Sunbury Line. (Part 1). Footscray to Albion.
FOOTSCRAY. 22/5/2017. Run 54. 14.9 km.
Perfect morning for a run at 10 degrees and virtually no wind. Up early enough to catch the 5:37 and with only a 5 min wait at Flinders St I was at Footscray in no time. Footscray station is very impressive and looks to have been rebuilt recently. Very similar run as the one from Seddon recently so navigation not really a problem. Once onto Napier St it was into the city, passing the container loading yard in Footscray and then onto Telstra Dome/ Etihad or whatever its name is now. Followed Spencer St through to the big Montague St intersection. Followed Canterbury Rd and down into Elwood via Barkley St. Home in good time to get to work.
MIDDLE FOOTSCRAY. 24/2/2018. Run 124. 15.9 km.
After a series of good runs I was due to have a bad run and this was the worst so far. No good carrying drinks at 30 degrees so started carrying money so I could buy cool drink when needed. Caught train to Southern Cross and already 28 degrees at 9 am. Decided to buy first drink from vending machine on platform but the vending machine took my $10 note and gave me nothing. Rang the help line and they said they would send refund within a week but now I had 16 km run and no drink. Cool change expected didn’t arrive and 32 degrees by the time I got home. Made a detour towards the beach where I knew there would be some drinking fountains but a few sips of warm water from those taps only made me feel worse. Tough day at the office - glad I didn’t plan on a longer run.
WEST FOOTSCRAY. 26/2/2018. Run 125. 16.1 km.
Straight back on the horse. After a bad run on the weekend decided to go back to Footscray and run the next station. At least on a weekday I can run after work and hopefully get the cooler evening. Took a drink and some more money from work and although it was still pretty warm (27 degrees) I was well hydrated at the start. Found some shade and was able get second drink in the city. Bike path leading out of the city along Footscray Rd at 6:30 pm is like freeway for bikes with hundreds coming out and none going in my direction. Worked my way back through Middle Park maximizing the shade opportunities and once I got to Fitzroy St I headed for Acland St. Still 25 degrees when I got home around 8 pm.
TOTTENHAM. 16/12/2017. Run 108. 19.8 km.
Early Saturday morning start to catch the 8:03 am to Southern Cross. Quick trip to Tottenham despite wait for train. Nice morning early but did start to warm up towards the end - but no issues. Took the long way around a Bunnings warehouse early on in the run but apart from that - pretty straight forward run into city. Messy transition over the Yarra river as I left the city could have been better but only added a little bit of distance. Very standard run back to Elwood including a visit to the canal. Home in time to head to the beach for dinner with friends. Turns out one of those friends used to work in Tottenham - that’s only a little bit interesting.
SUNSHINE. 7/8/2018. Run 167. 22.7 km.
Off to Nhill this week so swapped run to a Tuesday. Easy quick change at North Melbourne meant I got to Sunshine by 5:45 pm. Another messy and confused exit of the station looking for Monash St. Confirmed directions and then felt like I had been here before. Turns out this was part of the route I took when I ran from Melbourne to Ballarat years before. Crossed back under the railway line and saw Tottenham station. Didn’t make the same mistake around the Bunnings warehouse and after a quick toilet break detour I headed into the city on the bike super path. Made one more detour as I headed through St Kilda to check on progress of the “Block” TV show building in Fitroy St before finally heading home. Got home just before 8 pm although I only have a few of the remaining 43 runs left that are less than 20 km.
ALBION. 10/6/2017. Run 60. 24.2 km.
Another ride to the station made for a quick start but the 20 min wait at Southern Cross quickly neutralized that. And 20 mins feels like 40 when your in shorts and a t-shirt and it’s 6 degrees. Finally arrived at Albion and with a simple train station exit for a change, I found Ballarat Rd without issue. Manual map checking was always a risk and by the time I got to North Melbourne I thought I knew the best way home. But the roads around Etihad Stadium weren’t built with pedestrians in mind and it took a bit of navigational agility to work my way through. Finally got back onto Montague St and from there I worked my way to Canterbury Rd. A little bit frustrating but could have been much worse.