It was another fine day, the sun was out and the surroundings are plush due to the recent rainfalls. I went for my 4^th and final run up the mountain. I ran much of the same route I did previously in Another day in paradise but did change a few things. I ultimately ran 9.9km which was good and it felt rough to begin with but as I eased into my pace things started to smoothen out quite nicely.

I met about 5 zebras as I came down from the mountain. There were 3 smaller ones and two fully grown ones. I approached with caution as they were heading up the mountain using the same path I was using to go down. They eventually decided to take an off-road diversion and let me pass.

Prior to that, I’d spent some time sanding down the metal pipe that connects the carburettor to the engine. As we recently discovered in A Scenic African run with sensible shoes, there is a hole in that pipe and it caused the engine to huff and puff one day. We were amazed to find no water left in it. After closer inspection, we found it had a tiny hole – about the size of a pinhead.

My dad and I went up to the workshop in the park and we asked for some sandpaper and the worker was happy to oblige. I spend about 20 minutes sanding the pipe down while lying on my back under the front end of the truck. I applied a special paste which consisted of two tubes of substance that when mixed together activate and produce one incredible hold/adhesive – suitable for engine repairs etc. The material is called Pratley’s Steel. I mixed the two parts and applied it evenly to the newly sanded-down pipe and left it to harden. It should be fully set by tomorrow. We plan to take the truck out for a test run tomorrow to test its metal so to speak, prior to me leaving for Ladysmith the next day.

Last night there was a great wind during the night which woke me up, luckily my tent it pretty well tied down. I didn’t think I was going to fly but it did wake me up. There is something quite nice about sleeping outside, perhaps it’s the night rain falling on the tent or the night-time crickets chirping. I nearly fell over a frog that had come out, presumably to feed, after I had finished taking a shower. All these things help me to realise that my feet are firmly flat on the ground and therefore I’m pretty grounded.

Its been a worthwhile break, I’ve done some running in beautiful surroundings and I’ve spent quality time with my folks, I completed and handed in an assignment and I’ve read almost 2 books on C.

Good memories.

Since Wet rain, I went for my third run while being on holiday. I went a lot higher and longer than the last. The previous run, described in Drakensberg boys’ choir, which had me run part way up the mountain until I came across a monkey/baboon tribe. This time I ran right up to the top of the 1430m mountain. I was accompanied partway up the mountain way by a group of off-roaders in a 4x4.

The route took me up and around the mountain, and I picked different trails as I came across them. I found a mountain bike trail on my way down and pursued it until I reached the bottom of the mountain. It was a beautiful run. My finishing move it seems is to run up, past the entrance to the Drakensberg Boys’ choir school and up towards the main road. This is also quite an ascent. I ran a good 9.25km and established a new heart rate threshold of I think 175bpm. This has been hill training.

Apart from that, I got to the end of my C programming book. I’ve got about 2 or 3 days left of my holiday to start my next book, plus an 8-hour bus trip back to Joburg excluding the 10-hour plane trip (which I’m not looking forward to). I should have enough time to read that too.

I took along with me my old running shoes which have done a lot better than I thought they would – they have a tear alongside the right side of the toe box. I run with an under pronated gait which focuses a lot of strain on this area. I figured I’d take these as ‘holiday’ shoes and use them either for running (if I did any) or everyday footwear.  They’ve served both purposes beautifully and are still going strong.

Looking at my statistics, my relative effort was 61, spending most my time in Z2(43%) and Z(42%)3 with just over 10% in Z4. For a relatively hilly session, I averaged about 5min/km which is surprisingly good as at times felt like I was not moving at all while climbing the really steep parts.

In other news, a couple of weeks back, I bought a box of Bran flakes as a change of breakfast meal in the morning. I found that I enjoyed eating it out of the box more than eating it out a bowl. Since then, I’ve been had an accumulating craving for bran cereal. I may by myself another box when I get back.

Besides that, my father still has his cold and is waiting it out, however, he’s quite preoccupied between something to do with his Mint Linux VM under VirtualBox and his new Sony Xperia Z5. My mother and I have prepared the meals and washed the dishes which as provided ample opportunities to talk about anything – which is really interesting at times.

The sun is making its appearance again this morning, having started raining again just after my run yesterday (It seems I timed my run perfectly). 

I think what is required now, is a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge to get the morning started – another day in paradise!

Since A rainy day, my mom and I went on another long walk and we talked about all matter of things on the route. We ended with a drink at the restaurant and me eating another spinach, mushroom and onion omelette.

 I imported my videos from my Virb onto my laptop and I have about 30 minutes of continuous footage which I need to determine how best to edit. The campsite is now a hive of activity as the long weekend starts.

We’ve had quite a few rainy days of late which has brought a different and quite lovely view of our surroundings.  And as is usually the case, even in London, the colours seem brighter and more defined when it's wet.

We had torrential rainfall and we’ve had light rain and we’ve had ‘middle’ rain – all kinds of rain it seems within the last 3 days. Sitting under the cover of the front tent watching the rain seems to distil a zen-like quietness throughout the campsite.   

I'm reading the seminal book, "The C Programming Language" by Dennis Richie and Brian Kerrigan which is on the recommended reading list for my upcoming course. I've been reading it intermediately while the rain has kept us indoors. While reading it, I'm reminded of the simplicity of the language and how I enjoy it. 

My cold has dissipated substantially and I'm faring a lot better having gone out for my last two runs (A Scenic African run with sensible shoes and Drakensberg boys’ choir), and as soon as the ground is drier, I'll venture out for a third.