A mountain to Conquer

Distance: 30.75km
Time: 3hrs 44mins 27 secs
Rate: 7'17" mpkm
Weather: Warm to very warm, temp range 20-33 degrees, sunny, windy in exposed parts, humid to start dropping to 22% later

Weekly totals.
Distance 96.85km
Running days 5 / 7
Ave: 19.37 km per run

January totals.
Distance: 306.1 km
Running days: 15 / 20
Ave: 20.4 km per run

Mt Tennent:
Height above sea level:1380 metres
Height at Namadgi Visitor's Centre: 620 metres
Climb each km: 1st = 30 mtrs
2nd = 95 mtrs
3rd = 100 mtrs
4th = 180 mtrs
5th = 105 mtrs
6th = 70 mtrs
7th = 180 mtrs

Today we headed to Mt Tennent south of Tuggeranong and easily visible as you go into the Namadgi National Park. From the visitor's centre ( closed because we were there too early), a group of 5 sometimes mad runners who walked a lot, started the never ending onwards and upwards journey to the top. Not once but twice, because training for Six Foot Track demands plenty of attention to the hills. After the first kilometre, and still exposed on the north east side of the mountain, the going gets tough. The track becomes very rocky having been created after the 2003 bushfires much destroyed the old track which was much more runable.
After just over an hour, managed to reach the summit taking a hugh 45 seconds off the time from 4 weeks ago. Then back down from where we came, but continued on the Australian Alpine Walking track down on to Bushfold Flats and eventually reached Apollo Road which goes out to the old Honeysuckle Tracking Station site. Just touch the gate and return on the good surfaced fire trail to the top of the mountain again. This is really the hardest part of the entire run with no respite from the endless uphill. There is a bit of shade as the sun was making it's presence felt.
Stopped to refill water bottles from the tank and take on jellybeans, and the fun part begins. I love the technical downhill, so hard to run up but lots of fun going down. One mistake though can be disasterous, survival wrecks the quads anyway. Going up 63 mins, down 46 mins for 7.2km. Some hate it.
One more run over the course in 3 weeks time and a race the week later should just round off the training for SFT.
Very nice day today, great people to be with, excellent scenery (if you dared take your eyes off the track), heaps of kangaroos and very small lizards.