Finally a good, long, hard run

I’ve been circulating around my extended circuit for a bit, which adds some hill climbs into the mix. But what I really needed was a longer, harder run. I was feeling a little under-challenged. But with all the rain we’ve been having lately (summer is well and truly gone) it’s been a bit difficult to get out long enough to go for a long run.

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I don’t like to run in the rain because I’m so sweet there is a good chance I’ll melt ;-)

Yesterday the clouds cleared earlier than forecast and I managed to crack through a bunch of work, so I left work early and hit the road.

My intent was to head to the Tip Track and get some climbing in. I’ve been working on my lung capacity and breathing lately, so this run was all about hammering my legs with a hard uphill, and an equally hard downhill. The plan was to go slow, take my time, but just keep grinding away at the hill – NO WALKING!

My legs were really sore starting this run. My ankles were screaming and my quads and calves joined in the chorus. Everything from the waist down was just in abject misery. But it was sunny and not too windy, and I had 80s music reverberating through my head, to drown out the screams from my legs.

By the time I got to the bottom of the Brooklyn hill, my legs had given up on their tantrum and were ready to get to work. I made short work of the climb and then eased into the long gentle downhill that would take me to the bottom of the Tip Track.

7 kilometres in, and I was starting to actually feel quite good. So I kicked into the climb.

Instant tears and wailing from my ankles and calves. They were really not happy about this adventure at all. But as I have learned, sometimes you just have to push on and they’ll sort themselves out. That proved to be the case and the cramping my calves threatened at the start, never eventuated.

I kept my feet light and my stride short (there was no other option really) and just ground away at the hill for the first kilometre. Then there is a flatter section that you can run, and after a quick drink, that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t run fast, but it was faster than a plod, and it let me stretch some muscles.

All too soon I was into the second half of the climb and it was back into granny gear for the next kilometre or so.

I surprised myself by making it to the top of the Tip Track without walking and without having a heart attack. And it didn’t take very long either. According to Mr. Garmin it took just 37 minutes.

That’s about three weeks shorter than it felt.

With the job done, I turned and headed back down again, taking my time, not wanting to do too much damage to my ankles, which were now grumbling quietly to themselves. It took about the same length of time to get back down the hill to the gate next to the road. The track is so rough and broken that trying to run quickly down it is a recipe for breaking something important.

Once at the bottom (and here my level of sanity gets called into question) I turned and headed back up again. My goal for the second climb was to try and do it in the same time as the first climb, or at least be close to it.

The second climb was not as tortuous as I thought it would be, but it was getting hard towards the end. It took me 40 minutes to reach the gate at the top the second time. I was quite happy with that.

All that remained now was to run down, trying to beat the sunset, to the road and then retrace my route for 7 kilometres back to home.

I hit the road at the bottom of the Tip Track just before dark, and then headed up the long gentle climb towards the Brooklyn shops, at the top of the hill. This section is quite runnable, so I tried my best to run it at a reasonable pace. Things were hurting now however, and this time with good reason.

I pushed on, not quite as fast as previous runs (when I hadn’t climbed the Tip Track twice) but still faster than a little old man shuffle. The run down the other side hurt just as much as the climb, and I was really looking forward to my beer and icecream, waiting for me at home.

I had one more obstacle to overcome however. Running along the footpath on a slight downhill grade, stretching my legs out a bit to try and get some release on aching muscles, I suddenly had to stop within a single step to avoid being run over by a huge 4 wheel drive that came charging out of a driveway, like a snarling pitbull on wheels.

That hurt.

Toenails were damaged, knees were wrenched, and ankles stressed. Not to mention my heart that was ticking along nicely suddenly got a huge shot of adrenalin and didn’t really know what to do with it.

The vehicle stopped and snarled again as I ran past, even more eager for a hot shower and a cold beer. The rest of the run was without incident and I finally came around the corner and had about 700 metres to run along the flat to my house.

I put on a burst of speed to open up my legs one more time and try to get the most out of the run. And then, it was done. I was never more glad to be home.

My legs were really sore, more sore than I have been in a long time. But I felt really good about the run and how my body worked during it. And checking on Garmin Connect I found that I have the 13th fastest time climbing the Tip Track from the gate at the bottom to the gate at the top.

The fastest time is 24:36. I don’t think I can go that fast, but I’m pretty sure I can work my way up the rankings a bit, maybe into the top 10. It’s worth a crack, Nigel.

Stats from Mr. Garmin

• Distance: 28.23km
• Time: 3:59
• Elevation gain: 1156m
• Average pace: 8:29

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Who else can tell you stories about impersonating an officer, stealing a military aircraft to go on a booze run, or steal military aircraft and go on an unsanctioned bombing run - and that's all before he turned 18!

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