Black Mtn and Dairy Farmer's Hill

Today:
Distance: 19.0 km
Time: 1 hr 48 mins 39 secs
Rate: 5' 43" per km
Altitude gain/loss: 490 metres
Calories used: 1520
Weather: beaut, sunny, temp 17-23 degrees, humidity70% down to 50%, wind calm
Week: 49.3 km, Dec: 134.5 km, Year: 4185.95 km

Getting close to Christmas, today's title should have been " Oh Carol". I don't get to Tuesday group runs very often but I had made arrangements to run with Carol Baird over the hills today. It seems Carol has to run on Tuesday morning by herself, seems no one else wants to see the sights of the city from high on a hill or mountain.
Perfect morning for running, clear sunny skies with no wind, LBG looking a picture with a few rowers enjoying the flat water. A group of us ran over these hills plenty of times on Tuesdays in early 2006, Elizabeth T pushing the pace those days, I remember it well.
This a great mid week training area for SFT, plenty of flat and run able down hill mixed with some easier up hill, and some very tough climbing up Black Mtn. We went the reverse way today going over to the cork plantation, up the gun barrel to the new arboretum, then on to the top of Dairy Farmer's Hill. A new sealed path in to that area as well as all the other work associated with the new trees. From there, it's back around the outside of the cork plantation to start the big climb up Black Mtn. The track is a bit rough in places, at least we were going slowly up, it would be scary going down.
I pushed the pace on the way down, around the back of the CSIRO and Botanic Gardens to finish at the start at the end of the peninsular just in time to see the rest of the group come in. Carol only a couple of minutes behind me.
Had time for 10 minutes in LBG to wash off the sweat and dust before listening to Dave Cundy on the radio defending himself and his rights to the Canberra marathon. A friendly chat with the other vet's, all very nice and a great morning.
Thanks to Carol for the company. We both ran well over difficult terrain.