Last day at the Great Ocean Road, for now!
Last day before University starts again!
The first day of this road trip where I finally slept in — wow, it felt good. I was really tired from all the previous days and traveling, so staying in the same place for the last day was definitely the right choice. I had a nice breakfast at my place and then decided it was time to head out for a swim, only to find that my coach had changed the plan: the swim was moved to Monday.
This meant that today I only had to ride — a 6x9-minute session below race pace. I went out on the road and immediately got hit by a hard headwind, yikes. I warmed up for 30 minutes along the Great Ocean Road, and then started the first 9-minute block. Jeez, nine minutes is actually quite long.
Across all six intervals, I averaged 260 watts, which I was happy with. For the cooldown, I took a longer route through a beautiful forest with some MTB trails. After that, I had lunch, a shower, and some time to plan my next steps for the day.
The options: go surfing, visit the pro surfing contest at Bells Beach, or explore town.
I decided to start with the Surf Museum. I really enjoyed walking around there — it felt like I was back in Nazaré where I visited another surf museum. After that, I headed into town, grabbed an ice cream, and wandered a bit without much of a plan. Eventually, I decided to drive to Bells Beach to watch the pro surfers... or so I thought.
Unfortunately, I was too late. When I arrived at the parking lot, the men’s finals had just finished. So, I drove back towards my place, with a quick stop at the grocery store to grab some things for tomorrow.
To end the day, I went for an easy run. Obviously, I chose the beach. I wanted one last stroll over the sand and through the dunes. It was a short run, but I really enjoyed it — and that’s what mattered most to me: just enjoying it.
For dinner, I had no plans, but I decided to check out a busy place I noticed earlier. I ended up having Pho and popcorn cauliflower — I’m really full now! I’m also happy that I went out by myself and enjoyed my last meal of this little trip.
What’s next?
The road trip has ended, and it’s back to university tomorrow. I’ll drive to Melbourne in the morning, drop off the car, and head straight to class. After that, it’s swim training again and the routine picks back up in the city.
I’m looking forward to starting my new unit and enjoying my last two units here!
Until next time Quirijn Out.
