Stats: Thursday, 9 December 2010, 05:30

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/59184106

Once again it was just the Hillbilly ladies braving the early morning - Dy, Jen and I set out at around 5:30 this morning for a scenic, relaxing run to welcome in the coming weekend. Up the hill that everyone loves to hate: good old Dean Street!! Slowly up Newlands Avenue to the M3 where we once again turned down for water at the Shell. Here Jen said goodbye to us again to head out for a flat 8km loop.

Interlude: Jen will be doing this 8km loop again next week Tuesday, going past Newlands Cricket grounds - anyone keen for a slower, flatter run is welcome to join her. Dy and I will be heading up Rhodes Mem!

Route Profile

Okay, back to business: after a few sips of water, Dy and I set off up Fernwood Ave, along Boshoff then cut through Heath to Riverside. No 'Ferarri Track' this morning, we headed towards Kirstenbosch Drive at a fair pace, really getting into the run by now. And trying not to think about the looonnnnggggg hill ahead that is Canterbury Drive (such a deceptively nice name for such a brutal climb!!) Hillwood Ave came and went (this is the false top of Canterbury that often catches me unawares - here I think I'm at the top, and feeling so good about still feeling so fresh, relatively speaking; then out of nowhere I catch sight of the road-name and my bubble is burst...)

Somehow Dy and I managed to keep a conversation going most of the way up the hill. At the very top we relented to gravity and slowed down for a brief walk-break as we turned towards Gloucester for 'scenic detour' towards Kirstenbosch. (On a side note, I've got an evil glint in my eyes right now, thinking of yet another evil detour I'd like to add to that route - running up and over Monterey Road before hitting Klaasens and following the easy, undulating course towards Kirstenbosch Top Gate - that should add another kay or so to the total, still keeping this route well under 15km, a good distance for a Tuesday morning. *evil laugh*)

Route Map

Back on track - we didn't take that additional detour this morning, we ran up Gloucester and immediately hit Klaasens Road, enjoying the gentle, rolling hills - pretty much the last of our hillwork for the day, except for the first little bit of Kirstenbosch just ahead. Arriving at Kirstenbosch we took a few moments to stop, catch our breath, have some of the coldest, sweetest, freshest water in Cape Town, and took a walk through the gates into Kirstenbosch. A few meters later we started running, tackling the very last hill of the day.

One of my favourite routes is this one through Kirstenbosch - the air is clean and fresh, and depending on which paths your feet choose, you are surrounded by a myriad of sweet scents. And you rarely see other people at that time of the morning. Except maybe the Bootcamp ladies - and we just happened to run smack into the middle of one of their sessions!! Quick hello to the trainer, Lea, and we were off again, through the parking lot, down past the security booth and back towards the road.

Being early, we managed to cross over the usually-hectic road quickly and headed along Kirstenbosch Drive and down Riverside for our usual return-leg route. This time we did hit the 'Ferarri Track', but we didn't go all-out as we sometimes like to do. Crossing the M3 a few minutes later also brought a lucky break or two, and we were soon heading our merry way down Alster Ave, up the speed-bump of Lady Anne Ave and through the cycle/pedestrian alley to Van Holdt Street. A short way down Kildare we took the circle into Mains Street, and once again a lucky break - we crossed over to the non-school side of the road (I can't wait for school holidays to start, so that our running routes will be a lot less trafficked and less exhaust-fumey!)

Somehow we always end up speeding up as we near the end of Mains Street, even when we're tired or trying to take it easy. Today was no different and we found ourselves subconsciously quickening our steps. Over Dean Street, we sprinted through the Great Westerford parking lot to our meeting/stretching area. AWESOME RUN!!!! Thanks Dy!!! Jen was long done with her run by this point - I hope you had a good run?!?!

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Next run is Tuesday 14 December, 05:15. As mentioned a little earlier, there will be 2 route options:

• Dy and I will be doing a longer Rhodes Memorial route (somewhere around 15km, first half hill, second half flat (actually the second half is pretty much the last 2/3 of Jen's route!))
  
• Jen will be doing an flat, easy 8km
  

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Dean Street Hillbillies