Stats: Tuesday, 9 February 2010, 05:30

Wow, talk about a tough run!!! But worth every step! This route was all it promised to be, and more!

It was still pretty dark at 5:30 when we started - just 2 little Hillbillies, Josh and me. We had to question our sanity up that first long climb towards UCT. But running along the top of UCT, looking out over the beginnings of a gorgeous sunset, we remembered why we'd made the effort get out of bed and hit the road this morning.

Making our slow way up to Rhodes Memorial was somehow easier this morning than the last couple of times we've tackled this route - a sign that the hard work is paying off and we're getting fitter! Not that Rhodes Mem is easy in any sense of the word!! But isn't that the whole point of a challenge?? To push the boundries and improve yourself through effort and hard work. The rewards make the pain worth it - in this case a drink of cold water and an awesome view over Cape Town at sunrise!!

And coming down that long hill was bliss after the tough climb to the top.

From here the route was fairly flat - we ran a short way down the M3, feeling sorry for the people stuck in traffic. Up Protea Road past Cavendish, over Main and over the next 'hill' - the railway bridge near Newlands cricket grounds! We were setting quite a pace now that 'The Hill' was behind us - everytime I checked it we were clocking around 5m50/km!!

We took a well-deserved break at the Shell on Campground/Liesbeek Road, and a last drink of water before tackling the final 1½km back to base.

I was absolutely finished after that, couldn't have run another step it felt! But feeling great at the same time.

Those who missed out this morning, really missed out!!

Route Profile:

Route Map:

Thursday is going to be very much a recovery run - pretty much the second half of today's route (i.e. the FLAT half). Starting at 6:00 in front of Great Westerford.
This is the route we'll be doing: Stats: Tuesday, 21 January 2010, 06:00