Running on Barker Road

To me, the barker road loop is the mother of all running routes. I loved it, and I hated it. The barker road loop was where I first learnt how to run. It was where I came face to face with physical fatigue and mental games, not to mention, spiritual analogies. It was where I found myself painfully aware of what I longed for. It was my benchmark run. It was my everyday run.

Gosh I've missed it. I used to run it at least once a week. I ran it so much that I came to dread it, preferring to run the botanic loop in later years just because it was more enjoyable. I ran the barker loop today again, not the full two rounds but a modified one loop plus extra, and I realised how well I knew every incline, every manhole, every turn. I knew exactly how long it took to reach the top of the steep hill, and exactly when the menacing dogs would starting barking their heads off.

In the tradition of the early posts, the numbers from today's evening run.

Distance: 5.8 km
Time: 36.2 mins
Speed: 9.6 km/hr