Now this was a run to remember!! A record turn-out as well as a very scenic route, and the most amazing views from the top of Kirstenbosch!!! Wow!!!
We had a couple of Hillbillies meeting each other for the first time today. 7 people ran this morning, quite a feat! Allen, Brett, Claire, Dy, Linelle, Rob and I set off from Dean Street this morning. A little cold but all keen for a good run, and looking forward to the promised detour through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
We started easy up Dean Street and along Newlands Avenue. Over the M3 and up Boshoff. Allen, Linelle and Rob sped up Kirstenbosch Drive, waiting for the rest of us at the water point at the top. We all set off together up the infamous Glastonbury Drive - a tough hill, so well done to everyone for conquering it!! We were rewarded with some beautiful views from this high vantage point, with the sun just starting to rise.
We set off again for the last climb up to Kirstenbosch Top (Rycroft) Gate, stopping for water at the entrance. Then we went into Kirstenbosch and started the most scenic km of the run - a small climb before a lovely descent, looking over our shoulders at the view over the Cape Flats and towards Town. This morning we saw a blanket of mist covering much of the lower-lying regions, with just the tops of the 'Salt and Pepper Pots' buildings sticking out. How I wished for my camera!!!
But the run must go on, so off we went down the main path towards the entrance by the Tea Garden, through the deserted parking lot, and back towards the M63. From here it was pretty much downhill. The gradient, not the experience!!! We were all nicely warmed up by now, with some interesting conversations flowing.
We had a bit of a wait to cross the M3 - morning peak 'hour' was well under way (don't ask me why its still called peak HOUR, peak traffic lasts a good 3 hours in the mornings, and probably about the same in the afternoons, especially now with all the roadworks going on...) But we made it across and headed back into the suburbs, leaving traffic behind once again.
Almost home, we had a nice flat stretch of road ahead, admiring the beautiful houses in the area. Then suddenly we were on Mains Street, with Great Westerford in sight. Rob picked up the pace, encouraging Linelle to push the last few hundred meters too. The rest of us joined in and finished our run at a flat-out pace. Tired but all smiling!!
Thanks to everyone for the great company once again! We'll miss Dy, who's going overseas for a while, but she's back in July. Brett is just back from his own trip, but is heading off again soon. Josh is looking forward to getting back on the road after a long time-out - just a couple more weeks and he'll be back!! I'm going on leave soon, but just for 2 weeks, then I'm back (I'll still be here until the end of next week, then away for the following 2 weeks). The rest are [semi-] regulars and will hopefully be seeing a lot of each other in the coming weeks :)
Without further delay, here are today's stats:
Route Profile:
Route Map:
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