Visit to Oz, run 4. This was my first run with my son's partner Emily. Sorry, Laura - you've got competition. The strength sapping Bullit Hill (which I now hear is known by local runners as Heartbreak Hill) was off the agenda. Instead, we drove into town and parked up at the side of the Mighty River Torrens. The plan was to do 6km - 3 up one side, head over a footbridge and then 3km back to the start.
The first thing I noticed was that the footpath had a white line down the middle. Later, I spotted markings that made it clear- this was two-way traffic. Like on the road, everyone runs or cycles on the left side of the path, and there is order among athletes. So that excludes myself ... as more than one cyclist discovered.
The route was one I had picked out from searches for 5K runs on Google, and the satellite view made it look so beautiful. mmcinteractive.com/oz/08.jpg
And so it was - certainly the most picturesque route I've done so far. A welcome BBQ awaits, so I'll keep this shorter than my usual tome. I did 5k of the 6, and briskly walked the rest. Poor Emily was having to hold herself back, but I did learn a lot from her and I'm sure my running will improve. The track was mostly flat, which was a welcome change, but a few undulations got the old heart pumping a little bit quicker. You wouldn't believe the number of runners though - I normally run in my local county town and I might see one or two others. But this was something else. Not quite elbow to elbow, but that two way trafice system was definitely needed. Got to the end without too much trouble, and that was run 4 over. See that at mmcinteractive.com/oz/07.jpg
Time for a coffee before heading back to base.
I hear you ask - "What's the bit about Popeye?" Well, there is a river cruise, and the boat is the Pop-Eye. As we ran along, we passed it. It's probably not much to brag about, but it was certainly interesting to see it, catch it up and leave it behind! And anyway, everyone loves Popeye ... and it got you to read this, didn't it?
Over that coffee, Emily gave me the plan for the next few days. Tomorrow, we'll go to the beach and run the equivalent of their promenade, leaving our respective better halves to laze on the sand.
Next up will be Mount Lofty. It's true - the Australians use their imagination when it comes to place names. We drove up Lofty yesterday and boy is it high. Now Emily is having me walking up (thankfully) and running back down. Will I manage? Not sure. But I'll let you know. Between now and then, the beach will be a nice run. But I hear the sizzle of ribs, and the smell of charcoal cooking is filling my nostrils - I'm off!
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
Photos from my recent sponsored 5K Run.
