Week 26: Highgate Hill to Drinc Café (10.7km, 71min)

A gentle recovery run was the intent this morning after the excitement of the half marathon last week and the threat of succumbing to this week’s family cold epidemic.   The overcast sky made for a gorgeous rusty sun rise and warmer conditions.  It felt satisfying to head off with the goal of 10-11km with a perception that the distance was comfortable and easily attainable.  How distances become all so relative!  With Go Card and breakfast cash in hand, we charted our familiar route from home towards the river and Goodwill Bridge. There were only a few minor groans emitted as we ascended Laura Street hill.  I remind myself of the value of any hill training in anticipation of the infamous ‘heart break hill’ in the upcoming Sydney City to Surf, two weeks away.
With the river on our right, we passed through the Botanic Gardens and the Eagle Street Wharf area.  The detour is still in place on the City Reach Boardwalk just after Riverside.   We re-joined the boardwalk under the Story Bridge, following the river towards New Farm Park.  The Tai Chi class at Powerhouse Park stimulated some discussion around the benefits for complementing (replacing?) our running training.  We continued on to the Teneriffe ferry stop then onto Skyring Terrace, through Water Front Park and on to our breakfast stop on Creswell Street.

Drinc Café is tucked one street back from Breakfast Creek Road, an easy downhill walk from the Showgrounds. It’s on the fringe of last-century’s industrial area and fast expanding gentrification of the river front around Newstead. Unbeknown to BOTR, Drinc is a recent venture for a couple of local Rugby League identities. Not being much of a football tragic, it was Bronwyn who suggested the big bloke walking in with oranges looked like Sam Thaiday.  Sam very kindly and, Bronwyn assures me, ‘with a very nice resonating voice’, directed Bronwyn to the amenities.  The café is located inside an old brick warehouse and is fitted out with a mixed assortment of smaller tables and a couple of welcoming long timber bar tables with an array of papers and magazines for browsing.  It feels like a relaxed laid back location where you could while away the morning.  My Bircher muesli, with roasted, maple dipped macadamias, Greek yoghurt and apple slithers was delicious and worth returning for.  Bronwyn, on her trip to the amenities, spied the breakfast special, an appealing plate sized field mushroom stuffed with spinach and cheese. It was oven baked and served sitting on a bed of tasty beans. A little more seasoning was needed, but was very much enjoyed.  For the coffee officialdoms I am told the brew was perfect as was my pot of tea.  Based on our morning experience of friendly service, tasty food and a funky hospitable interior, Drinc won’t have to be relying on its association with football celebrities to kick goals with the local food scene.

Bircher Muesli

stuffed field mushroom

Week 25: Jetty to Jetty (half marathon, 21km, 1:55:44)

Caitlyn, myself and Bronwyn at start

Adrenalin and excitement mixed with a little dread maintained a perfect stress arousal state for last night’s sleep.  I’d set the alarm for 4:20am, woke up at 1:27am to check the time and then spent the next couple of hours telling myself to get back to sleep. Today’s Jetty to Jetty race was to be my daughter’s and my first half-marathon and Bronwyn’s 4th.  It had been targeted early in the ‘Breakfast on the Run’ plan to be the first official trial for the BOTR crew in our considered build towards the Queenstown marathon in November.
The podium crew vigorously leapt around enticing the runners into a warm up for the run.  With five minutes to start time we realised we were standing a little close to the front alongside the 1 hour 30minute pace balloon.  Previous experience has taught me to be prudent about where you start from in an event, as despondency can rapidly set in as you spend the entire run being overtaken.
We made an honourable retreat to the middle of the pack.

The location of the run is beautiful.  Hugging the shore of Moreton Bay, we started at Woody Point headed north to Redcliffe and onto Scarborough.  Pelicans, smiling dogs frolicking on the beach, locals lined along the course offering cheerful encouragement, music and dancing were all on display.  Redcliffe Parade offered a guard of honour as the race passed through the middle of the temporary market stalls overlooking the Redcliffe Jetty.  It was a relatively flat course, with a couple of slight climbs coming away from the beach fronts.  The deceptively comfortable pace became challenging from the mid-point turnaround at Scarborough as the strong headwinds impeded progress as we turned back the way we’d come.  Fortunately we breakfast runners had trained in the Bowen Hill Antarctic onslaught only the weekend before and what Redcliffe threw at us was only a minor irritation.  The body held up nicely until about kilometre fifteen, after which the thought of completing a marathon in a few months started seeming an impossible aspiration.  A couple of jelly beans and some positive self-talk about the task at hand helped me maintain some forward momentum for this run at least.  A sign advising of ‘only 2km to go’ was the encouragement I needed to push through some well-entrenched pain.  Reaching the finish line was a sweet feeling indeed.  The crew all came across the line within 15minutes of each other with the smiles of relief plastered on our faces.  The event is well organised and a fantastic location for a first dalliance into a longer running distance.

Deluxe breakfast with avocado

My running App advised me I had burned 1279 calories and I suspect I did an excellent job of negating this outpouring at breakfast.  We joined our good friends the Downing-Ide running troop, whose entire family had completed a mix of the 21km and 10km races between them.  The troop master himself scored an impressive 1hr 32minutes for the half.  The family that runs together stays together!
The Point Café Bar and restaurant at the Redcliffe RSL has a pleasant outdoor dining area with views of Moreton Bay a little away from the bustle of the street front and markets.  The staff kindly reassembled the outdoor gas heater and our group of 7 were comfortably assembled for a hearty recovery meal in great comfort and warmth. The meals did not disappoint on size or taste and value for money.  As one would associate with an RSL, no nonsense tasty food was what we received and was fitting for the occasion (albeit over done eggs). Caitlyn and I chose the Deluxe Breakfast with Caitlyn enjoying an additional side of her breakfast favourite, avocado.  The plate was overflowing with bacon (some perfectly crispy), door stop pieces of toast that even this half marathoner was unable to finish, nicely seasoned mushrooms, hash browns, roasted tomatoes, poached eggs and a very tasty pork sausage.  Jon’s Eggs Benedict was reportedly delicious, while I had a little plate envy

Eggs Benedict

for the Vegetarian Breakfast that Sophie and Jess enjoyed.  The vegetarian plate included avocado, char grilled asparagus, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and hash browns with the seemingly signature door stop slabs of toast.  Bronwyn enjoyed the Breakfast Burrito, a mixture of bacon, shallots, cream cheese, eggs, mushrooms and tomato sauce.  Having spent many morning breakfasts with Caitlyn, in true team spirit, Bronwyn added avocado to her dish.  Emma ordered the not so petite ‘Petite Breakfast, bacon, tomatoes and eggs. The prices were reasonable for meals that were almost too large.  Napkins were tucked away with bacon left-overs for the gratification of the four-legged training partners who’d remained home.
As a test of fitness and spirit it was a stern reminder of the continued discipline  required in the lead up to Queenstown.

Vegetarian breakfast

Breakfast Burrito

Week 24: Highgate Hill to Melange Café (10.5km, 65 minutes)

A comment from a work colleague has made me reflect on my weekly musings. The descriptions of my runs have, perhaps, not been a true reflection of the muscular pain and joint stiffness that has been associated with my endeavour thus far.  In an effort to entertain, I may have glossed over some of the physical and mental anguish and agony experienced to date.  I am, after all, yet to complete a run, free of hip, back or leg pain in some part of the body.  I have noted that the discomfort shifts throughout the body parts as the run progresses.  There is definitely a psychosomatic element when longer distances are attempted.  It was with mixed emotions (mostly self-doubt and gripping anxiety), that I witnessed the physical exhaustion and obvious pain people were in as they crossed the line at the Gold Coast Marathon last weekend.  No longer just an intellectual exercise, this was now personal.  In less than five months, I too will likely look and feel like those crazy people.  The only comfort was that they all seemed to be hobbling across the line with insane grins on their tortured faces.
This morning the wind felt like it was blowing straight off the Antarctic ice caps.  Fortunately, tapering before next week’s half-marathon meant a shorter, more relaxed run was allowed this week.
It was just Caitlyn and I and we followed the undulations of Highgate Hill, across the Goodwill Bridge, and around the river to the Story Bridge before crossing the neck of New Farm to Newstead and Skyring Terrace.  The resistance created by the westerly wind howling over the hill towards Bowen Hills somewhat hampered our forward progression and provided a harbinger of what Queenstown could potentially throw at us!  We found our way onto the Victoria Links cycle path, whose treed passage provided some protection from the battering.  From there, it was an easy descent into the Roma Street Parklands and breakfast.

Melange Cafe

Melange Café is located within the Roma Street Parklands and sits within a beautiful glass and steel beamed structure which is apparently based on the design of the old railway station - all space and light.  The friendly and chatty staff commented that it had been created to withstand a cyclone with its tall ceilings and open ventilation.  It was being well tested while we bunkered down around our generous pot of tea.  This well-ventilated location would be even better enjoyed on a sultry summer’s day.  Caitlyn ordered the Vego Breakfast Bruschetta; turkish bread toast with spinach and avocado, topped with a delicious combination of tomato, fetta,  red onion, cucumber, capsicum and balsamic vinegar.  My Spanish Scrambled Eggs was also tasty, perhaps a little under seasoned.  It included nicely caramelised onion, chilli, pieces of sausage, tomato, capsicum and spinach. Dress warm for a cold winter’s day and enjoy the ambiance of Melange.

Vego Breakfast

Spanish Scrambled eggs

Week 23: Southport Aquatic Centre to Yuzu Lounge (17km, 1:47)

In the time I took to run 17km this morning, the winners of the Gold Coast marathon would have been approaching their 35th km.  Lucky my aspirations didn’t, unrealistically, extend to 3 minute kilometres. I was very happy to settle for my gentler run, soaking in the sun, sand and sea while the Husband completed the marathon in unseasonably warm conditions. Having seen him off at the start, seeking reassurance of good hydration practices, I estimated I could fit in my breakfast on the run and be back at the finish to support him over the line.
Although not generally a fan of the brashness that is the GC, the ‘paradise’ in ‘Surfers Paradise’ was an apt description for my run conditions today.  I departed adjacent to the Marathon start line and matched the pace of some of the runners as we headed out along the Gold Coast Highway, crossing the Nerang River.  Sunglasses were essential to diminish the shimmer reflecting off all the high-rises ahead.  At kilometre 2, I branched away from the mass of human exertion and continued up SeaWorld Drive towards the Spit, where I joined the solitude of the Federation Walk, a shady and bushy trail tucked in behind the Main Beach that meanders up to the Breakwater on the Gold Coast Seaway.

 There is nothing that quite matches an empty, golden beach on a perfect winter’s day (that really feels like a summer’s day) with a firm base for running.  At kilometre 8, I dropped onto Main Beach and ran on the sand for a little over 5km. The tide was just beginning to steal back the nice hard packed sand encouraging a timely beach exit and turn around not far past the Southport Surf Life Saving Club.  Tantalisingly, the beach extends on many more kilometres to Burleigh Heads, providing an enticement for future longer training distances as the November Marathon date fast approaches. I re-joined the marathon route on Main Beach Parade.  Apparently the clapping and cheering was not for me but some runners approaching their 28km mark. At the roundabout between Waterways Drive and SeaWorld Drive I retraced my steps back to where I began.  I was content with my run, but, was humbled by the thousands of people running, hobbling and limping across the finish line of the marathon.

Yuzu Lounge

I will need to apologise in advance, as little groundwork went into my choice of breakfast location today. In discovering the first 2 cafés I tried, had sold out of some of their staples, I needed to adapt to what was available.  Yuzu Lounge was well located, with a view of the running course, and seats available. The only issue, being, it didn’t have breakfast. Lucky this Breakfast on the runner is flexible. I was not at all disappointed with what this relaxed Japanese Café produced for only $15. I ordered a salt and pepper fish of the day and was delighted with the appealing and tasty dish. The fish was a nicely seasoned salmon, with rice, a side of cabbage salad, pickled tomatoes and beans and fresh fruit. A very satisfying morning had by all. The husband was still upright and had a smile on his face after a gruelling run.

Salt and Pepper fish