Sunday.
This was Father’s Day in Australia, and Mrs Elbeno had arranged for us 3 to run the Father’s Day 5 in Albert Park. So we got up early and borrowed a portable satnav device from the Boards, which directed us to the correct place without a problem. We got there at 8 for a 9 am race start, so we were able to get a decent parking place, pin on our race numbers, etc, without any rush. Although I had been entered as a runner, I was taking the small chap around the course in his stroller.
Mrs Elbeno zoomed off with the real runners, leaving me threading my way through the huffer-puffers at the back. Before the race I had decided on a target time of 45 minutes, so when I passed the one km mark at 13 minutes by my watch, I thought I had better get my skates on, and started running with the stroller instead of walking. It helped that the boy had fallen asleep, and the stroller’s front wheels were locked for more speed potential. I passed lots of people which prompted one woman to chivvy along her husband because “the baby’s passing you!” Picking up water at around 2.5 km, I settled into my run-walk pattern and came home in an official gun time of 41.37, quite respectable for a stroller-pusher.
That afternoon we headed with the Boards down to Elwood, on the northwest side of the bay that Melbourne sits atop, to enjoy the weather, barbecue some “snaggers” (sausages) and generally laze about, it being Father’s Day. Mr Board showed he’s going native:
And the chaps had a good time playing on the playground equipment and kicking balls around.
I climbed a nearby rise to get a shot of far-off Melbourne, before we packed up our things and headed down the road for an ice cream.
However, mini-Elbeno was being difficult, and Mrs Elbeno was getting a headache (or something) and we left the Boards to their ice cream, heading home ourselves. That evening, I think we ordered Indian for dinner and started a game of Buzz!, which unfortunately had to be prematurely aborted owing to the needs of the small one.