Goodbye Osaka

The day has finally come for us to finally leave.

Yesterday, the shipping company came to pick up all our possessions-All 27 BOXES!! We hope to see them in about 1 month, all safe and sound. In the meantime, we've got to contend with our suitcases to live out of until then... something tells me though, we'll indulge in a bit of "retail therapy" to tide us over.

Our plane departs tonight at 8:20pm and arrives in Melbourne via Gold Coast at 11:30am tomorrow.

Both our stomaches are full of nervous butterflies and a mixture of emotions.

Thank you to everyone who have shared our journey so far and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Big hugs, kisses and bows (Japanese Style)

私のはこっちのブログでみてください☆

では、では

いってきまーーーす☆

Peter and Chihiro

完走しました。Strongman Triathlon-Completed!

Aside from Miyakojima being a beautiful location for a holiday, it is also a perfect setting to swim, bike and run.

I won't bore you with too many of the details so I'll keep it really short:

• Friday and Saturday were mostly filled with race prep and a little bit of sight seeing. Lights out at 9pm
• Sunday-woke up at 4am, ate breakfast and headed off to the race start. Pumped the tyres up, checked all the bolts on my bike were all tight one last time, posed for pre-race pics and lubricated my neck before the swim so all wetsuit wouldn't cut me to shreds!
• Swim was fast, despite almost having a mid-ocean K1 fight with one of the other swimmers. Just for the record I think I won by TKO.
• Bike was brutal. The winds were either hitting you from the front, back, left, or right depending on which part of the Island we were circumnavigating. My speeds ranged from 64KM/H to as little 15KM/H. The aid stations and fans around the Island were fantastic though and took a lot of the monotony out of almost 5hrs in the saddle.
• On to the run. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the run...crazy, right!! Yes, it hurt. Yes, I wanted to walk or better yet, have a cafe latte at one of the cafe's nearby the run course, but I didn't. I was able to keep many of those inner demons at bay and run to the best of my potential on the day.
• Finish Line celebrations. They were no-where near as emotional as last year's Ironman Japan, but no less satisfying. After a cold shower and a 20 minute light massage from some volunteers, it was time to get back to the hotel. Laundry doesn't do itself, you know!
• I can't sleep!!! The combination of caffeine, sugar and muscle fatigue resulted in about 4 hours sleep in the following 48 hours. It's a good thing I don't do these races every weekend.
• Time for some R and R (Rest and Recovery). Getting to appreciate the beautiful marine life, albeit still being amped up on race-related stimiulates was a highlight, as well as the Salt flavoured ice-cream with various salt-infused toppings.
• Packing- There's nothing more satisfying than a seeing your bicycle all clean and revitalised, however I won't get a chance to see it until it lands in Melbourne, fingers crossed around the end of May. I pray it, and everything else we own makes it safely.
• Thank you. Big thanks to everyone who made it possible to do this race. Training partners, friends, family who wished me all the best, pushed me to my limits in the swim pool, cycling roads and runs around Osaka castle.

Now I need to get back into shape after about 1 and a half weeks of pure gluttony. I've got to look good in my first photos when we arrive in Melbourne, don't I!?

Thanks for reading,

Pete

Miyakojima Stongman Triathlon 2010

This time next week, I hope to have finished the Strongman Triathlon.
Below is a run-down of how my race day should look like, or so I hope it will anyway!

• 4:30 Wake up and eat breakfast.
• 5:00 Get in the rental car and drive to swim start.
• 5:15 Collect race timing band and get body numbering done.
• 5:30 Pump tires up, check bike set-up.
• 5:31 Line up for the toilet and wait a loooooong time.
• 5:45 Relax, Relax, Relax
• 6:15 Take caffeine supplement and put on wet suit. Oops!! And don't forget the sunscreen!
• 6:30 Enter the swim start point and warm up.
• 7:00 RACE START- Battle 1400 people in the water for the first 200m.
• 7:10 600m point of the swim and starting find a nice rhythm. Only 2400m to go!
• 7:45 EXIT THE WATER and peel off wet suit for a quick transition. 1 down, 2 to go!
  
• 7:47 BIKE START- Time for a 155k scenic ride around Miyakojima.
• 10:10 HALF-WAY Point of the Bike. Should still have plenty of energy left.
• 12:35 FINISH THE BIKE- Almost 5 hours and feeling good, except for the fact I now walk like an Obaa-Chan.
• 12:38 START RUN- 42.195k-Now this part is the great unknown.
• 13:00 Run
• 13:01 Run some more
• 13:02 Keep running
  
• 17:00 FINISH STRONGMAN with a big smile on my face!
• 17:30 Shower and enjoy the accomplishment with as much Chocolate and Ice-cream as I desire.
  

This is the plan any way.

Everyone should be able to follow the race live on the internet.

Please give me all your strength at various stages of race, especially during the marathon.

Gambarimasu,

Pete

ピーターがトライアスロン前になると、（いや？普段から？）食べ物が、野菜、野菜、野菜のオンパレードに。。。

あー早くこってりしたものが食べたい。。。。

千尋

More Goodbyes!

Last weekend was quite a busy one. It kicked off on Friday evening with an overnight stay with
my students at the Panahills Resort (Panasonic Hotel). We ate a great dinner while looking out over the gardens filled with cherry blossoms. After that, we unwound with an Onsen, followed by a few drinks and card games until 12am! Don't let there age fool you, they know how to PARTY!!
Once returning from Panahills resort, I taught Kanta (5 years old) at his house. After the lesson, I enjoyed a wonderful lunch of risotto, ratatouille and crusty breads, washed down with some home made sangria. Thanks for everything Junko and Masa.
After eating like a king for the previous 24 hours, it was time to train like a warrior. I was able to fit in a bike spin class at Konami, as well as a 15km run around Osaka Castle with the super-fish, Haru.
TIME FOR MORE PARTYING....
Go and I have worked together for over 4 and half years at Clock Cafe. The idea was to let students study in a relaxed environment, with teachers who were engaging, and with students who were actually motivated to improve their English.
On this evening, I had a chance to sit and relax, while Go did all the hard work. Thanks mate!
Go made an amazing speech which I and many others were touched by. It's always hard to say goodbye, however there are uncountable friendships which will continue, albeit long-distance, and I can't wait for our paths to once again cross.
The parties never seem to end....
On Sunday, I rode to Uji with friends while enjoying the scenery of the cherry blossoms in their prime. I did this particular ride with a lack of sleep and a slight hangover, but battled through and felt all the better for it. So many places I cherish in Japan, though the majesty and beauty of Kyoto cannot be put into words, especially during Spring.
In the evening, I had a brilliant dinner at an Italian rustic-style trattoria with friends. Kondo-san's daughter, Kizuna, made me a crown and a beautiful picture board to hang when we get settled in Oz.


SLOW FOR THE LATE POSTING and stay tuned for more to come.

２年ぶり。

かなーり、久しぶりに大学の仲良しに会いました。

相変わらず、穏やかな、素敵な彼女でした。

彼女に会うと、いっつももっと柔らかい人にならないとなーと思わせれます。

卒業後あんまり会わなくなったけど、毎日会ってるような感覚。

何だかゆるーい素敵な時間をありがとう。

素敵なうつわありがとう。これでご飯食べるの楽しみ！

★準備★

今せっせとお片付けしてます。

けちけちな私は手持ち10k、スーツケース20k全部持って、あとは郵便でこつこつorお母さんが来る時に持って来てもらおうなんて考えてました。

しかし、ピーターどんが船便で送るみたいなので、ちゃっかりそこに便乗しようと、勝手に決めました。

昨日は免許証の更新と国際運転免許証も手続きしていただきました。優良ドライバーの私。だって、ペーパードライバーだから笑。
あっちに行って、頑張って運転します！！頑張ります！！！

あとは、公的手続きを行く寸前にして。終わり。

寂しくなりますね。ほんと。

今まで人とお別れって全然寂しくなくて。だって、どうせ会うやん。って思ってたから。しかし今回ばかりは、会いたい時に会えないと思うとかなぢいです。


あっちに行って、したいこといっぱいあるけど。

とりあえず、オーストラリア人のような

She'll be all right!!!!!

NO Worries !!!!!!

って思える人間に成長できたらいいな。笑

常に最初にこの言葉が出るような人に。

私は能天気に見える(?)タイプですが、

石橋をたたいて渡ろうとし、叩き割ってしまうタイプなので。

大学生時代、テスト勉強は１ヶ月前から行い、予習復習は必ず行い、テスト本番、教科書の中身覚えてしまってるという。そのわりにテスト受ける寸前まで不安。笑

かなり慎重に慎重に計画に計画を重ね、最後にはやりすぎでなんなくこなせるタイプです笑

なので、そんなんじゃなくて、

何でもいいやん．絶対大丈夫やん。何とかなるやん。

って思える人になりたいのです。