9km mark we were dazzled by the beautiful lights which are in the trees all year round. It was “just” a short trek back to the finish line.

I have never walked as much as 10km in one go before. I remember back when I started exercising how walking 3km used to hurt my hips and I would be in pain for a while afterwards. The most I had walked in one go had previously been 5km but recently I have been walking 7 then 8km on the treadmill at the gym and felt comfortable doing so.

The thought of completing 10km still made me nervous though and I won’t lie that I thought, well if it gets tough we can probably just do 5km. Luckily that wasn’t necessary and we did it and it was a really great experience, especially as I was able to raise some money for the MS Society as well and completed it with the Aussie and Naomi.

We have signed up for a 10km walk on the Gold Coast next year already and have a longer walk in mind when the tickets go on sale on New Years Day around Byron Bay as well which makes me quite excited for the fitness goals next year.

We Climbed a Mountain

August 8, 2018 by Vicky Leave a Comment

We, did, we climbed an actual mountain! Not an Everest sized one, but a mountain nonetheless!

Around Brisbane there are a few mountains and since we first visited Brisbane I have been keen to walk up Mount Coot-Tha which is 287 metres above sea level and apparently has the highest peak within the urban footprint of Brisbane.

We live pretty close to Mount Coot-Tha and have taken our family and friends who have stayed with us up the mountain for coffee, lunch or dinner at the Kuta Cafe. We have never actually been to visit just because even though we do live so close.

After my holiday time with my family I am back on the diet and fitness bandwagon at full speed. I have Sunday as my rest day but was really in the mood to go for a walk/hike over the weekend and Sunday morning was the best time for me and the Aussie.

I set out to find a location which wasn’t too far away, would give us a good walk and with pretty scenes and Mount Coot-Tha fit the bill easily.

We set out for the Honeyeater Trail which leaves from the Chapel Hill area which has a nice little parking area at the base of the mountain and began the trek literally up a mountain.

The path up was pretty steep as it winds through the forest and definitely gets the blood pumping and lungs working hard. The trail is about 2.1km from the car park up to the Kuta Cafe area which doesn’t sound a lot but it gives you a good work out and you do have to come back again of course.

There are a few places to stop along the trail with perfectly placed benches if you need to stop and catch your breath or stop and admire the view which is a must.

The trail was very very popular and we passed runners, couples, families including small children and some dogs, so whilst it is a steep track, it is definitely doable. Nearly everyone said good morning, or at least hi from those on their way up the inclines which was really nice!

It took us just under 30 minutes to reach the summit and we stopped off at the Kuta Cafe for a coffee and coffee and sandwich for the Aussie.

I love the Brisbane skyline and even after a year of Brisbane living, still smile when I catch glimpses of it driving around and for that reason I love visiting Kuta and looking out across the river as it winds its way to the CBD. We wiled away some time enjoying the view before trying to identify where our house is located (we do this pretty much every time we visit Kuta) eventually resorting to the map and confirming it was where we thought!

Then it was time for the descent which was, as expected, very much easier as it was virtually down hill the whole way but was as enjoyable as the incline.

The trail is well sign posted throughout and we noted signs for a few other trails around the mountain including a reservoir trail which I am hoping we can visit soon.

Work Out Apps That I Use – Updated

July 22, 2018 by Vicky Leave a Comment

I have over the last few months changed up my work outs and diet and have discovered a few new Apps which I am enjoying using as part of my work out regime and I wanted to share.

Run the World – this is a good app if you are a bit competitive with yourself! They have 3 different events which you can sign up for and I have chosen to do the walk / run around Australia. After each walk / run I record it in the Strava App and then synch the apps and it records how far I have gone. You start off in Canberra and so far I have “visited” Goulburn, Bowral, Sydney and Wyong and I am on my way to Newcastle. The app predicts how long the whole walk will take and apparently I will have walked the length of Australia by 12 May 2034!!

Heart Foundation Walking – this is a limited time event where you are challenged to walk 1 million steps between 25 March and 11 August 2018 so there is only a limited time left to meet he target. I hit the one million mark a few weeks ago which was pretty cool and I am excited to see what my final score is. The app is very easy to use, I have it synch my steps from my FitBit so as long as the FitBit app is up to date then the steppage is as well.

ZR5K – this is an app which has the aim of helping you develop your running so you can run a full 5k over about 8 weeks. It is also very entertaining! With the app you are given missions during a zombie invasion. The app gives you instructions about when to walk or run as well as telling you the story of the invasion. It also plays along side your music so you can put your running play list on and just run. I enjoy the app a lot and it always makes me laugh out loud which, I am sure makes me look a bit funny!

Relive – This is another app which works alongside Strava. I use the Strava app via my FitBit when I am out walking / running and via the phone app when manually adding my treadmill work. At the end of an outdoor walk, once Strava has updated I get a notification from Relive inviting me to view my walk. Also if I have taken photos whilst out and about, the photos get imported into the walk. I always enjoy seeing how the walk has gone on the little video. The video below is from a walk around Sydney, I’m not sure why it has the random title but I can’t edit it for some reason!