After previously blogging from Mersin, Turkey and Adelaide, South Australia I’m now based in Perth, Western Australia. This WordPress blog at joe.in usurps my previous Blogger-based blog which I blogged at http://users.chariot.net.au/~jktaheny/blogger/blog.htm from October 2003 to November 2004 and then at taheny.com from November 2004 to April 2010.
As Blogger will not support blogs published via FTP after 1 May, this will be the last post here for a while until I’ve modified my publishing settings.
Since my Bali trip I have participated in my first triathlon, cycled 60km from Kwinana to Joondalup in the Freeway Bike Hike and ran the 10km Bridges Fun Run.
Nissan/BRW Corporate Triathlon
On Sunday 7 March I swam 400 metres, cycled 10 kilometres and ran 4 kilometres in the 2010 Perth Nissan/BRW Corporate Triathlon. I went third after Chevron Wheatstone colleagues Craig and Dave. 400 metres is probably the longest distance I’ve swum in my life and the first time I’ve swum more than 50 metres in decades. My lack of technique showed and sidestroke was my best friend. Out of our trio I was the slowest swimmer and cyclist and fastest runner, completing the course in 1:13:34. My aim for 2011 is to finish in under 1 hour!
Freeway Bike Hike
On the morning of Sunday 21 March, after 3 hours of sleep, I rode my ancient mountain bike to the Esplanade train station in order to catch a special event train south to Kwinana. From Kwinana it was a leisurely 60 kilometre ride past the city and north to Joondalup. As with the triathlon, Chevron again kindly provided specialised clothing along with post-event food and massages. I finished the distance in 2:19:02. According to my splits, the second last 5km was by far my fastest.
10km Bridges Fun Run
The 2009 Bridges Fun Run was my first organised Perth run and in 2010 I was quite confident of beating last year’s time (51:34). ‘Bridges’ consists of a lap around the Swan River, crossing over the Narrows and the Causeway.
Unfortunately I had a headache on the morning of the 28th so, although I did beat least year’s time and unofficially ran less than 50 minutes (official gun time: 50:30), I did not reach my full potential. As this was only a warm-up run I wasn’t too disappointed. The headache turned into a cold which I didn’t recover from until Easter. I’m now ready to ramp up my training in preparation for the 2010 Perth Marathon on 20 June which, in turn, will be a warm-up for the 2010 Istanbul Marathon on 17 October 🙂
I’m currently listening to Martin Bean on BBC World Service radio. Seeing and listening to Martin in person during AIESEC’s 2007 International Congress in Istanbul was one of my most inspiring experiences. Fellow Australian AIESEC alumnus Martin is now the United Kingdom’s Open University Vice-Chancellor after previously being Microsoft’s Managing Director of Education for Worldwide Public Sector.
2 random coincidences have occurred in the last few days:
Coincidence #1: a colleague working on the same project and on the same floor as me is my next door neighbour in Subiaco
Coincidence #2: the totals of my Woolworths Subiaco and TR & TR Grower Direct (Subiaco Markets) receipts yesterday were both $17.37, rounded down to $17.35
On Friday I finally completed the move from West Leederville to its neighbouring and more popular suburb of Subiaco. Subiaco is one of Perth’s main retail, entertainment and cultural precincts. It is also the home of Perth’s main footy stadium, Subiaco Oval, the light towers of which are visible from my new home’s fantastic patio.
Cleaning and leaving a 3 bedroom, 2 storey furnish home with front and back yards is not the easiest of things and I’m glad that it is over.
I am now house sharing with Oz, who, coincidentally, is of Turkish origin and manages a cafe only a few doors away from work.
The house was built in the days pre-electricity, with polished timber floorboards, high ceilings and fireplaces in each of the main rooms, including my bedroom. It is in the absolutely best location – a quiet street only 5 minutes walk from both the Perth central free transit zone and Kings Park. The semi-enclosed patio and small backyard are so quiet it is hard to believe they are located in the inner city. When I win the lotto I know which street I will buy in…
To furnish the bedroom I bought a wrought iron queen size bed and a solid timber desk. My wardrobe had to be dismantled before it could be removed from my previous room and taken down the stairs. As the wardrobe is not yet reassembled, my room is still a mess, although not as messy as in the following photo, taken shortly after my arrival:
