Run 44:20 [3] * 6.3 km (7:02 / km) +280m 5:45 / km
spiked:22/22c
Up in Sydney for the day for work, and organised a lat(ish) flight back in the hope of getting out for my first taste of a Sydney Summer Series event. This mission was accomplished - the transport logistics meant that I had about a 1 1/4 hour window to fit in a 45-minute score event, on the southern side of The Spit.
This was my first attempt at any serious hills since the injury and it was certainly a bit of a wake-up call - some very steep hills and plenty of stairs, which were pretty hard work. The scenery's a bit better than it is at Melbourne street-Os, though, and there were some (on-track) sections in Sydney bush which was a nice touch.
My route wasn't optimal for point-scoring, mainly because I went to the stranded-at-the-bottom-of-a-cliff 21 (thought there might have been a gap on the map near 23, but there wasn't), but nice for scenery, with the controls I dropped being mostly suburban ones at the south end. Found a bit at the end to get in in time, but it meant I couldn't get two controls on the oval.
Major differences from Melbourne: full SI, colour maps, and you can plan your route beforehand (some spend a lot of time doing so).
The reason I was in Sydney: to be involved in selecting a new observing site (the current site is going to be unacceptably compromised by planned building nearby). Looks like we've found a good one on the grounds of the old Observatory itself, about 100 metres away, so a good result.