Lots to say part 2...

While we were in Toowoomba I was still in the taper period so I planned 2 runs to stay on track. Toowoomba is a very hilly town and I set off on my 7km first run looking for the location of the Toowoomba parkrun. Just 2 k from brother-in-laws i found the lovely Queens Park.

I had a little tummy trouble so by the time I reached the park I bolted over to the toilet. I only realised that I had made a bee line for the Mens when I walked out and wondered why there were urinals in there...oops no harm done only a little embarrassement!

I struggled back up the hill and thought it was a crap run and put it down to every now and then you have a bad one and I don't do as well on my own. I looked on Garmin later and realised that Toowoomba is at 700m elevation so I managed some altitude training at the same time.

On Saturday morning I went back down to the park at 7am for the parkrun. It was only 3 degrees on that morning so I wore long sleeves and pants and tucked my bar code into my pocket. The 5k run was 2 laps of the park with a hill and a nice down hill section. I took it easy and clocked up a 33 minute time. They do things a little differently here and while they had 17 volunteers on the course there was no-one taking photographs so I snapped my own momento.

My first real Parkrun tourism

 I wanted to have a little run but always had in the back of my mind the big challenge I was to face the next day and that we had been preparing for since January.

Couldn't resist taking this cheeky snap, I took it as a sign that Queensland was cheering me on.

Lots to say...

Our trip has been and gone and it was a ripper. We were only gone for less than a week but managed to cram a lot in, the marathon being the highlight.
Before the big race we stayed for a few days in Toowoomba with Duncan and Donna and had a lovely catch up. The trip was a huge trip down memory lane for Chris as he revisited his old haunts and showed me around.

'upgraded' to the first row

Welcome to Toowoomba

Cabarlah, Chris' Army posting

The Farmers Arms where many an hour was spent

had to have a beer at the old stomping ground

this time tea at Willowsprings

and of course a latte for me (and cake)

the view from Picnic Point 

 Duncan was able to tell stories from the terrible floods that roared through in 2011. Many people were drowned or washed away and the main road into Toowoomba that is pictured above was a torrent that poured down the Range down into the valley below and washed away the whole community of Grantham. Not that you can tell now, lots of rebuilding and development has replaced the devastation.

Duncan made the pattern for these bins during his apprenticeship at the Foundry

Tabletop mountain in the distance

 I have a photo somewhere which I'm determined to find of me standing in this same spot taken on my first trip to Toowoomba when we were young and adventurous and had ridden on Chris' motorbike from Victoria to Queensland, about 30 years ago.

overlooking the valley.

We also had fun catching up with family over a few drinks and trying to play Wii fit games, seems that alcohol and Wii balance games equals lots of laughter.

I got to get in a couple of runs and stay on track for the marathon. We had a lovely time and were sad to go but I was anxious to move onto the next phase of our trip.