Week 33: Highgate Hill to Café 63 (20km, 2hrs 6 min.)

Apparently it’s all about building distance for the next few weeks. Having always been a comfortable 5km runner, it still strikes me as remarkable that I am planning 20km runs.  At the risk of appearing to be a little tedious on running locations, I chose the familiar territory of the river paths again today with the additional twist in the last couple of kilometre negotiating New Farm.
It is noticeably getting lighter in the mornings, with the promise of hotter and sweatier runs around the corner.  The self-appointed early morning vigilante was back in the fold this morning and there are rumblings of even earlier starts in the future.  Bronwyn’s rationale is that it will be strategic to catch as much of the early morning cooler conditions as we can.  Unfortunately there is a lot of sense to this argument, so I may yet have to yield to an earlier alarm.
We departed home and followed a well-trod path across the bridge to The University of Queensland, following the undulating route through St Lucia to Coronation Drive.  It was then a flat easy run through the city, onto the New Farm floating river walk and up to the New Farm Park.  We took on the bend of the river past the chic Wool shed apartments then turned onto Beaston Street with an unexpected steep little hill climb up and over towards Brunswick Street at the heart of New Farm.  The pleasing reality of this morning’s run is that we both felt comfortable and not overcome with despair at the thought of having to extend a little further in the near future (a fortunate realisation!).

Stephanie Rice

Café 63 has the appearances of a great spot to stop and while away some recovery time.  It is attractively fitted out with flower pots and produce, welcoming street frontage and plenty of seating.  The size of the venue is mirrored in the extensive menu choices that left me feeling oddly underwhelmed.  Having perused the menu for some time, I finally selected the Stephanie Rice omelette ($18) with, on Bronwyn’s’ wise recommendation, a side of fresh chillies at no extra cost.  The portion was generous but, despite attempts of further seasoning it was a fairly bland nondescript meal redeemed only by the delicious fresh chilli.  Bronwyn couldn’t resist Gary ($15) (again) in a quirky twist mirroring her inability to resist her real life Garry.  In his meal form, Gary was a combination of smoked salmon, poached egg, mashed avocado and toast.  There was none of the usual lip smacking joyful sounds signalling her dining pleasure.  The chillies were a welcome addition; however, Gary on the plate was a mere shadow of his human form.  In true planning perfection, The Husband jogged in right at the finish line and joined us for a Tardis ($6), a winningly priced bircher muesli, topped with Greek yoghurt, berries and macadamia nuts.
Concerns about landfill have obviously not reached this corner of New Farm, as we were each provided a plastic water bottle with our meal. My request for tap water was met with a reassurance that the water bottle was complimentary.  Although well intentioned, I was left feeling deflated with this unnecessary waste.
We departed Café 63, assured of our improving strength and endurance following a satisfying two hours pounding towards our New Zealand goal.  The food fuelled the bodies, however Café 63’s airline style food with complimentary water bottles and unnecessarily complex menu was underwhelming.

Gary

Bircher