It’s all new territory now. Running distances which I would have dismissed
as fantasy in my pre-marathon goal life, are now a reality. I was in hallowed company this morning; having
gleefully agreed to running with local running identity, Emma, in her ‘wind
down’ to her 50km trail run next weekend! Bronwyn, my usual BOTR team mate was Singapore
bound to acclimatise her training to more humid locations. Both Emma and Bronwyn will be running the
Queenstown Marathon in four weeks time.
With Brisbane summer around the corner we determined a
departure of 5am to beat the heat. There
is something mystical about being awake to see the sunrise with the heady scent
of jasmine in the air. Never one to go
without food for too long, I conducted a small trial of pre-breakfast before
departure and set the alarm for 4:15 to fit in some weetbix and honey to
sustain me on my long journey ahead.
Emma has a catalogue of routes around Brisbane and we completed
her ’28’ Gateway Bridge loop this morning. It was a great benefit running with Emma for
her ability to maintain a steady pace. I
am yet to perfect a consistent velocity and run a hare –tortoise affair based
on emotions and undulations.
In the first few kilometres we followed our reptilian river
via Kangaroo Point, Dockside, Mowbray Park and onto Wynnum Road towards
Balmoral and Morningside. Having passed
at least 3 fellow runners in the opposite direction who all greeted Emma, I was
provided an insight into the sub culture and community that represents running.
Emma was able to provide detail as to
who was training for what event with the New York Marathon imminently
approaching for some of her running family. We made our way towards Lytton road with the
slow build towards the Gateway Bridge. My lovely companion even provided food
supplements along the way with pleasantly tasting Gu Chomps and chocolate balls
every 5km. I had only left home with my
small banana stored in what I thought was a discreet position, although others
may have thought I’d had some lopsided silicone enhancement. I discovered that the Gateway Bridge is very symmetrically
a 1km rise then a 1km descent. The view
from the top is quite spectacular and something not able to be enjoyed from the
car deck. I finished my banana on the
way down and we continued towards Kingsford Smith Drive and the City.
Around Hamilton (17-18km) my enthusiasm began to ebb. Mentally I was aware I had another 10km to go
and our breakfast café seemed a distant aspiration. On my request, Emma’s chirpy banter and
recount of recent films provided a fantastic distraction through to kilometre
23. Her enthralling chronicle of death and survival in the film ‘Everest’ inspired
and diverted me through Fortitude Valley towards the river frontage under the
Story Bridge. At kilometre 25, survival relief
(and likely a consistent running pace) helped make surprisingly easy work of
the last few kilometres through Riverside and the Botanic Gardens and over the
Goodwill Bridge into South Bank.
Despite the still early hour, Denim Co at South Bank had but
a few seating options left with a line of people gathered to order at the
counter. Despite the busy conditions,
the staff maintained a calm professionalism while providing an efficient and
friendly service. It was easy to relax
and settle into a beautiful Brisbane morning on Little Stanley Street overlooking
the green space of South Bank.
Emma ordered the bacon and eggs ($13.50), accompanied with tomatoes and Turkish bread; a
simple but tasty dish, with the perfect amount of run in the poached eggs, a
feat not accomplished by many breakfast cafés in my travels to date. Emma’s flat white ($3.50) was declared perfect.
My balsamic mushrooms ($15.50), with poached eggs ($4.00)
were also delicious and cooked to perfection. The mushrooms were seasoned beautifully and
accompanied with spinach and a little pot of smooth and tasty feta with Turkish
toast.
The BOTR journey has been all about finding those cafés providing
good food, friendly service at the right price, in a pleasant location. Denim Co is a great example of this. Combined with my lovely running companion and mentor,
Denim Co rounded off a perfect morning.
Only four breakfasts to go until the big day!
Bacon and eggs |
Balsamic mushrooms |
No comments:
Post a Comment