Ups and downs and round and round......

......which basically sums up my long run yesterday morning. It was initially planned for Saturday morning but when I got up, nice and early, it was raining and I had no plans of starting a 30km run in the rain. So I went back to bed and later got up and ran 8km nice and easy….in the rain (my planned Sunday run).

Anyway I was up again nice and early on a Sunday (which is really unforgivable but like I said I didn’t have a choice) and set off running off-road behind the houses in Hawker – the suburb up the hill from ours. The track was slippery but surprisingly I did manage to stay upright though there were a couple of close calls! Then I diverted into the Pinnacle Nature Park for a little bit (to avoid a really steep hill though I still run uphill but its more gradual) before heading out of the park and towards Mt Painter nature park (behind Macquarie). Now here there is a steep hill but I haven’t managed to find a way around it so up I go – baby steps, until I reach the top and head off down the other side. For a little way it’s downhill though I have to watch my step because it is rocky in parts and there is the occasional exposed tree root to trip unsuspecting people.

Then it’s back uphill at the back of Cook briefly again when I cross the cycle path, before heading down another rocky path, back onto the cycle path briefly and then make my way through the gate into Aranda Nature Park. I was so busy concentrating on where I was going I didn’t see the large kangaroo standing in the middle of the trail until I was almost in front of it. I’m not sure who got the biggest fright – him/her or me! Then I noticed the paddock – instead of sheep it was full of kangaroos.

After following the trail a bit I came to the new underpass which took me into Black Mountain Nature Park and for a while the trail remains fairly flat, though again there were puddles and muddy patches. Now it was time to turn right and head upwards, as though I was heading to the top of Black Mt, which I wasn’t, but it still felt steepish. Finally I was at the top of the path and turn left to run downhill before turning right and running up another hill! (There’s a theme here!) I followed the trail around past the electrical sub-station, or whatever it is, and came out onto a road (I was probably near CSIRO). I followed this road for a little bit before turning back into the nature park and followed a very undulating trail, following power lines. Up until now the weather had been muggy, it was overcast and foggy in parts, but now it was starting to drizzle very lightly. I had visions of being drenched for the run home because I was at the farthest point of the run –
15km. However the rain was very very light and then
disappeared.

So, all the downhills and uphills I had run on the way out on this run, now became the uphills and downhills on the way home – challenging at times. However I felt comfortable for the entire distance which is great because my last couple of long runs have been very ordinary to say the least. The weather may have had something to do with it because the other runs have been done when it has been very sunny and hot – not my idea of fun or an enjoyable run. And then the previous week’s long run was affected by consuming some dodgy prawn rice paper rolls for tea the night before.
I had completed just over 30km in 3hrs – very happy with it. And it’s a great run too, mostly off-road. Okay, maybe less hills might make it better........!