Take in Joburg’s beauty as you pound that ground

Exercising outdoors is special. A run, walk or hike is a million times more satisfying than spending an hour on a treadmill. I will confess — the longest I have ever spent on a treadmill is 20 minutes and it felt like a decade.

Let’s not be fooled. Treadmills are wonderful pieces of equipment and if you have the space, buy one. Treadmills at Virgin Active were integral to my “big transformation” more than a decade ago — they were used as high-intensity interval magic machines between circuits and weights. Doing sprints — or as close as possible — on a treadmill has the benefit of feeling like an extreme sport.

However, being outdoors is just different. It is mentally stimulating. At the risk of sounding like a person who enjoys hugging trees, there is an air of romanticism — until a 50-year-old 20-tonne truck chokes you out of your state of marvel.

This is where Cape Town folk are blessed. Yes, they have trucks and crowds and, this is SA, criminals. But they also have mountains and forests and views of the Atlantic that magically make the pain subside. Outdoor exercise in Cape Town is an experience, not a chore.

People in my network tend to remind me of that they have a mountain, and we don’t. Well, up here in Joburg, we have something that Cape Town doesn’t — altitude. Everything we do, we do at altitude. Perhaps that’s why going for a few laps of Sea Point’s promenade feels like a warm-up?

The physiological benefits of altitude training aside, we do have enjoyable and effective outdoor options for those who prefer to stay on the tarmac and those who like to get closer to mother nature.

Here are four spots that I enjoy, for different reasons. The first two are for the days my training partners and I feel like increasing the intensity and adding delightful lactic-acid torture on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Westcliff Steps

Sometimes referred to as a stairway to heaven, if you do it hard enough they become is a stairway to metabolic hell. There are 210 steps of varying heights, and if you go early enough, you can have a clear run to the top. How hard you go,is entirely up to you. Because it is Westcliff, be sure to wear your best tights and designer shoes — it just works better.

When you get to the top of the steps, you can either walk down while catching your breath, or run a short loop down and around to start again — this is our favourite. The low-intensity run is great active recovery before blasting up the steps once more.

The views peaking through between the houses are awe-inspiring, the magnetic energy of old Johannesburg just urges you to do one more loop. The camaraderie between runners and walkers of all skill levels is something to behold.

Northcliff Hill

This is nowhere near as trendy or busy — so you may want to be in a small group. It is, however, much more difficult than the Westcliff Steps if you do, in fact, run the whole way. If you park your car at Impala Butchery on Beyers Naudé, you can choose a 5km loop. It is the “up” journey that delivers the bang for your buck, with elevation and steep roads that will bring out the warrior in anyone, and sailor-like language in everyone.

If you run it, it is a tough and very intense hill, but once you turn right though the boom gate at the top, it is plain-sailing bar one more short hill until you enter the Northcliff Ridge Eco Park. The views are more reward than anyone could ask for — the space and silence and breeze are food for the soul. The run back down is controlled and manageable, the mathematics of relativity — doing the hill in reverse — makes the control required on your foot strike all the more pleasant. This is a great, short and very intense run.

When the world gets back to normal, there is the option of running down the back of the hill towards Albert Farm and joining the 5km Park Run — this does add some mileage to the morning, because it is about another 4km after the run to crawl back to Impala Butchery.

If hiking is more your thing, then the next two are for you. There is a fee to enter both hiking venues, so be sure to take cash.

Hennops Hiking Trails

This venue provides an outdoor experience not too far from Johannesburg and Pretoria. It does tend to get busy, so the smart money is on doing this early in the day. You can choose between shorter or longer trails, and if you are wearing the right shoes — and the crowds are small enough — a trail run becomes highly enjoyable.

If not, an intense walk does wonders — far easier than a treadmill but, we’d argue, more bang for your buck.

Suikerbosrand Hiking Trails

This is less busy than Hennops but doesn’t provide the option of ordering a coffee, snack or meal from a cafeteria. You need to pack your basket to enjoy a picnic after the hike or run, in the presence of preserved Voortrekker homes and a cultural museum.

The trails tend to be a bit more technical at points, which is why we prefer them — watch your foot landing on loose rocks. Here, you get different views, the countryside being so far removed from Hennops you’d swear you were in another province. It is a bit further if you come from the northern suburbs, but it makes for a good half-day outing.