Weekly Running Update - Up Into the Gardunhas

I've been exploring the local Gardunha mountain range this week.

I found my way up to the top of the local mountain Peak this week - three times (well, right to the top twice).

I can honestly say my legs are NOT used to hills like this - I was right to take it easy on 'hill run one' and leaving the final summit for hill run two (it ended up being a bit further than it seemed, I know that's a thing with mountains) and then for hill run three I did the sensible thing and drove UP the mountain first to start nearer the top and join up a few side tracks I'd noticed on the first two runs.

All in all one of the most enjoyable week's running I've ever done!

I track most of my runs with Garmin, which auto uploads to Strava.

Weekly running summary:

• Total kilometres this week: 15.5K (Hills!)
• No. of runs: 3

3rd November - 5K Up the Mountain Explore

I drove into Val de Prazeres and parked at the train station - did a warm up run under the underpass (I'd located this from an earlier run, running from the house, so I'm now 'joined up' from the front door, something I like to do!), went the wrong way trying to find a route up initially, then the right way and just headed up, and up and kept on going up for about 2Ks.

I reached a plateau area just short of where I was aiming for: 2 phone masts I can see from the Quinta:

Tempting though it was, I could feel my legs had already had a good workout - two 7 minute Ks, gives you an idea of how steep it was, so I just headed back down, saving the final summit for next time, one has to know one's limits.

I must have been shot as I forgot to click my Garmin back on (paused while taking photos) until a few hundred metres down the track! But I estimate the overall distance was 5K.

Oh and come on, look at that for a track and a view, it's a runner's paradise around here!

6th November: 6K Summit in the Fog

This time I parked in the village, used the 800 metres or so to the train station as a warm up and then clicked the Garmin on at the station.

I headed up, got to that Plateau area in the photo above and this time just kept on going right up to the summit, not that I could see it, but I did make it:

It was a bit further than I'd anticipated - a total of 2.8K up - and I was pretty tired when I got there - I paused for the photo, went to click resume on the Garmin for the return journey and saved it instead (at least I didn't delete it, that would have been fucking awful!) So I've got another run on Strava the exact opposite of this!

That was a hill.

Oh, and because it had been raining a lot in the previous couple of days, the path was not so paradise-like - it wasn't slippy, but the sand was giving under my feet in places, making it even harder going.

That was a tough one! And I couldn't take any summit photos because of the mist!

9th November - Around the Summit Area

Because I'd had two tough runs previously I decided to drive up to a nearby parking area at the top of the local mountains, and just join up a few dots.

And lo and behold, within about 500 metres of setting off I could see that same summit, not so far up and off from the other side, just what I wanted. I got there, got these photos (that's the same sign post as in the selfie!)

Panoramic Views!

I live down there and to the left...

I could have taken another two - very similar vistas in all directions!

After pausing for the photos I just headed off down another route for a while, then turned back. I wanted a gentle one, 6Ks in total, not so hilly!

All in all this was a much more civilised run, only half the ascent in the same distance as the previous one!

Next week's plans

More mountains! There's lots to explore around here!