Australia Day is a day that has become increasingly controversial in the last few years, with different elements of the population questioning just what it is celebrating. Some people question whether it is appropriate for our national day to be associated with the date when white people first came to Australia, and whether a more inclusive date should be used instead.
For me my frustration with Australia Day is the behaviours that some people feel it justifies. Any other day a person might be considered ignorant, racist and intolerant, but on Australia Day they somehow feel that their views can be justified as being patriotic. I have friends who are routinely abused on Australia Day primarily by white men in utes simply because they look different. It doesn't matter that these friends of mine are born and bred in Australia, the fact that it is Australia Day seems to be all the justification these racist individuals need.
It is for these reasons and a few others that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Australia Day. I love my country as much as the next guy. I am immensely proud of what the country achieves and I cherish the lifestyle we have here, but I don't particularly like what Australia Day has become in some elements of our society.
What I do like though is a day off work, and that just so happens to be something that Australia Day also brings with it.
Whether you agree with the politics of Australia Day or not, everyone can enjoy a day off work and from what I have seen, everybody around Perth has been doing just that.
For me my enjoyment of Australia Day started with a nice long spin out on the bike. The ride started off feeling a bit sketchy, but after an hour or so I really got into it and by the end I was feeling pretty okay. The only negatives about the ride was the temperature and the fact that everybody else in Perth was out doing the same thing.
Perth today has been absolutely scorching, very Australian of it. The forecast was for 39 degrees Celsius, but from what I saw it got hotter than that.
I was getting to the tail end of my ride by 8:00am and even by then it was in the low 30s. While I was riding it never got hot enough to make it uncomfortable, but you could tell the heat was on the way. I think I drank about 4 litres of water over the course of the ride. What I found more frustrating than the temperature is that the heat, combined with the day off, meant that everybody was out and about, trying to get to some water. I rather stupidly rode along the beach and it was just bedlam. It wasn't particularly dangerous, but I was glad to get off the roads at the end, I am never comfortable being around that many distracted drivers.
Still for the most part the ride was enjoyable and it was great to get out and do a session that felt alright. Some of the flatness that I was feeling earlier in the week remains, but this ride has shown me that it is improving.
I would have liked to get out for a bit more training this afternoon, but if I am completely honest it was just too darn hot. I wouldn't normally let the weather get in the way of training too much, but when the temperatures venture up into the extreme I am willing to listen to reason.
Besides the way I was feeling earlier this week has reminded me that a slow build of fitness is a sensible build. Trying to rush a return to training is just rushing a return to injury or illness.
Swimming in the morning, and given how hot it has been, I think a trip to the pool is going to be very welcome.
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