Japan

Naoshima Diary: Posing with Giant Pumpkins

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A 3-day long weekend was had and my brother was visiting Japan. On the last few days of his trip, I headed down to meet up with him in Okayama for our final adventure – a trip to Teshima and Naoshima islands also known as the Art Islands.

Truth was, I was supposed to go there over the last Christmas/New Years break, but you might recall no adventures were had by me and I stuck around in Tokyo for personal reasons. So at last, I finally got to go with brother and a friend in tow.
Day 1 was Teshima. Day 2 and 3 was Naoshima.

I’m just gonna jump to the highlight of the trip which was posing around with oversized pumpkin sculptures (all in the name of art).

Currently obsessed with giant plastic polka-dotted pumpkins.
This is the yellow one (yes, more than one oversized pumpkin!) located on Naoshima island and brought hours of entertainment.

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

I think I foresee a future as a pumpkin model:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Super excited about giant pumpkins. I can barely contain myself:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Pushing Pumpkins. Beats pushing papers:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

No selfie is complete without a giant pumpkin in it:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Note, that these photos are from the Yellow Pumpkin Day 1 album. More of the same yellow pumpkin photos taken on Day 2!

Artist is none other than Yayao Kusama, of polka-dot fame.

Oshima Fuji open water swimming

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Went to Oshima a few weekends ago. Finally got to tick that one off the list. Of the seven Izu islands, I only have one more to do.
Was in Oshima for a triathlon – not an individual one, but rather a team relay. Naturally, I’d be doing the swimming leg. Unfortunately, and to everyone’s disappointment, it rained. A lot. The race was cancelled. And, of course, the next day was a perfectly sunny day. Oh well, hiked a volcano on the Sunday instead so all was not lost.

In the absence of a swim on Saturday, some of us got up early for a pre-breakfast swim. Gotta love a 6am swim on a Sunday. Who needs sleep, right? It was worth it though coz we got to see Fuji.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

Mount Fuji in all its glory. Was a drastic change from the previous day of rain and cloud.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This particular spot was called Akinohama (on Oshima Island).
We jumped off from a small rocky point.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

A fine morning for some wild swimming.
In we jumped. Everyone wore wetsuits except me. Triathletes are such wimps in the water 😉

From Oshima tri day 2

The water was cold. I’m guessing about 19 degrees. Definitely made the heart stop beating for a second when I first jumped in. Took me a while to get my breathing right. Water was chilly and it was surprisingly choppy. Felt a bit seasick out there. Didn’t help that I was seasick the day before on the boat from Tokyo to Oshima island. We had had some wild wet weather the day before.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This is open water swimming at its finest. Refreshing cold water with Mount Fuji looking over us.

C’mon in!

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

The pensive swimmer:

From Oshima tri day 2

OWS swim #1 2014: Minami-Atami swim (1.5km)

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It’s that time of year again – the open water swimming season, that is.
I’ve been training hard, or at least training, for the last 6 months or so.
Miles make the champions, so they say.
This year will be the year of some long-distance swims for me, so stay tuned for some hopefully interesting swim race reports.

Swimming has been consuming much of 2014 so far.

First race of the season was last Sunday. Just a baby one of 1.5km. It was technically an aquathlon event, but they did also have a 1.5km swim only option which I signed up for, but only because I knew a couple of other people were going to be there as well. It was a long way to go for 1.5km. Down at Minami-Atami Nagahama beach. Took over 2 hours to get there. But I wanted do at least one open water swim in race conditions before this weekend’s big swim. I also need to practice swimming with gels in my cossies.

The day was warm and humid despite being a little overcast. The water was flat as.

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

Here is us testing out the water:

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

The water was surprisingly cold. A chill 19 degrees. I had gone to the beach the day before at Onjuku, and whilst it was refreshing, I was not prepared for how cold it would be down Atami way. Water felt a lot colder. I struggled with it at first.

Our little swimming posse:

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

I have an extremely high kick in this photo:

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014
From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

The 500m distance was up first, and then they moved the buoys out for the 1500m. It was supposedly a 750m course of which we were to do two laps.

Number 502 is ready to race!

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

I felt strong and fast through the swim. Everyone went hard out to the first bouy and it felt like I was back of the pack, but come the second buoy I was lapping everyone. And kept lapping more people as did the second lap. I felt fast. But the course also felt short. Really short. It must have been less judging by our times. For a supposed “1.5km”, I got a time of 16min and 39 seconds. My guess is that it was only about a 1km or so. I had a gel pack with me (not that I was going to drink it) and I lost it before I even got to the
first buoy. Must tuck it fully into my cossie. Lesson learnt.

Lisa and I were the only two females in the swim event. She took out 1st place and I took second. She had beaten me by a minute. Such a shame that it was not a proper 1.5km course. How do they even measure these distances? They were basically just riding out jet skis and moving the buoys. But how do they measure the course?

From Minami-Atami OWS 2014

I got a second place female medal. And came 5th place overall (male and female) for the 1.5km swim race.

The water is open: spring swim

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Braved the cold waters again for a pre-summer swim training session. Headed down to Hayama Isshiki beach (more like a bay) with a couple of other brave souls.

From Hayama April swim

It was another early start to the weekend. Why do I find myself getting up earlier on weekends than I do on weekdays (work days). It’s almost as if I look forward to Mondays purely for the sleep in (the luxury of getting up between 7:30-8am).

After the Polar bear dip on New Year’s Day and nearly dying, I donned the wetsuit this time. A summer wetsuit (sleeveless and short legs) but a wetsuit nonetheless. Air temperature was 10 degrees. I’m guess water temperature between 13-15 degrees. Stung like ice and your chest constricts making it hard to breathe. Legs are numb and your arms feel like lead pushing through the water. It takes a good long while (about half an hour) to warm up and not feel numb. Makes breathing really difficult. We managed a loop around the bay and swam about 1.2km all up which is not bad for my first open water swim training session, considering it’s still only April.

Perfect conditions for it though. Flat as. Just the way I like it. Was a bit hard to get into a good stroke and breathing pattern and my sighting was terrible. There were quite a few people out there on SUP boards and in dragon boat boats.

From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim

Perfect conditions to SUP:

From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim

Am soo looking forward to SUPing again this summer.

From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim
From Hayama April swim

It was a struggle getting down there early in the cold temperature, but it was totally worth it. Will be needing to get in a few more open water training sessions.

Last night, I did a really good solid training session in the pool. I’ll share my set with you – good for building endurance and speed and kills the boredom of a straight 5.5km swim:
1km warm up (1km). No rest
10 x 100m sprints (1km). 2min turnaround (ie 100m sprint + 10-15 second rest + start the next set all within 2min)
5 x 200m sprints (1km). 10-15 second rest between sets.
10 x 100m slow/easy (continuous 1km alternating between sprint down 50m, recover 50m swim back). No breaks.
1 x 500m sprint
1km cool down/recovery swim
Total Distance = 5.5km

The Official Color Run Japan

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I did the Power Color Run last month, but last weekend I did the official Color Run. This was the real deal and it was heaps of fun. These themed runs are fun to do. I did the Warrior Dash last year, and I’ve done two Color Runs this year.

The Color Run was well organised, great turnout, and beautiful weather.

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

The run was a little bit of a pain to get too. So far. Took about 2.5-3 hours to get there. That means getting up way too early for my liking on a Saturday morning. The run was at Pleasure Forest aka Sagamiko resort in Kanagawa prefecture. From Sagamiko it was then a 30min bus. Luckily they had frequent buses running from outside the station.

From The Color Run 2014

The run was 5km course through a forest, more like a BMX track, hilly and dirty.

From The Color Run 2014

Time to get Colorful!

From The Color Run 2014

The Color Run is a run inspired by the Indian Hindu Holi festival to welcome in spring known as the “Festival of Colours”.

Team Akabeko representing:

From The Color Run 2014

Got some cool loot in the goodie bag which consisted of a t-shirt, wrist band, sweatband, washable tatoo stickers, bottle of water and a can of red bull.

From The Color Run 2014

Awesome weather and the cherryblossoms were still out:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

There were about 8 wave starts throughout the day, with people coming and going throughout the day.

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

Time to run, or in our case, mostly walk. It was surprisingly a super hilly course on a dirt track.
Couldn’t believe this guy wearing thongs!

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

It wasn’t really much of a run. More of a walk. And a hell of a lot of high-fiving and “touchy”.

From The Color Run 2014

At each km we were bombarded with colour powder:

Yellow:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

Blue:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

Green – the volunteers here were the most genki-est:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

PINK:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

And then the Finish line:

From The Color Run 2014

Yay us:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

Check out my arm:

From The Color Run 2014

Covered in Colour:

From The Color Run 2014

They had these really air blowers to blow the powder off your clothes and hair:

From The Color Run 2014

And then Finish Line Colour Toss, just in case you weren’t covered in enough colour:

From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014
From The Color Run 2014

Random but cool photo of this remote controlled flying camera device so it could capture aerial shots of the powder toss.

Fun day out. Well organised and big props to the volunteers who were all so genki. Just wish these race venues weren’t so far away.

My running training recently has been rather lacklustre. Spending most of my time in the pool these days. I am rather excited about the Electric Run coming to Japan though. Date has been set for July 11. It’s gonna be awesome.

Cherryblossoms

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That time of year where the cherryblossoms bloom. It’s oh so wabisabi.
They were only out for about 2 weeks this year and peak hanami viewing was hampered by rain.
Nevertheless, snapped a few shots of the cherryblossoms.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OSndNRjT75uk0NrO-KgONl1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v3nqpgXankc/U0QA0smytUI/AAAAAAACiaQ/XRjyAPzrGPo/s640/sakura.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/njyu-MEFdjCwmOmpN8s-Ol1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JsPTRJLyFa0/U0QA4HLjyNI/AAAAAAACiaY/OFVDvhMbtj0/s640/yoyogi%2520hanami.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

Here are some taken around my workplace:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WdsIZObYtZakq3AYeW2uPl1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HoQKtOybcBQ/Uzq200KqASI/AAAAAAACiEQ/E1kVAIlbTjM/s640/DSC_0498.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yyWAkQq2-1KwJ2ZSY6-fZF1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xYZXQMBFl54/Uzq218DIzMI/AAAAAAACiEM/O4cpFOwXyas/s640/DSC_0503.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L82aUVBL1nnHdOwDFAfjvl1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LGOLlNI0QnA/Uzq23MvrwbI/AAAAAAACiEs/6dG5obi8Q0I/s640/DSC_0504.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7mJT5rVh0nUg9ZwQ2HnHcF1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L17LN_DTjt4/Uzq2-acxhRI/AAAAAAACiGc/4jwK8CJ7tbo/s640/DSC_0522.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/b61W6jkizsDZEtrmNTY3yV1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5gebEziOGmg/Uzq3AZ4EumI/AAAAAAACiG4/i76p8BrzMt4/s640/DSC_0528.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HcO-EdJ3zgQEa6Lws0kdNF1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LrhWMvea_Ik/Uzq2_riHt6I/AAAAAAACiGw/X-gQt12UIQ8/s640/DSC_0527.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NVgi-bcfMTtwc32t2n4NBl1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Um5ZNQjqlls/Uzq3BEGVtPI/AAAAAAACiHU/JmI7n9Etp3Y/s640/DSC_0532.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V3_yVzt9NhojWLGCaaic2l1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9AzlV09Gwnw/Uzq2wwjl54I/AAAAAAACiDE/hSwkbs29QcA/s640/DSC_0487.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y1FYzfp8d-lghJBbMNM6GV1Dt6afYLMC_5J_ERPEVds?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tVIE7hE0m2M/Uzq2z-lDw-I/AAAAAAACiDw/YthwqOvFZ-Y/s640/DSC_0494.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/Cherryblossoms02?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Cherryblossoms</a></td></tr></table&gt;

Here are some taken around my neighbourhood during an early morning walk:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Lio5lS0h4bOGWnno50Bz1BBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WM7Bnc1sCxs/UztK-qrrG7I/AAAAAAACiKI/p4fUd-zE0gw/s640/DSC_0003.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/I3CM5ieCAPBzRFBDLbG0RBBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ulL3Z26vvts/UztLAxrgLEI/AAAAAAACiKk/UA4boJyD2dQ/s640/DSC_0008.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RTPH28ckV5ejglh2BtvAJhBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e2DD7zNhr60/UztLEgLQLII/AAAAAAACiLw/BX6riJKOSCM/s640/DSC_0015.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ce8-LcT9j7YEY4hOerjYvBBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u6GP602xFOk/UztLFd52ZuI/AAAAAAACiLk/YXI-Hs8NSwo/s640/DSC_0016.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-Q9bb2L15q0ggwrIoHE9mRBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ikGCDs0Jnsk/UztLIQZA7oI/AAAAAAACiMc/OsAZxhQKuFk/s640/DSC_0022.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GVdcDzQqqanCnuHw5EYsjhBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NvmWdy0Xr6k/UztLItRE7lI/AAAAAAACiMg/Ttq8v_yAH04/s640/DSC_0023.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VzxkRdzaV2HKPPE1HBCsNhBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NmNFyJQ6dxQ/UztLJfR9MVI/AAAAAAACiM0/skJvVfJviB4/s640/DSC_0024.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K0HEdjg9fDBR9vuwfcDRDRBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yItpBKAI558/UztLJYYcThI/AAAAAAACiM8/PbhUn9Rzbro/s640/DSC_0025.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sG6S5LvQukK5VqsbzQzMwxBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rdwk5faAJXs/UztLNqUw0sI/AAAAAAACiOQ/_K1aqSeF_3A/s640/DSC_0034.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

And here are a few unexpected snaps during the above said walk.
Someone collecting beer cans and lining them up on the sidewalk:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zGKUa80ZJT-a8Odz-ywIxhBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0DHU_h68YBc/UztLL8HaUMI/AAAAAAACiNc/yWcIjctGMoQ/s640/DSC_0030.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOa5-PWWiOWIPQ&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

And a dinosaur playground:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bR8HsEOI3I0knc0IYRvxeRBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lqy4XWMX4D8/UztLOnnVdPI/AAAAAAACiOM/HN9Mg878PSY/s640/DSC_0036.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

A dinosaur lizard slippery dip:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kelSFbRwkGDdNDrrIp2KXBBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-logH0uAg5K0/UztLO1Lpj4I/AAAAAAACiOU/CUtyceJZ3xw/s640/DSC_0037.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sUcgBShhe_3G3ZjW0vQWXBBrg7ZMpatMx_wgTAbOWXo?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cBddfxG0_bE/UztLSXqmAMI/AAAAAAACiOs/fCWlDAtmmMU/s640/DSC_0040.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/NeighbourhoodSakura?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Neighbourhood sakura</a></td></tr></table>

Winter 2014: The Video

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Boy, do I have a treat for you.
A video! Yes, a video!!!
A compilation of winter snowboarding trips taken over the last couple of months.
Video footage and photography by me. Starring my friends and, of course, yours truly.
Video editing and production by my friend and housemate. He spent the whole day working on it. Big props to him.
One of these days, I’ll get around to learning how to edit a video myself, but for now, enjoy his work.

Enjoy!

Hakuba Ski Resort in Photos

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Given my debilitating bout of hay fever that comes with the arrival of Spring, it means that Winter is over. Bring on summer, I say.

No more snowboarding for this season. Ended the season about 2 weeks ago at Nozawa.

But last month, I got to snowboard at Hakuba for the first time. Had only ever been there briefly in the summer many years ago. Hakuba was full of Aussies! Soooo many Aussies! And we’re not a classy bunch. The hotel we stayed at was full of Aussies. We took the shink there this time and then a connecting bus, given the previous week’s failed attempt to get to the ski resort due to the snowpocalypse.

This is how you travel in style:

From Hakuba snow weekend

View from the window of the accommodation, right at the base of the ski slope:

From Hakuba snow weekend

Hakuba is a great ski resort for the village vibe and its facilities. It’s also quite international – plenty of bars and dining options and a few onsens as well. It was one home to the Nagano Winter Olympics back in 1998.

From Hakuba snow weekend

Hakuba ski resort consists of 7 separate mountains, so you need to select your mountain pass options wisely. And the mountains are connected by free shuttle buses. Over two days, we managed to board at 3 of the mountains. Happo-One is best for skiers, not snowboarders. And the runs are quite steep and moguly.

Iwatake was great as was Tsugaike (athough Tsugaike is probably a little more beginner-friendly). Iwatake was pretty ideal out of the three we visited. Would have liked to have spent more time at Tsugaike but only managed to do a couple of runs there.

It was an awesome weekend though. Bluebird days and the mountains and the vista were absolutely majestic.
If a picture speaks a 1000 words, then consider this blog post Homer’s Iliad.

From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend

Ogle the Mogles:

From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend

EPIC:

From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend
From Hakuba snow weekend

Snow business: Sayonara Nozawa

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Have managed to snowboard at about 6 different ski resorts this winter season. Last weekend was my final trip for the season. Back to Nozawa again.

It’s time to Suit Up!

From Snow business Nozawa 2014

Off to a BOARD meeting:

From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014

There’s no business like snow business, baby!

From Snow business Nozawa 2014

Just wearing my jump suit:

From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014

Gone fishing:

From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014

Conditions were awesome in Nozawa, particularly the Saturday. Lots of fresh powder. Lots of practice going through the trees. I’m still not that good. We did have a bit of a scare when we fully got buried in the powder and couldn’t get out.

Trees and Powder:

From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014

This was the 3.2km (mostly narrow) Skyline run on the Sunday. It requires a section that goes slightly uphill!

From Snow business Nozawa 2014
From Snow business Nozawa 2014

Now that winter is over, bring on summer! Sunshine, swimming, beach and SUPing. That’s what I’m talking about.

A “Colourful” Run

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Took a weekend off from snowboarding last weekend and did the Power Colour Run instead. It’s not the official “Color Run” but something similar. Apparently, the first time they’ve had it in Japan so the turnout was small. The official Color Run is also coming to Japan this year, so may also run that as well and hopefully get to the start line before everyone else has finished the race.

The Power Color Run is a 5km fun run. It was held in Kanagawa prefecture and the traffic getting there was crazy. Took our bus 3 hours to get there which meant that it was over by the time we got to the start line. Luckily, they let our group of 40 people or so, just run our own race instead. We ran 3km instead of 5km so as not to miss out on all the festivities. That was fine by me. I haven’t jogged in ages now. Swimming has been taking over my life.

It was a fun day, just a shame that the turnout was rather small. Hopefully the event will continue to grow, given that it was the first time they’ve held it here.

This kind of race puts the “fun” in fun run. It is an untimed event so no need to be fast or even train. You can even walk it if you want to. The gist is that you wear all white clothing (costumes are encouraged), and then get covered in coloured powder along the run. Oh the hue-manity of it.

I had a nurse uniform costume laying about the house (as you do!), and turned up to the race in a nice clean white outfit.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZJfAYe8f5bC4jo9L_CHWHzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wtfrw8w8hZo/UxK2QsjcsPI/AAAAAAAChE4/G-fwn4TbibM/s400/IMG_7160.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

By the end of the day, it looked like this:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/02fAt01woJYeW8suvwC6SzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-615xV8H70-I/UxK25wRyPqI/AAAAAAAChPA/se81HiMA618/s400/RIMG0734.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vtTe0Q45fl7MnnhpKSJC3jymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x5isCbSd2sI/UxK26VF7_8I/AAAAAAAChPI/JlAox0Qc5g8/s400/RIMG0735.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Here is how my friend and I looked – a side-by-side comparison:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N7BGLUiKk07NxEuPOE_1nzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FjlZ0tROY7I/UxK2dm_dmdI/AAAAAAAChIg/1rHim9oCuLE/s400/IMG_7187.JPG&#8221; height=”400″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Race entry includes a white race t-shirt (which I wore under the uniform), a pair of sunnies (to protect the eyes from all the colour powder), and three bags each of coloured pwoder to toss on each other throughout the race.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VEB2mLQhWUotJl5pOff8oDymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sp6uy1gF3lY/UxK2PfrDfaI/AAAAAAAChEk/bERHkIxDhRM/s640/IMG_7156.jpg&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

And then the run/walk/waddle begins:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vmN4bzk1mGlFqILQXnOyezymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-34uRHwQPZqc/UxK2qR3gglI/AAAAAAAChLo/n_UJmToL4G0/s400/RIMG0705.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1rYCLA-aZ5SMBdsl074RvjymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l-R2DttxHFg/UxK2vGyzZgI/AAAAAAAChMg/gb4mqUKntsA/s400/RIMG0715.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Maybe the middle of winter wasn’t the best time to hold a fun run:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6btPmdTCBptPGTZs3jrCYjymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HL85MBtVwTc/UxK2nAOc0PI/AAAAAAAChK0/H-sn2hH3qac/s400/RIMG0699.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EXqi8hjkMS5eDtY7Uv7yZjymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/–JCZQsKOfnQ/UxK2z3H4y9I/AAAAAAAChNs/DK2wRiHfr5k/s400/RIMG0714.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DINlgn3701R7jkT4GIK8LDymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-twtdNwgtoN8/UxK2vkfAjrI/AAAAAAAChMs/x2ey-MmenQQ/s400/RIMG0716.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

At intervals throughout the run course, you’ll pass the colour toss stations where volunteers will douse you in a shower of colour powder:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_c20SVmuqDTK5df7kBZ20zymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ayDy4oF5Bvc/UxK2k4YGz_I/AAAAAAAChKg/HNeAKUDLT8k/s640/RIMG0696.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KgDYdk0y4MoIyBWRm05-STymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cyBx6Y2-ZBI/UxK2lpDCV-I/AAAAAAAChKk/MDUZPOsv3f0/s640/RIMG0697.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EI63H6E9CNBN4pG4CEgnKTymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7uaQADgTqMg/UxK2TKJsKcI/AAAAAAAChFo/6JM0BTI68q8/s400/IMG_7165.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

That was a lot of fun. Basically, like a water fight, without water. A colour fight?!

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3HaEYjKDLVD3NYpQPof11TymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yk4QKQxZa24/UxK2T3yLaUI/AAAAAAAChFw/dg8HZ-kXuxQ/s640/IMG_7166.jpg&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yBd5jnDcTS0-LFBgbVbgTzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P81qXeKv-YE/UxK2Uanpo3I/AAAAAAAChGA/hZ10nPGZXi8/s400/IMG_7167.JPG&#8221; height=”300″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

The obligatory jump shot:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Cr0nz-kmaZ38XQbecRKdIDymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0RxyhCVJgBM/UxK2VUs3qGI/AAAAAAAChGI/9gFK2nFJmGs/s400/IMG_7169.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

And then the dance party and colour toss fun begins:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NMoq2skm7_HNRBwfK5wK8zymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mL7krdKs1E0/UxK3AE8FkBI/AAAAAAAChQg/ptF8ro-Q_eI/s640/RIMG0746.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SyqSLWqtSpg7Ss6brKzWZzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-j4jGu35k2RA/UxK3AhKs7II/AAAAAAAChQs/EuLhy2QIFzQ/s640/RIMG0747.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JafmXQuhXiwv5dvIZSFDmDymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xqESMm_OftA/UxK3CD1TPCI/AAAAAAAChQ8/qAHt0xgl_V8/s640/RIMG0750.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

These kids were literally rolling in it:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fKZwUg_L2FT3vyW8M-NXNTymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5MUeKJ1e0EI/UxK3FGe_U-I/AAAAAAAChRw/lbLgtxbwBiM/s640/RIMG0756.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Suc5TqJnxGtuLkpWyHn_BzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YRS23LuYO3Y/UxK2_Aecn9I/AAAAAAAChQQ/QxPxkHM0B2A/s640/RIMG0744.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Coloured leggings:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o9Q5V6zxuHljckmYC6vuhzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8AT2TccpBo8/UxK2YfkZPHI/AAAAAAAChHI/POinXMBc7a4/s640/IMG_7173.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Coloured wigs:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LPTGQm1Y_wG_ZFVTPdJQDzymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZM6JKmVW2jQ/UxK2X7tHpOI/AAAAAAAChGw/JxbYb7xWR-g/s640/IMG_7175.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

You’ll want to protect your eyes from all the coloured powder:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EeC888YzRlVL9AR2uyoMeDymPfxbL97XSfDC4QI1pM0?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kqyZ3gPQZxU/UxK2YQJ00NI/AAAAAAAChG4/S8_FzOFIG6A/s400/IMG_7176.jpg&#8221; height=”400″ width=”300″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/PowerColourRun?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCOHp0OT1uqq-qgE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Power Colour Run</a></td></tr></table>

Greasing your hair up with leave-in conditioner will also help to wash out the colour later. The “powder” is in fact dyed cornstarch, so the colours will wash out pretty easily. My nurse uniform is actually white again after putting it in the wash machine. I highly recommend rinsing clothes out first and let a lot of the colour run out naturally with the water, and then throw it in the washing machine.

You’ll also want to ziplock your iPhone or store away safely. It will get covered in coloured powder. You have been made.

The race venue also had free showers onsite, so we took advantage of that. Just BYO soap and shampoo.
And most importantly, the venue had beer for sale.

A fun day was had by all despite the cold weather and somewhat small turn-out. I guess, it’s better than being too crowded and made for a nicer more intimate atmosphere.
Will most probably participate in the official Color Run next month. Hopefully, will be a warmer day and a bigger turn out.