Well done to all the Hillbillies who took part in last night's HILLY 10K race out in Bellville!!! You guys did the Hillbilly team proud!!
The race started at the top of a nasty little hill in the Metropolitan office complex in Bellville. Jen and I drove through early to beat the traffic (expected to be much worse due to the train strikes!) and stuck to the back routes. We got there plenty early, registered, and then just relaxed until closer to starting-time.
We spotted Dy at the starting line, with her Argentinian friend who was running her first 10K. The 4 of us started together but soon got separated in the crowds (1200 runners finished the race).
I caught and passed Jen going up the first hill into the Stellenbosch University Bellville Campus. I caught Dy and her friend near the top of the next big hill. The rest of the race was spent trying to stay ahead of them, but I was too scared to look back for fear of tripping over my own feet along the steep hills (and just a little afraid that I'd see them hot on my tail!)
For the rest of the race I was pretty much on my own, dodging crowds, passing people slogging up hill after hill, being passed again by many of those people heading down, down, down the next hill.
Finally at around 8km mark we had Frans Conradie Road in sight - the worst of the hills were conquered!!! Much as I wanted to just stop and walk up some of those hills, I somehow managed to keep moving. Frans Conradie meant that there was a bit of flat to look forward to. Some minor hills too, but these were a joy compared to what lay behind us!
Then the final little sting in the tail - that last hill heading back up to Metropolitan. I made the mistake of looking up at this point, to see runners way up above me. Somehow I had to get from down here to up there!?!?! Made it up the hill, that wasn't so bad. Around the corner and the band is playing at the top of yet another small hill. Okay, just shy of 60 minutes, I can't stop now! Go, go, go!! Band bedhind and yet another hill ahead - what?!?! But I can see the finish line by now, just ahead at the top of this final (at last!) hill!!!
Made it! 1 hour and 44 seconds later I was done, tired but feeling great. I'd just run a course-PB (a long cry from my 10km PB, but that was on a fairly flat course - 1 hour is plenty good enough for this course!!!)
I'd barely dropped my finish-card in the box and downed my Coke when Dy and her friend arrived, looking fresh as daisies. 1 hour 3 minutes for them. 5 minutes later Jen arrived, also way ahead of the time she was expecting to run for this race.
Brilliant run girls!! We definitely showed those hills who's boss!!!
-------------------------
 |
| Route Profile |
We spotted Dy at the starting line, with her Argentinian friend who was running her first 10K. The 4 of us started together but soon got separated in the crowds (1200 runners finished the race).
I caught and passed Jen going up the first hill into the Stellenbosch University Bellville Campus. I caught Dy and her friend near the top of the next big hill. The rest of the race was spent trying to stay ahead of them, but I was too scared to look back for fear of tripping over my own feet along the steep hills (and just a little afraid that I'd see them hot on my tail!)
For the rest of the race I was pretty much on my own, dodging crowds, passing people slogging up hill after hill, being passed again by many of those people heading down, down, down the next hill.
Finally at around 8km mark we had Frans Conradie Road in sight - the worst of the hills were conquered!!! Much as I wanted to just stop and walk up some of those hills, I somehow managed to keep moving. Frans Conradie meant that there was a bit of flat to look forward to. Some minor hills too, but these were a joy compared to what lay behind us!
 |
| Route Map |
Made it! 1 hour and 44 seconds later I was done, tired but feeling great. I'd just run a course-PB (a long cry from my 10km PB, but that was on a fairly flat course - 1 hour is plenty good enough for this course!!!)
I'd barely dropped my finish-card in the box and downed my Coke when Dy and her friend arrived, looking fresh as daisies. 1 hour 3 minutes for them. 5 minutes later Jen arrived, also way ahead of the time she was expecting to run for this race.
Brilliant run girls!! We definitely showed those hills who's boss!!!
-------------------------
Dean Street Hillbillies
No comments:
Post a Comment