Work trip cross training at Coogee Beach

I've been steadily plugging away in this first quarter of the year, sticking to my basic (and slightly boring!) plan of gradually racking up consistent mileage and hours on the bike.  So far, two-thirds into this 3-month base period, everything is going to plan (apart from all the rain!!).

For the last week (Sunday to Friday), I was sent down to Sydney for a work trip.  My hotel was much better than usual - I was staying at Coogee Beach, straight across the road from the ocean! A beautiful spot - and after the last month or so of constant grey, rainy weather in Brisbane, the opportunity for a post-walk beach swim everyday was very exciting.

Coogee Beach

Of course, I wanted to do something to put some training stress into the legs while I was there.  Nothing too serious, but some sort of exercise that matched in with the current base training phase so I could keep up my training habit.

So the plan was to do a couple of walks! I figured a couple of long walks (not strolls, but pushing myself) would do the trick, and give the legs some different training stimulus to cope with.

Fortunately, Coogee was the perfect launch point for the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk route.

On Sunday, I spent a couple of hours walking from Coogee to Tamarama Beach and back again.  This was a stunningly beautiful walk, following the cliff edges and coastline on a well-marked pathway.  It was challenging in spots too, with some massive long stairways taking you up and down the cliff faces.  It was hard to pick a favourite part of this walk, but Gordons Bay was a highlight as it seemed like such a secret, hidden spot that was a surprise to come across.

Gordons Bay

For the next couple of days, my legs were sore! I was pretty happy with that too - it was good to know I'd managed to get some decent exercise in.  I think the stairs had a lot to do with it...

Later in the week, I headed in the opposite direction, and walked the Coogee to Maroubra Beach trail - another solid 2-hours.  While this pathway wasn't quite as pretty - it used a few backstreet detours and I thought Maroubra was a bit of a hole - it still had some beautiful sections.  The highlight was definitely Lurline Bay, a rocky inlet where you had to scramble along the surf-beaten rocks to rejoin the path at the far end.

Lurline Bay

Along with the swims at Coogee Beach each afternoon, these long walks (roughly 2-hours and 10km each) were great training alternatives.  Their long length and hilly profiles ensured I got some decent base training benefit out of them - plus they were just beautiful, scenic walks to do as well!

The Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk stretches from Bondi to Maroubra, passing through Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, and Coogee beaches along the way.  Definitely the best section is Bondi to just south of Coogee.  If you find yourself out that way with a few hours to spare, I would highly recommend it!!