Adventure 27 - The one where I forgot my shoes

Where: Lesmurdie Regional Park
When: March 2017
Adventure Companions: None

"Do you guys mind if we turn around?"

I made the error of all errors. I had forgotten my running shoes. We were halfway to the fourth race of the summer Perth Trail Series when I suddenly realised that I had walked straight past them in my haste to get out of the door on time. Oh, the terror. Thankfully we had set off early and the roads were clear so we arrived with plenty of time to spare.

This was the one course of the series I had not been on yet. Everyone had nice things to say about this course and I wasn't dissapointed. Whilst I have been to Lesmurdie Falls many times and also to Whistlepipe Gully (the run trail links both of these hikes), I have never been to the center of the park before. It was like one of those chocolates with a surprise center; as we came over the top of the first hill we were rewarded with an incredible view (sorry, no picture, too busy running).

I enjoyed (walking) the plentiful hills, some fun single track and not too much pea gravel. I only had to make one turn around (repeat after me: follow the blue flagging, not the people) and made friends with a couple of other runners along the way. At the end I got to cool my hot feet in the lovely Lesmurdie Brook. It was certainly a better finish than the man who stacked it 50 meters from the finish and broke his arm.

Website: https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/mundy
Opening Hours: Never Closed
Cost: Free

Image Source: Perth Trail Series

Adventure 28 - The one with The First Croozer War

Blue skies at the start

Where: Carine Glades Parkrun

When: March 2017

My Adventure Companions: Mini Monkey and The Giant Baby

Can I get out now?

That was Mini Monkey about 10 minutes before the end of our first ever Parkrun. Parkrun has been on my list of things to do for a while now. With Mr MAP away for the weekend and having just purchased a double Croozer (running pram/cycle trailer) from Gumtree this week so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Having polled the Pram Runners Australia Facebook page for the most suitable courses, I decided we would take the 30 minute drive up to the Carine Glades Parkrun at Carine Open Space. 

The course is two by 2.5km laps, largely flat and has plenty of opportunity for overtaking/being overtaken, very important when you and your cargo are wider than a bus. The information on the website and the pre-race briefing were all very clear and easy to follow. With great sadness I read that you could bring a stroller and you could bring a dog but not both at the same time so Velcro dog couldn't join us this time.

I deployed emergency snacks early as a distraction during the briefing to prevent the firstCroozer War. Unfortunately, this meant that I had nothing left toward the end of the run for the 'are we nearly there yet' phase. Mini Monkey started getting ansty and, in a bid to get more of my attention, started annoying The Giant Baby. The Giant Baby is getting to be very loud and better and better all the time a defending himself/retaliation and so The First Croozer War ensued. One lady I passed joked that I didn't need a bicycle bell to let people know we were coming.   

I tell you what, pushing a double stroller is hard work. That simple 5km felt almost as tough as some of the trail runs I have been doing (minus the killer hills). Add to that temperatures around 30 degrees and I was a sweaty mess on finishing. 

Carine Open Space has a nice playground so the boys had a run around whilst I had a cool down. It seemed a friendly space with lots of other families doing the same. A dad who had done the Parkrun also with another double Croozer came and introduced himself as one of the advisers from the Pram Runners Australia forum. 

Website: http://www.parkrun.com.au/carineglades/ 

Opening Hours: Carine races are at 8am. 

Cost: Free

Somewhat glad to have made the finish line (image source: Parkrun)

Adventure 26 - The one with zero viz

The start of the trail - the wreck of The Omo

Where: Coogee Maritime Trail
When: February 2017
My Adventure Companions: None

What shall I do today?

Having been on two sets of maternity leave in the past couple of years I keep missing updates to procedures at work. Of all the updates to miss, it was the one where we get a day off after spending time offshore. I turned up at work fresh from an offshore inspection to a quizzical look from my colleague and a ‘why are you here?’ and promptly hightailed it back home.  

In the afternoon I headed down to North Coogee to go for little snorkel around the Cockburn Maritime Trail, which officially opened yesterday. As I waded into the water I had this sinking feeling that I wouldn’t be seeing much as there was a lot of sand in the water. The visibility was not the worst I have ever experienced* but it was pretty bad. I’m guessing it was around the 2-3 meter mark.

The start of the trail is easy to spot as it begins at the Omo wreck, which sticks out of the water. The wreck has some growth on it, attracting fish and making it an interesting object for the trail. I managed to locate two more of the signs for the other installations along the trail but, due to the lack of visibility, didn’t actually manage to see either of them as they were in deeper water. I swam back to shore a little frustrated and somewhat deflated. After some thought, I decided that I needed to put a positive spin on this experience so here’s what I learnt:

·        Don’t go after a week of south westerlies. You aren’t going to see anything.

·        My snorkelling gear, camera included, is still in good working order.

·        I know where to come for next time and what facilities are around.

Image Source: City of Cockburn

* Worst visibility on a dive/snorkel: not being able to see the end of my arm, which resulted in having a dive slate shoved in front of my face with the word ‘Pub?’ written on it.

Website: http://www.cockburn.wa.gov.au/documents/CouncilServices/Environment/Sustainability/FAQs_Coogee_Maritime_Trail_May_2016.pdf  
Opening Hours: Never Closed
Cost: Free