Building community

A week ago a ran a half marathon race (21.1k) here in Adelaide.  I'll be honest, I hadn't trained properly for the race and mostly just knew I could finish it and check the box of having completed my first international half!  The race was a nice course - a one way "belt" across Adelaide from the hills to the ocean on paved trails.  Since it's late spring here (in Nov) it's dicey conditions, and we were met with a rousing downpour for the hour prior to the race start.  Of course, I had to take a shuttle to the start so I basically found shelter under a eucalyptus tree for 45 minutes during the downpour.... it was less than ideal!  By the time the race got started the rain died down (see the photo - my friend Anneliis and I managed a start photo right as the rain ceased!

Greenbelt was a lovely downhill race with some rolling hills, twists and turns into the downtown.  When we hit the river trails through town, I started to recognize my familiar territory that I often do Sunday fun runs with a local women's group; a few minutes later I heard my name and met up with the ladies from said group!  One of the group leads, Kelly, and I chatted for a minute, where she mentioned that she planned to attend my talk later that week as a part of the School of Public Health/Medicine lecture series.  This story, to me, represents community.  I absolutely love when we find these connections in the community.  I look for these connections because they mean a lot to me, and I love finding them.  It's been such a blessing to make connections through running wherever I go; I don't always click, but I do always find a connection by showing up and making the effort.  And this running group also talked me into running the community free 5k series (ParkRun) last weekend.  It was fun and a totally community focused event.  Loved it.

As we come to a close on our time in Adelaide, I certainly hope this is the close of a chapter, not the book.  I look forward to more time in Australia, as all of us have found this experience to be an amazing experience.  We may have come during a scary, dreadful time in the world timeline, but we have absolutely delighted in our experiences during our 6 months here!