Hitting the Hills

Finally I did the hill workout I've been wanting to do. I basically switched yesterday and today's workout. Yesterday I ran four miles on the treadmill like I said and today I ran six miles with hills (many, many hills). The first time I came across this monster in the midst of a long run (several months ago), I turned the corner of the street and I think every single car driving in my direction could read my lips and it's not something I would repeat in my very innocent blog. :-)

It was a little over a two mile run to the spot. Typically I would sprint up the hill, jog back down and then rest but this time I pushed myself harder. As I approached the bottom of the hill I picked up my speed and ran hard (I wouldn't call it a dead sprint) to the top. Without rest I turned around and jogged back down. I think running down a hill is almost as challenging as conquering the upward of it. It takes a lot of muscle control and careful footwork. Anyway, I reached the bottom of the hill, did a sharp pivot without taking a break and headed right back up the hill. I did this for roughly half a mile.

On my way back I encountered many more hills in my route and on side roads stemming from the major road I was running on. My plan of attack ... whenever I pass a hill or come up against one - RUN IT! Steep hills, gradual hills, short inclines, longer sprints - you name it, I did it tonight. I found myself back at my apartment after a smudge longer than six miles of running. With hills and recovery jogs included, I averaged an 8.05 pace. Without the recovery jogs, I would claim to have averaged a 7.30 pace. Easy. I was cruising tonight and really feeling good. Water has crept up to the top of my priority list recently, which I think had a big impact in my successful workout this evening. Forcing myself to drink water has finally turned it into habit. I still have a cup of coffee in the morning and a diet soda during the day, but I've made progress. There's really nothing wrong with coffee or soda as long as it's all in moderation. But back to the water ... now that I've seen the outcome of it, I will be sure to keep including that as a major part of my lifestyle and diet.

That's actually a great example of something that often times happens to me, as well as many other runners and athletes that I know. People fall into ruts and goodness knows I have stumbled into my fair share of unmotivated holes. Sometimes it revolves around running entirely and then there are moments that it deals with various facets of running, like drinking water, working on core or eating healthy. You just don't want to. It becomes so much more than you want to deal with. It's understandable ... everyone leads a busy life. But all it takes is to see the results, to know when you put in the work a difference will be made. Running can feel like a nuisance but until you experience that one energizing run or if you see a pound shed, it becomes a different story. For me with water, once I felt the difference it made in a run I quickly realized it's a vital part of training. If you know in your mind it's good, there comes a point when you need to simply force yourself to follow what you know no matter how much it sucks at the time. It'll pay off. There's no secret to training or dieting success, it all takes a lot of effort, commitment and of course, heart.

I might snap a shot of some of the hills I ran tonight and post them tomorrow. Hill workouts help in significantly strengthening your legs. The extra energy your body uses to drive yourself to the top of the hill is a very rewarding exercise and acts as a weight room for the runner. Runner's World discusses four types of hill workouts and when you should think about doing each one of them. RW also suggests not incorporating hill workouts more than two times a week into your training since it's a very exhausting and demanding activity.

Thanks for reading!!