Distance today = 50.17 km; Total distance = 24,145.37 km; Location = Sandy Creek – 34 36.081’ S, 138 42.213′ E; Start time = 0833, Finish time = 1632

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/352037917

It’s hard to enjoy a run when the weather is as atrocious as it was today. A howling westerly wind, and regular squalls of horizontal rain, along with single digit temperatures, made it a day of which I was keen to see the end.

It’s a pity, as I was running through the heart of the Barossa Valley, widely regarded as where the world’s best shiraz is produced. It’s a beautiful region, dotted with winery after winery, and lovely towns like Kapunda, Nuriootpa, Tanunda, and Lyndoch. I passed some of the biggest of the wineries today, including Penfold’s, Wolf Blass, Peter Lehman, Grant Burge, and Jacob’s Creek. The latter is named after an actual creek which flows between the vineyards.

Carmel, Sue, and Bob spent the day checking out many of the wineries and local shops. They put me on to a German bakery in Lyndoch, where I had one of the best meat pies of the whole world run – it was definitely in the top three.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading into Adelaide, the biggest city I’ve been to since leaving Perth.

Distance today = 47.34 km; Total distance = 24,192.71 km; Location = Adelaide – 34 55.940’ S, 138 35.957′ E; Start time = 0828, Finish time = 1551

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/352443112

Another day of bad weather failed to prevent me from making it to Adelaide. As I’ve said many times, running through the suburbs of major cities is less than inspiring, particularly when it’s wet, windy, and cold. Today was no different.

I ran along main roads, through Gawler, Elizabeth, Salisbury, and Enfield, before passing the Adelaide Oval, and on into the city. Adelaide is a very pretty city, and the Adelaide Oval is one of the world’s most picturesque cricket grounds. There are some major new grandstands being constructed there at the moment. I hope that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the ground.

Tomorrow I head east, towards Melbourne. I’m hoping the weather improves.

Distance for Aug 4 = 50.34 km; Total distance = 24,243.06 km; Location = Kanmantoo – 35 05.318’ S, 139 01.523′ E; Start time = 0842, Finish time = 1710

Distance today = 50.48 km; Total distance = 24,293.54 km; Location = Tailem Bend – 35 15.415’ S, 139 27.320′ E; Start time = 0833, Finish time = 1624

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/353748200

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/353748102

Yesterday was interesting. I left Adelaide early, being passed by Bernie and Lesley on their way back to Sydney. Soon after I reached the Adelaide Hills and began to climb. I was on a cycle path, but it soon ended. I then had no choice but to run on the freeway, which pedestrians were banned from. I even had to run through a major tunnel. Then it happened – a police car pulled up with his lights flashing. He informed me that drivers had been calling the police to let them know a runner was on the road. He was very friendly, and simply asked me to hop off the freeway at the next exit. Then, a few minutes later, another police car pulled up with his lights flashing, with the same message. Once again, he was very nice about it all. I was able to exit the freeway very soon after.

It was a very hilly day, with the most climbing I’ve done for many months. The Adelaide Hills is a very beautiful area, very reminiscent of the Blue Mountains, and towns like Leura and Blackheath.

Later I passed through Hahndorf, which is the oldest German town in Australia. It’s also a classic, with most buildings made of stone. It also had a great German bakery, with delicious meat pies.

I ended the day in Kanmantoo, where we were joined by Bob and Sue. It was their last night with us, and they left this morning to head back to Sydney. We currently have no friends travelling with us, for the first time in more than five weeks.

Today I passed through the town of Murray Bridge, crossing the Murray River. The afternoon was spent running to Tailem Bend, a town I last visited in 2010, as part of the Tour de Bois. En route, I enjoyed a lunch of baked beans and sardines, courtesy of Marcelle McNally. This gave me extra propulsion during the afternoon’s run. I finished the day feeling fine, although my thighs were a bit sore from all the up and downhill yesterday.

Distance today = 56.42 km; Total distance = 24,349.96 km; Location = Coonalpyn (8 km north of) – 35 38.089’ S, 139 49.363′ E; Start time = 0822, Finish time = 1631

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354287811

A lot of main road running today, as I headed south-east along the Duke’s Highway. It’s a stretch of road I cycled three years ago with the Tour de Bois. It’s not the most inspiring road I’ve run on, but it’s always nice to re-live a day from the Tour.

The day began with a tailwind, which helped me to set a good pace for most of the day. It was still slow compared to what most runners run at, but it was quick by my recent standards. By late in the afternoon, the breeze had become a headwind, which I hope will not persist into tomorrow.

I finished with a solid 56 km, feeling fine, but still with some residual soreness in my quads. This should pass by tomorrow.