A good turnout today, Josh, Rob, Errard, Linelle and me. 5 Hillbillies hit the road at 6:00, with me and Errard still feeling Saturday's Brackenfell Half Marathon in our legs, but everyone lookng forward to a good run this morning.
We set out at a leisurely pace up Dean Street and sped up just a little towards the M3. Boshoff Avenue saw Josh, Rob and I racing for the top, with Linelle and Errard hot on our heels!! This was to set a trend for the morning. Linelle, Josh and Rob quickly pulled ahead up Kirstenbosch Drive, where we regrouped at the water point.
Having decided earlier to do the Kirstenbosch route today, we headed up Glastonbury at a fast pace, but keeping just a little in reserve for the final pull up to Kirstenbosch. Once at the top of Glastonbury, we decided to take the 'scenic route' to Kirstenbosch - train strikes have been wreaking havoc in the traffic, and this morning was no exception. A small group of runners would be difficult to spot in the dark along the narrow road leading up to Kirstenbosch Top Gate. So we headed up Gloucester instead, and up along Klaasens Road to reach Top Gate from above. Quick water break and we made our way through Kirstenbosch Gardens, admiring the view and watching our footing - at 7:00 this morning it was still quite dark outside - Josh with his headlamp saved us from a stumbling along a couple of particularly dark stretches of road!!!
From Kirstenbosch we followed our usual route home, only today we added a hint of speedwork! The downhill pull along Kirstenbosch and then Riverside roads was bliss!! Flat towards the M3, Rob took the lead, and turned around to play sweeper after he reached the M3. From here we raced along Alster, blazed the short distance UP Lady Anne towards the alley. Rob and Josh were well ahead of the rest at this point and slowed down to wait for Linelle and Errard while I tried to keep my momentum and overtook them. They soon caught me though!
Down Mains Street it became an all-out race for the finish. I was feeling fantastic, Rob and Josh looking strong. They soon passed me again, and Linelle was hot on my heels the whole way. Errard did the wise thing and finished calmly, not wanting to jeapordise his upcoming Comrades experience.
We finished the run good and tired, but every one of us with a big smile. Our last 2 km's were the fastest of the morning, with the final km blasting by at around 4m40/km!!! Great fun!!!! Definitely to be repeated!!!
Here are the stats:
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Route Map:
Splits:
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