The Scenic Route.
Saturday 24/06/06:
Out at 9am, which means I not only got a sleep in but had time for some breakfast beforehand!
Was undecided which route to take today, so played it by ear alittle and did a 10min walk to start with. Even though it was a beautiful, clear day and the winter sun was starting to make itself felt, there was a very crisp Southerly wind blowing which kept the temp down around 7 deg C. I started my run by heading out thru the countryside on an undulating road and popped out into suburbia near my daughters school. Soon came to a road that I've driven thru a few times and alway thought it would be nice to run, as despite being extremely hilly, it is also very scenic, affording some magnificent views out over the city. Even though I had no idea how far it was to get thru it and knowing that it was at least a 6km return trip on the main road from where I would come out, back to home, I decided today was the day to give it a go! My leg was feeling good and even though my hands were freezing (didn't take the gloves) I was in a great mindset. Having not run many hills lately, I knew getting to the summit was going to be hard going and I did have to stop and walk one hill, but we are talking steep! Being in the countryside, with only a few huge, gorgeous homes dotted about, there were very few vehicles to worry about, despite having to run on the road. The view from the top was stunning on such a lovely day and I could see the Sky Tower and Rangitoto Island in the distance, as well as the harbour beyond. Heading down the other side was much easier and not really knowing what was round the next bend kept it interesting. After about 50mins I popped out into suburbia again and onto a main road. Followed this for a few kms before joining up with where I run during the week. The last 5 or 6 kms I was running into a stiff head wind, but by then I had found a great rythem and nothing could hold me back, I felt like I could have kept running forever! Made it home in 80mins with no idea of how far I had been, but feeling great...
Brisk walk warmup: 10mins
Steady paced run with one walking break: 70mins
Cooldown stroll around my street: 5mins
At my normal steady pace I would have expected to have covered about 14kms on the run, but with all of the hills I'd encountered I knew it would be less than this. This afternoon I drove the route to check and was pleased to see I'd covered 13.5kms from where I started running.
I also took a couple of pics of the view from the top, so when I download them onto the PC and work out how to post them here I will.
Off out tonight to a 30th. Talk about feast or famine, I sometimes don't go out partying for weeks, then its 3 in a row! Will be taking it easy though and hopefully not staying out too late!
Out at 9am, which means I not only got a sleep in but had time for some breakfast beforehand!
Was undecided which route to take today, so played it by ear alittle and did a 10min walk to start with. Even though it was a beautiful, clear day and the winter sun was starting to make itself felt, there was a very crisp Southerly wind blowing which kept the temp down around 7 deg C. I started my run by heading out thru the countryside on an undulating road and popped out into suburbia near my daughters school. Soon came to a road that I've driven thru a few times and alway thought it would be nice to run, as despite being extremely hilly, it is also very scenic, affording some magnificent views out over the city. Even though I had no idea how far it was to get thru it and knowing that it was at least a 6km return trip on the main road from where I would come out, back to home, I decided today was the day to give it a go! My leg was feeling good and even though my hands were freezing (didn't take the gloves) I was in a great mindset. Having not run many hills lately, I knew getting to the summit was going to be hard going and I did have to stop and walk one hill, but we are talking steep! Being in the countryside, with only a few huge, gorgeous homes dotted about, there were very few vehicles to worry about, despite having to run on the road. The view from the top was stunning on such a lovely day and I could see the Sky Tower and Rangitoto Island in the distance, as well as the harbour beyond. Heading down the other side was much easier and not really knowing what was round the next bend kept it interesting. After about 50mins I popped out into suburbia again and onto a main road. Followed this for a few kms before joining up with where I run during the week. The last 5 or 6 kms I was running into a stiff head wind, but by then I had found a great rythem and nothing could hold me back, I felt like I could have kept running forever! Made it home in 80mins with no idea of how far I had been, but feeling great...
Brisk walk warmup: 10mins
Steady paced run with one walking break: 70mins
Cooldown stroll around my street: 5mins
At my normal steady pace I would have expected to have covered about 14kms on the run, but with all of the hills I'd encountered I knew it would be less than this. This afternoon I drove the route to check and was pleased to see I'd covered 13.5kms from where I started running.
I also took a couple of pics of the view from the top, so when I download them onto the PC and work out how to post them here I will.
Off out tonight to a 30th. Talk about feast or famine, I sometimes don't go out partying for weeks, then its 3 in a row! Will be taking it easy though and hopefully not staying out too late!
posted by Vicky @ 6/24/2006 05:24:00 pm
2 Comments:
At Sun Jun 25, 08:24:00 am,
Anonymous said…
Hope you enjoyed the party and don't have tooooo much of a hangover ;-)
The run sounds gorgeous.....
At Mon Jun 26, 08:32:00 pm,
Vicky said…
Thanks Beki, it was a great run and I forgot to mention my Kookaburra!! On the way back I past the duck pond and as I crossed the bridge I saw a bird that looked exactly like a large, beautiful Kookaburra, sitting on a wooden railing out over the water. However when I mentioned this to my Mum later she laughed as she reckons we don't have any in NZ. I have seen them in Aus, including up close in the wildlife saunctuaries. Of course I know they're an Aussie native, but I swear we have at least one living here! That or perhaps I was on a "runners high" and hallucinating!!
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