If you’re heading to the Snowy Mountains in summer, here are a few tips for my favourite things to do there!
- Take the chairlift up to Thredbo for some hardcore tobogganing
- Have a tasty lunch at Birchwood Café in Jindabyne
- Take a flotation device out onto the lake (would recommend a stand-up paddleboard)
I’ve heard the running’s really good too…
Just kidding!
Each year my family and I head down to Jindabyne at the start of January, and it’s such a breath of fresh air (literally) in terms of training and life in general! Following all of the end of year celebrations, for me, a week in Jindy is the perfect recipe for kick-starting my year. I’m a big fan of getting out of the hustle and bustle of home and breaking my somewhat regimented training routine to keep things interesting and fun.
So here are some training sessions and challenges I got into this week in Jindy!
1. The Snowy Mountains are a super popular location for mountain bikers so there are an abundance of trails that wind around Jindabyne and the area, which are perfect for long runs. I love getting out and exploring the picturesque natural landscape on my long runs, and these trails could take you for ages. Sometimes I find aerobic runs to be a bit of a chore when I’m frequently running the same routes around my house, but when I’m able to run through nature and new and interesting places, long runs become a renewed favourite. The Jindy trails track through the rolling hills around the lake and they aren’t shy of wildlife to keep you on your toes! The paths are generally pretty exposed, so it’s easy to find your way but I should warn those who are prone to ankle rolling to watch out for loose rocks underfoot.
2. As we all know cross-training is really beneficial, and one of my favourite kinds is open-water swimming. The Jindabyne lake in summer is absolutely beautiful to swim in so its my first point of call for a recovery swim and to get my aerobic system going or just to dive into at the end of a run. If you’re not really confident in the chop of the ocean, lakes are a great alternative for a swim as they’re much more still!
3. In 18 years of starting my year in Jindabyne, this week I’ve finally made my debut at the top of Mount Kosciusko! A total of approx 18.4km up and down, this is a real challenge that I definitely recommend taking on, even if it’s a walk jog. I’ve got to say, about 25mins into the run I was ready to run back down and call it my long run, but with my Dad trudging up the hill by my side (who’s a little older than me) I had to grit my teeth and push on. After that, I had an absolute blast! It was actually really fun challenging my body in a different way and with the top of Kosciuszko in sight, the key is to pace yourself and keep ticking it over. The last kilometre to the top is a bit tantalizing as you continue to turn the corner and never seem to reach the finish line but once you reach the top the climb seems insignificant; 360 degrees of white spotted viridescent mountains reaching into the sky above, the Snowy Mountain’s beauty is undeniable. And 9km never felt like such a breeze when it came to the descent!
4. Of course it isn’t all long aerobic sessions here! A session I did the other day at the Sport and Rec synthetic track was:
2 x (5 x 200 w 2min walk back) – 7mins between sets
This was tough one in hot conditions but I’ll never say no to a bit of speed work!
So whether you happen to find yourself landing in Jindabyne for a week or anywhere else in our small world, I recommend mixing things up a bit or trying out some different ways of training and challenging yourself because I guarantee you’ll get something out of it!
