Visit to Oz run 5. Wait a minute ... this was never in the plan! Australia is meant to be sunny and hot. I know this, because it was like that last week. But for run 5 of my visit, the rain drops were falling hard, making plops on my host 's swimming pool. Heartbreak Hill is tough at the best of times, but in the rain? Yet I could hardly look like the wimpy Pom that my host would certainly think I was should I not run. So off I went. One difference to the regular schedule though. Stuff the five minute warm up. Let's just get this over with. Run from the start. Uphill from home, over the crest and out of sight. But then it goes downhill for about a mile so, other than the rain, no hassle. Well, none other than the cold. Jeez it was cold - pity I hadn't thought to bring my wooly hat and gloves! As I say, this was never the plan ...
Down to the park, round the park, then head home. That would normally mean tackling Heartbreak Hill or, in my case, walking it. But I had a cunning plan. I had noticed that if I made a mile or so detour, I could avoid it. And so I did. A magnificent example of hill avoidance that, had it been tax avoidance, would make even the Chancellor of the Exchequer applaud in congratulation.
Of course the total rise in height to get home was just the same, but it was certainly a more gentle gradient.
There was another complication too. If you read my report on run 4, you'll know that I don't see eye to eye with my GPS. So it continued. You see, while I was checking my location rather than the path ahead, I failed to see the low hanging branch of an overgrown bush. SPLAT! Right in the head. And all the rain that had gathered among the leaves gave me an unexpected - and very cold - shower. AAAAARGH!
But I survived once more dear friends. Later, I read Stealthrunner's story about taking on her hill and defeating it (couchto5k.healthunlocked.co... I replied, saying that she made me feel so guilty that I had decided that I would make it my goal to run Heartbreak Hill all the way to the top within the ten days I have left here in Adelaide
My lad's partner Emily is going to make sure I start that in just a few hours from now. It's ANZAC Day - the Australian equivalent of our Remembrance Day, and they hold their service at 6am ... Right after that Emily and myself head to Mount Lofty. mtloftysummit.com/index.htm 727m high - target three hours to get to the top & back down. Come to think of it, backing down seems an attractive proposition!
Assuming no permanent damage is done to either myself or Lofty, I'll post my story.
In the meantime, I don't have a photo from run 5, but here's one of a kangroo tourist petting myself and my wife at the local human reserve. mmcinteractive.com/oz/09.jpg
Missed the rain... but nearly got wet
Oh my word, wind rain snarling dog and 6k
Running as therapy (and in the rain too!)
