Upfield Line. (Part 1). North Melbourne to Anstey.

NORTH MELBOURNE. 2/5/2017. 46th Run. 13 km.

First morning wearing a long sleeve T-shirt but by the time I caught the 5:57am to Flinders St and then connecting through to North Melbourne and started running, it was 11 degrees. My normal rule is a long sleeve is only really necessary below 5 degrees so now it was annoying. North Melbourne is only of the bigger stations but it’s easy to get out of and so quickly on Adderly Rd and headed into the city. From one big station to another, this time a big police station in Spencer St and finally the biggest of the train Stations - Southern Cross. From here the very familiar run home from the city with a small detour along Whitman St and Canterbury Rd for a bit of variation. Nice morning for a run.

MACAULAY. 26/10/2017. Run 95. 13.4 km.

Very early start to run to Elsternwick to catch the 5:17am into Flinders St. Getting more difficult to make the logistics work before work. Caught Craigieburn line train to Kensington and then ran to Macaulay so that I could start my run home. Felt a back spasm just after taking my selfie at Macaulay station and thought it might end up with an Uber ride home but slowly warmed up and the discomfort went away. After that felt pretty good. Ran past Arden St football ground and back into the city. Have run home from the city many times so no directional issues and at 13 degrees, nice and cool. Got home by 7am but with only 4 hours sleep last night it felt like it was going to be a long day at work.

FLEMINGTON BRIDGE. 5/2/2018. Run 120. 14.1 km.

Another run where the logistics of starting worse than the logistics of the run. Ran / walked to tram stop with Frank and into the city after work. Hot day so stopped for drink before heading to Southern Cross to catch train to Flemington Bridge. Probably would have been faster to have run as only 4 km and the train I caught went back through the loop. Indirect run to start with to get “down” from the elevated station but simple pass through the city and onto St Kilda Rd. Took a bit of a detour through Albert Park and Fitzroy St and along Acland St. Unfortunately didn’t see my friend “Toorak”. Hot day and long run two days earlier made me feel quite sluggish.

ROYAL PARK. 11/2/2017. Run 17. 17.1 km.

Caught the 8:03am with Lizey into the city then jumped onto the 55 tram to get to Royal Park station behind the zoo. At this stage of the challenge early directions were a bit tricky and my cut through royal park was optimal. Headed towards Royal Pde and got onto The Avenue that runs behind Whitley College. At least I now knew where I was. Followed Royal Pde back into the city and then cut through Southbank and eventually onto Canterbury Rd. With the St Kilda festival on tomorrow I took a detour down Acland St but it was surprisingly quiet. Won’t be like this tomorrow. Got home and kept running back to Elsternwick station to pick up my car.

JEWELL. 29/12/2017. Run 111. 15.6 km.

Initially planned a longer run from Mitcham but changed plans to help Camille move house later in the day. Took the option to run from Jewell so that I had enough time to get home and pick up a rental van by 1 pm. The added advantage was that the early start meant I beat the heat. Yet another small directional error at the start but didn’t cost me much. Got onto Royal Pde and pretty straight forward after that. Down St Kilda Rd and right onto Barkley St at the junction for a bit of variation. Bypassed the scenic canal path home and instead followed Barkley all the way to the beach. Plenty happening at this time of the year on a nice day.

BRUNSWICK. 8/5/2018. Run 141. 15.6 km.

After work run and at this time of the year it is almost dark right from the word go. Normal tram into the city and into peak hour crowds. Started carrying a vending machine card to avoid the cash and got drink on platform 11 - very handy. Upfield train left Southern Cross on time but lost 10 mins on route. Simple logistics meant I didn’t get lost even at the start. Straight out onto Sydney road and into an environment very different to what it was when I lived around here in the early 1980’s. Cool night but lots of distractions running through the Parkville sports area. Past Melbourne Uni and into the city. More distractions and lots of lights. Standard run home along St Kilda, Queens Rd and Barkley St. Finished just after 7:30 pm so easy night.

ANSTEY. 5/3/2018. Run 127. 16.2 km.

Pretty unexciting run overall but the excellence of the logistics to get started were the highlight. Left work and got to tram stop just as tram arrived then only a 2 min wait at Southern Cross to catch the train to North Melbourne. Sprinted from platform 6 to platform 3 and 30 second wait for train to Anstey. Started the run home at 5:46 pm - brilliant. Standard run down Sydney Rd, Royal Pde and into the city. From St Kilda Rd I cut across to Queens Rd to see the set up for the Grand Prix on the weekend. Bit of zig-zagging around the various barriers set up for crowd control, but less challenging than many of my station exits. Fitzroy St and Acland St and onto Elwood. Home by 7:15 pm due to the flying start.