A decent substitute for Sat morning running group

While I miss my regular Saturday morning gossip-fest/recounting of husband bafoonary session (er, I mean running with my girlfriends in Boston) a quiet solitary run around the lower north shore of Sydney is not too shabby either. The upside: great scenery. The downsides: I am green with real estate envy (yes, that is a 2-boat garage), and how many flights of stairs does one person have to run up in this city?!