Rainforest Running

This weekend we seized the opportunity to get out of the city and into the rainforests of Queensland. The Bunya Mountains are located 3 hours northwest of Brisbane and boast amazing scenery, miles upon miles of quiet trail, and zero cell phone reception.

As an early birthday gift I bought Rob a pair of trail running shoes to avoid another ankle rolling incident. Rob's affinity for fluoro and funky patterned runners made the Saloman XT Wings a sure bet.

MJ Thriller + Eddy Murphy Delirious = Perfect for Rob

Me, Rob, and a group of fellow Cycos met Saturday and Sunday mornings at 8am for a run. The 8am part was pure luxury. Despite being a subtropical rainforest, the temperatures were far cooler than Brisbane and (pardon my whining for my Canadian readers) it was FREEZING! Bear with me here -- with no insulation, single-paned windows and only a fireplace for heat, the evenings were spent in thermal gear, closely camped in front of the fireplace.

To summarise, here is the weekend in numbers:

2 man-sprains (similar in severity and poutiness to a man-cold but involves more limping and less snot)

5 face plants (one of which, mine. I did manage to drop, roll, and bounce back to vertical in less than 3 seconds)

Numerous ankle rolls* (2 of which resulted in said man-sprains)

1 tick attack on the neck of a Czech

Uncountable number of paralysing air biscuits (think flatulence while running) chez Rob

1 eye gouged by protruding stick

25+ rainforest pees

1 (known) rainforest poo

75% conformity on the geek sock front

Countless glasses of wine consumed (mostly after running)

0 snakes sighted

0 Tarzan vine-swinging attempts (thanks for the hot tip, Ann!)

0 injuries requiring professional medical attention

1 organised tropical bird attack

Hundreds of joey-toting wallabies staring at me every morning (as if the animal world was trying to tell me something)


1 Clydesdale-led wagon ride

0 times wishing I was somewhere else

*I'd like to thank my mother and father for their combo of genetics that resulted in my gumby-like ankles. I'm not so stoked about the nose, but I'm getting over it.