The City

It’s been a big week. I’m finally recovered enough to attempt 5 runs a week and I’ve logged some pretty decent mileage.

The highlight of the week was my Saturday run in the city, normally I’d cringe at the idea of running in the “concrete jungle” but, as I haven’t done it in so long the novelty of it appealed to me.

I parked my car along the river at South Perth and ran east toward the causeway, it was dark already and the path was dimly lit and offered a lovely view of the skyline as it reflected off the Swan River.

On reaching the causeway I discovered a pair of runners ahead going in vaguely the same direction as I wished to go…so naturally I had to race them. I clearly set out on this run with the intention of this being a LSD (long slow distance run)

But once I got caught up in racing I forgot all about that. I was about a minute behind them and closing fast, about two KM’s later I’d closed the gap to around 15 seconds. It was around this point that one of them turned ‘round and spotted me closing in on them. Suddenly they took off like a bolt and the “secret racing” had begun. 4 Kilometers passed and they were looking back frequently to gauge their position relative to mine. I was still closing…8 seconds now. I kept pushing a few minutes later they gave in and started to walk. Giving me a coy look as I passed as if to say. “What? This is always where we’d planned to stop!”

It’s an unwritten law in running; any two runners going in the same general direction are racing.

I past them and kept up my crazy pace until I’d well and truly dropped them.

I was nearing the end of the loop  and decided to head up into Kings Park, leaving Mounds Bay Rd. I found myself at the base of “Jacobs Ladder” a huge staircase that summits at the Kings Park entrance. I ran into the park and enjoyed the view of the city and beyond. The park was filled with tourist and couples making out on the grass, I passed them and made my way into the dark trails that skirt the perimeter. I eventually reached and climbed the DNA tower and stood for a long time on its peak enjoying the view.

It was getting cold now and I decided to head home…summiting and descending “Jacobs’s Ladder” a further three times for good measure. I love distance running!