I decided to run from home to Sorrento in four stages, coming home after each section and then returning the next day to where I had left off. That was my original plan, anyway, although now there is Portsea in the title of this post. I’ve run from home to Mordialloc several times and run many bits along the coast but I’ve never connected the dots.
On the first day I aimed to get to Mordialloc at least and hopefully further. It was a very warm and humid morning and by 14 kilometres I was feeling bad; I had breathing problems and I was having to stop and rest often, especially on the beach stretch beyond Mentone.
Some quite funny things happened along the way. When I left home I realised it was a sunny day (contrary to the forecast I had read the previous evening) and I had not applied sunblock so I stopped in Brighton to buy some. I got the smallest quantity I could, a roll on, and then carried it tucked into my underwear so I appeared to have a strange bulge on my shoulder. As I crossed the road in Hampton, running across without waiting for a crossing light, my hat blew off and I had to watch many cars drive over it before I was able to reclaim it. Towards Rickets Point I got trapped by a man with a dog on a lead: I was caught between a railing and the dog’s lead and couldn’t move.
When I reached Mordialloc I decided to continue on. I shouldn’t have because I was completely spent, but I had a short rest (more of a collapse on a bench) and started off again. Beyond Mordy I had to run along the Nepean Highway and there is no water available. I was extremely thirsty and I had not been drinking enough. I looked longingly at the pub across the bridge in Mordy and contemplated going in and asking for a glass of water.
As I ran/walked through Aspendale I passed a dentist’s surgery and I could see a water cooler right by the front door. So I went inside. The receptionist was on the phone and had a customer at the desk so I helped myself to two cups of water. I mouthed a thank you to the receptionist and left, feeling a lot better. A kilometre later I finished my run in Edithvale. 23 kilometres for the day.
On the second day I got the bus and train to Edithvale. It was again really humid but overcast and even sprinkled a little rain. I ran along by the railway line to just beyond Carrum station then followed the path through the Seaford bush. I did this trail just before Christmas and it is nice but it is a shame that you can’t see the bay water from the path. The small amount of rain last night had damped down the sandy path nicely. In Frankston I ran through the beachfront parkland and along the boardwalk and then went up Oliver’s Hill. Not too hard today and good views.
At the top I continued a short way then turned off for Mount Eliza. I hadn’t done this part before. It wasn’t amazingly interesting but I was pleased to have a footpath by the road. In Mount Eliza I went to the supermarket and bought a bottle of cold Powerade: very enjoyable. I intended to stop for a while but I was feeling so much better than yesterday and I continued on. My clothes were drenched due to the humidity but I was breathing ok. From here I had to return to the Nepean Highway and follow it for a few kilometres, but luckily there was a wide shoulder and a lot of downhill.
I turned off as soon as I could and took side streets into Mornington, then went down to the Esplanade and finished for the day at a cafe I used to go to in my old bike riding days. Absolutely everything in there is green, which I had temporarily forgotten. Then I had to bus/train/bus back home which took two hours. 26 kilometres for the day.
The third day was a much bigger day. Firstly the bus/train thing between sections was taking so long and would only get longer so I thought I should get the project finished in the least time consuming way by getting to Sorrento on my third day rather than dragging it out to four days as I had originally planned. I also saw a greater training benefit in running at least forty kilometres on one day rather than running twenty on each of two days.
I started out doing a bonus kilometre down to the green cafe when the bus didn’t follow the route of the previous day's bus (and fortunately I bailed before the bus took me all the way down the coast). There was a trail going in and out of the bush along the cliff top towards Mount Martha which was nice, but beyond Mount Martha I had to run mostly on the road. I followed a few goat tracks for a while and there were stretches of soft shoulder but often I had to share the road with the cars. It was good when I finally made the descent to Safety Beach.......and a big headwind.
From here there were great views along the coast, the water a lovely turquoise and a gently swell. There is a sandy trail most of the way down the coast, called the Bay Trail, and I stuck to it as much as I could. This meant running through a series of caravan/camping areas; the caravans and tents were there but were mostly unattended. The bits by the water were nice and so were the bits in the bush. I often seemed to be startling groups of birds so I had the impression that the trail is not much used.
I stopped in Dromana and sat by the pier, then detoured into Rosebud to get a can of soft drink and a Twix. The headwind was irritating and it was getting warm. For a while I ran along a completely deserted beach. I stopped again in Rye and sat on a tree trunk in the shade and then by Blairgowrie shops where I bought a can of Coke. At Rye I ended up going in a complete circle when I went up to a viewpoint. There were some lovely stretches of casuarinas near Blairgowrie and it was good to be able to keep away from the fast traffic although the tracks were slower because they were more sandy.
When I got to Sorrento I had a coffee and realised I still felt pretty good so I decided to continue on to Portsea. I asked the waitress which road I should take and she asked the opinion of another customer, who recommended I go up to the cliff top. I followed her suggestion, which meant going through a succession of gates to access a sandy path, and this was a lovely stretch with views over a whole lot of private pontoons. This was the so called Millionaires Row. By now it was really warm.
After I came down from the cliff top I continued on the footpath near the road and saw a huge snake. I detoured to a couple of viewpoints looking down on Shelly Beach and Portsea Beach, then soon arrived at the Portsea Hotel and the jetty. And this was the end of my run. The hourly bus to Frankston was due in five minutes so unfortunately I didn’t have time for a beer (but I saved my money and could afford some junk food when I got to Frankston). 45 kilometres for the day.
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