Week 18: Highgate Hill to Buzz Bistro-Tennyson (20km, 2hrs 8min)

Having never run 20km before, I finished the run this morning with high fives to my running partners and a festive sense of self-satisfaction over breakfast.  It is with growing realisation that my state of mind will be as significant as my physical preparation for tackling the marathon in November.  It’s remarkable how the objections from the body shift and change over the course of a longer run.
The last day of autumn gave no hint of winter around the corner.  The Husband assisted in setting our course.  He also calculated our estimated time of our arrival to the café, based on averages to date.  He handicapped his starting time by 20min with the intent of us all arriving together for breakfast.  This plan was to everyone’s benefit, with we three left in peace to catch up on the weeks’ news free of his ripostes (from the front) about “more running less talking.”
We followed our familiar Highgate hilly start from home to Southbank, past the GOMA and across the Go Between Bridge to join up with the Coronation Drive pedestrian path towards Toowong.  It was great to find the entire path is now re-opened following the reconstruction of the Regatta river cat terminal.  It may have been the pleasant conditions and excellent conversation but what used to be a long drudge along Coronation Drive, ten weeks ago, seemed to pass by without much effort.  We continued along Gailey Road, passing the old Little Athletics oval at Perrin Park, with me partaking in a little reminiscence of many a pleasant afternoon spent cheering and helping out at the finish line at Toowong Little Athletics.  Caitlyn fought off the urge to detour and try the old triple jump pit.  Instead we made our way steadily to the top of the hill at Hawken Drive which offers some quite spectacular views back towards the city.  A short descent down Tarcoola Street brought us to the entrance of a gorgeous bush trail that follows the river southwards.  It gains a little elevation from the river and provides a pretty outlook on a bushy stretch of the river.  Despite written instructions to take a right turn when we reached Meiers Street, we were enticed onto the empty stretch of road to the left, resulting in a detour from our intended route.  The sojourn along the river was peaceful and provided an unintended bonus of achieving a longer distance.
The termination of the road confirmed our rising suspicions that we had gone in the wrong direction.  We retraced our steps and followed Meiers onto Hart Road then Lambert Street towards the Indooroopilly Bridge. It was familiar territory from the Bridge, keeping the river intimately on the left.  We decided to stop at the 20km mark and enjoyed a short wind down stroll into the Tennyson Tennis Centre and Buzz Bistro.

Vegetarian ( not so big) Big breakfast

The hare Husband, having unknowingly passed us while we were exploring Meiers Street, had already enjoyed his first coffee, although he had only completed 18km by taking the direct course.  He’d been shown to a table at the back of the café having been told those outside were all reserved.  We ladies were somehow able to secure one of these outside tables with a delightful outlook of the river and parkland and this time, the Husband was allowed to be seen in this more desirable part of the café after being told that someone had just cancelled their reservation!  The white table cloths, higher end breakfast prices and, initially, attentive service hinted at a more upmarket vibe.  This vibe was dampened when I had to wait an inordinate amount of time for the cold milk to accompany my tea, resulting in a lukewarm broth.  Caitlyn and I ordered the Vegetarian Big Breakfast for $19.50.  The menu describes the dish as a potato roesti, roasted field mushrooms (of which there was one) , avocado salsa (the initial wait staff neglected to advise us there was no avocado available), slow roasted tomatoes , poached eggs and buttered toast. The dish was tasty enough but the reference, ‘Big Breakfast’, usually suggests a more generous portion and it looked a little mingy on the plate.  Whilst a delicious piece of haloumi was provided, after we alerted the staff to the missing avocado salsa, the dish was underwhelming.  Perhaps another small piece of toast might have helped?  Bronwyn’s corn, zucchini and mint fritter (also without its advertised avocado salsa), bacon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce was also tasty but meagre for $19.  The Husband had the dish of the day: an omelette with caramelised onion, sweet potato and mozzarella served with buttered toast for $18.  The post endorphin high after exercise didn’t change my low opinion of the Buzz Bistro.  The location is lovely but the pretentious attitude appears to be a front to hide unsatisfactory service, lacklustre meals and higher prices, and reinforces my belief that there are better places to Breakfast on the Run around Brisbane.  The potential of my returning in the future is unlikely.
The run was fantastic though!

Corn zucchini and mint fritter

Omelette

Week 17: Balgowlah to Cafe Bella Vista ( 15.3km, 1:41)

Sydney Harbour from North Head

It was breakfast-on-the-run in Sydney this weekend. The absence of my usual delightful running companions was offset by the opportunity to run around the stunning harbour and ocean.

On a chilly Sydney morning, I started on part of the well-trod trail that connects the Spit to Manly. I joined the walk just below Balgowlah and followed it around into the Manly Cove and towards the Manly Eastern Hill. With the harbour on my right, I made my way around the curve of the Manly Cove and up and over a small rise to the quaint Little Manly cove. The well maintained swimming enclosure is a local jewel where the nearby residents congregate when there are strong north-easterly winds or blue bottles on the ocean beach. Given it was 9 degrees, there was no swimming for me this morning. Shaking the sand off my shoes, I looped around the Manly Point Park, a favourite spot for fisherman, of which I noted a few were already fishing the rising tide.

It was then a rugged climb up Marshall Street and onto Darley Road, where I entered the old St Patrick College grounds, now better known as the International College of Management. Under the guise of ‘progress’, the old nuns who used to roam the grounds have departed. The estate is on prime land granted in the early days of settlement and offers spectacular 180 degree views of the beaches stretching up the coast. Within the grounds is the historic and striking heritage sandstone St Patrick’s building that was recently featured in the movie, The Great Gatsby. The grounds are accessible to the public and offer a handy walk through to the ocean side of Manly including Cabbage Tree Bay and Shelley Beach.

Somewhat like my doppelganger, Nicole Kidman in the great Gatsby, I gracefully crossed the grand forecourt of St Patrick’s and made my way through the grounds onto Bower Road, dropping down to the aptly named Shelly Beach. An essential Sydney experience includes perambulating the path between Shelly Beach and Manly Beach. I avoided the early morning crowds on the promenade and ran up and back on Manly beach (including the significant stair climb up the headland to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Freshwater Beach). The beach was empty with only a small number of mad tourists taking an early morning dip.

With my café destination on North Head in mind, I now had to ascend the severe and sharp stairs behind the South Steyne Surf Club and up to Darley Road, past the historic military base and quarantine station to Café Bella Vista.The Café is aptly named and exquisitely located in the old military Fort. I was joined by my school friend Sian and my Mum for her second Breakfast-on-the-run meal.

The menu was fairly standard without any particular distinctions. I had the Kumura Rosti with poached eggs, wilted spinach and a flat mushroom. It looked underwhelming on the plate and remained so on the palate. It was, sadly, bland and under seasoned with a touch of charcoal flavour from an overcooked rosti. Fortunately, my companions’ portions were a little more generous than mine and their kind contributions of bacon and toast improved my dish a tad. Mum ordered poached eggs, tomato relish and a side of smoked salmon on multigrain. Sian also ordered the poached eggs with a side of bacon. Neither dish provided anything of note. Without the amazing view, I am not sure people would continue to patronise Bella Vista. Perhaps the food is forgiven because of the location? Our meals averaged around $17.

Burnt rosti                                                      Eggs and bacon                                                   Eggs and Salmon

Week 16: Highgate Hill to Lock ’n’ Load Bistro (14km, 1:28)

Our running map today looks like a two year old has gone a little wild with the paint

programme.  This is, nonetheless, a true depiction of our course.

 I feel it is noteworthy to highlight that it is week 16 and, despite the darker autumn mornings, our trio have remained committed to running and eating every Sunday morning (Perhaps not in that order).

We departed home and heaved up Louisa Street. A measure of improving fitness is revealed in our group’s ability to now maintain conversation while ascending this very sharp little hill. When we reached Southbank, we turned left and followed the path to the Kurilpa pedestrian bridge. Given it was pre-dawn; the lights of the city and bridges were still illuminated, creating a fairylike reflection in the river.  

The Kurilpa Bridge can evoke some strong opinions from people concerning the knitting needle like protrusions, either determined as being an eyesore or ,in the opposing camp; artwork.  I fall in the latter group and remain a proponent as I also enjoy the alternate access to the city that the bridge offers.  After the Kurilpa Bridge , we then bypassed the entrance to the Roma Street Parklands, with a steady climb up Albert Street and onto Wickham Terrace.  We entered the gates of the Parklands at the top of Wickham Terrace and orbited the park, weaving around some of the pretty gardens and water features.  As clichéd as it sounds, the Roma Street parklands is a pretty oasis in the city and provides a beautiful environment to either run through or loiter a while.  We intersected onto Parkland Boulevard; a shared road and cycle path that leads under Roma Street and can be accessed by pedestrians via a set of stairs or escalators at the back of the café in the Parklands (might have to try this location out some time). We traversed the courtyard of the law courts, North Quay and onto the Bicentennial Bikeway on the river. It was an easy flat run to the Go-Between Bridge where we crossed back over the river and followed the river shore towards West End and Boundary Road. 

Veggie Loaded

There are numerous worthy breakfast options in West End and this morning we checked out Lock ’n’ Load Bistro.  This Bistro has a Wild West Saloon kind of façade, but has a broader appeal than the exterior suggests. It is a popular location that covers all 3 meals and, based on our experience, offers tasty food and friendly good service.

In the theme of pretty oases, we sat in the courtyard at the back of the bistro.  There was no avocado to be seen on Caitlyn’s Veggie Loaded: a delicious combination of haloumi, roast tomato, mushrooms, spinach, herb hash cake, eggs and sourdough toast.  She referred to the mushrooms a couple of times as particularly enjoyable.  Bronwyn ordered a generous Feta & corn fritters with poached eggs, avocado, and house tomato relish, with a side of house smoked salmon.  I enjoyed my house smoked salmon with herb hash cakes, poached eggs, cress, lemon and crème fraiche.  Although contending with the Pearl Café smoked salmon, it was worthy but not quite the equal.  Combined with the delightful service and environment, we all decided the Lock ’n’ Load should be a return visit sometime after our Queenstown marathon. Meals were around $18.

Corn Fritters

House smoked salmon

Week 15: Highgate Hill to Pawpaw Café (16km, 1:37)

It was dark and cool at 5:25 am.  A good camera could not have done justice to the beautiful sunrise of our glorious Mother’s Day morning.  It was just the two Mums today with a plan to meet the rest of our brood at our café choice.  

No matter how many times I cycle or run up Laura Street, coming off Gloucester Street, the gradient never seems to lessen. Perhaps, being at the start of the run the hill is too sudden a demand on oxygen and energy?  Our heart rates recovered on our descent towards the river and we made our way over the Goodwill Bridge and followed previous territory into the Botanic Gardens and towards the shadow of the Story Bridge.  By this point, I find myself revelling in the benefits of getting out of the cocooned comfort of bed.  It really is a special part of the day and there are always a remarkable number of other people out who have obviously established the same.  In case you find yourselves questioning the accuracy of the running app, the first little jutting line on the map is where we made a comfort stop detour into the QUT grounds and back.

Both Bronwyn and I love the floating boardwalk stretching out towards New Farm.  Our enhanced split time speed along this stretch was perhaps a result of our goodwill.  We followed the river down towards the Merthyr Bowls club then retraced on the leafy roads back towards the Story Bridge, encountering a particularly cheerful group of  ‘In training’ runners chorusing cheery good mornings along the way.  The Story Bridge is at about the 10km mark of our run and we both discussed our growing delight in actually not feeling like we any longer needed to reach for a nurofen at this distance.  We descended the stairs off the bridge and powered along the river front beneath the  Kangaroo Point Cliffs.  We turned left at the steep Ellis Street to make our way up onto River Terrace:  it surpasses the gradient and length of last week’s nemesis, Koboda Street.  If one is looking for a challenging hill with a false summit to train on, Ellis Street is the place for you.  We then wove through a couple of back streets behind the busy Stanley Street and crossed one of Woolloongabba’s busiest intersections at Main Street. It was an easy pace towards the Pawpaw Café and, at Bronwyn’s suggestion; we waved at our family and ran past, completing an additional circumnavigation of the block so as to achieve 16km on the clock.

Hotcake

French toast

Pawpaw Café is a bit of a funky locale with beautiful all female staff that leaves one wondering as to where the equally competent less attractive people get work.  The menu is appealing and it caters for different dietary needs including both vegan and gluten free.  On a whole we all enjoyed the meals we ordered but nothing really stood out to contest the meals from last week at the Corner Store in Toowong or the dishes served up at the Pearl Café, Woolloongabba, in week 10.  Bronwyn had the Banoffee French Toast: a tasty mix of banana, caramel, chocolate & cream served on French toasted brioche. It looked delicious but didn’t tempt a swap from her 10 year old who was a little disappointed with her version of pancakes which was topped with the current trendy pomegranates embedded with coconut slivers, making for a beautiful looking dish probably designed for more mature tastes.  The more-than-10-years-old Bronwyn declared it delicious.  I tried the vegan burrito, a bland mix of black beans, kale and topped with a very tasty but insufficient dollop of tomato salsa.  The optional addition of

scrumptious falafel saved the dish but I did find myself having a little bit of plate envy for the corn fritters or white chocolate hot cake.  Caitlyn enjoyed her Californian Burrito: a toasted tortilla filled with black beans, scrambled egg & Cheddar topped with chipotle sour cream & tomato salsa (she had avocado on the side). The meals are all around the $15, however, with ‘optional’ extras accompanying each dish that are actually needed to complete the meal, the costs are generally rounded up to about $20 a head.

Happy Mother’s Day Mum!

Vegan Burrito

Corn Fitters

Californian Burrito

Week 14: Highgate Hill to Corner Store Café (15km 1:33)

The resounding imprint left on me after completing this morning’s run was the repeated hill climbs over the last 4 km. It was a satisfying run to complete and I remind myself of the need to increase our training for elevation. This morning certainly contributed.
Our party was four today with the addition of the Husband, who led us, like a hare out in the front, occasionally looping back to check on our status. He doesn’t fully appreciate that, along with the running, there is also a lot of information to be exchanged about the week that was. He suggests the conversation may be hindering the pace.
We departed from Highgate Hill and retraced familiar territory following the Brisbane Corso, past Tennyson, Graceville and Chelmer to the Indooroopilly Bridge. The conditions were perfect for any outdoor pursuit today. It’s difficult to separate how much the feeling of improved strength and vigour stems from cooler conditions or conditioning?
The aftermath of the recent very heavy storms was evident in all the debris floating in the now tranquil river. We happened upon legendary Highgate Hill running couple Emma and Jon; circumnavigating the river in the opposite direction. Emma is Queenstown-bound with us and, as a multiple marathon finisher, is revered for her previous performances and informed advice. Following a brief break for more conversation with these running celebrities, we continued on. It was heartening that the Indooroopilly Bridge seemed closer this time. We forged across and made our way onto Lambert Road, then turning left at Indooroopilly State School. On the heels of the Husband, we entered Magor Street, a steady low grade climb. The next street was Kobada Street, a short but extreme grade and not for the faint hearted. The name is so similar to Kokoda; I suspect someone was drawing a parallel when it was named. We wove from Swann St onto Indooroopilly Road and Belleview Street; all streets with undulating conditions, resulting in a reduction of pace and prayerful spirits, wondering how close we were to our destination. It was a slow burn on Burns Road and we merged a few more short (hilly) roads northwards towards Sylvan Road and the Corner Store Café.

Smashed avocado 2 Ways

Quinoa and vegi bowl

I have to thank Katie from my work for her recommendation of this cafe. Despite an out-of-the-way location, the café has a cute street frontage, interesting menu and, once inside, has a pretty tiered courtyard seating area. This and the sights of delicious looking dishes arriving at other diners’ tables had our group eagerly anticipating the meals to come. With no obligation for her to continue her exploration of all avocado breakfasts, Caitlyn appraised her smashed avocado/ 2 ways, as a worthy contender for one of her preferred avocado breakfasts to date. The ‘2 ways ‘included one half as a sourdough, haloumi, tomato, vincotto, mint one way and the other half incorporating Persian fetta, dukkah and chilli oil. Bronwyn selected a very nutritious option of a Quinoa and veggie bowl: a super food bowl consisting of broccoli, sweet potato, kale, pepitas, corn, sunflower seeds, poached eggs, lemon and tahini dressing. It was an ample portion with plenty of colour and taste. The husband’s acai seed and nut granola with fruit, looked a little syrupy. It was noted to be a little ‘icy’ at commencement but was happily consumed with him insisting that it was good. My cauliflower gratin with poached eggs, pane, salsa verde and smoked salmon was beautifully presented and delicious. The salsa verde was a highlight. Apart from a couple of challenging pronunciations, the meals were generous original and enjoyable. I was a little underwhelmed being served a tea bag, instead of leaf tea, but that would be looking for small holes in an otherwise quality breakfast meal. Given the crowd lined up at the door waiting for a seat, as we left, it looks like the Corner Store Café has been, understandably, well and truly discovered

Cauliflower gratin

Acai bowl