Training: Time to show up and pick up the pace

trainingI usually  have to squeeze my Versa between two SUVs in an even tighter parking spot (because nobody in Red Deer parks within the lines) on Wednesday nights at Rotary Park. As you can see in the photo, I am the only one here. Maybe I should have parked in the minute of the lot. You know get a little crazy. 

trainingAmanda and I have been meeting for the last month or so at the foot of Spruce Drive hill for 10 hill repeats. I try to run at least two kilometres before we tackle the long and winding hill. We go all the way to the top before we turn around and do it again. By the sixth or seventh repeat, I am panting like a puppy. Amanda’s cardio is better than mine right now so she has no problem. In fact I think she could go another 10 repeats without pausing. 

On this particular Wednesday, Amanda couldn’t make it so I had to run it alone. Ugh. I took comfort in knowing there would be at least a dozen other runners training for Woody’s marathon on the hill. Boy I was wrong. It is point in their marathon training that these runners head over to Lindsay Thurber track for speed work. There may have been four other runners that were just finishing up when I got there. 

It was a dark and gloomy night but I managed to pull out those repeats on my uninspired legs. Hill repeats are boring as heck. No wonder people hate them. They are much more fun with a friend. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know the benefits of hills (especially for those of us who are running 60K in four months) but they can be dog darn boring. While I was running up the hill for the umpteenth time, I decided we would switch things up with a fun hill workout next week.

 

1 Comment

  1. Can you change which hill you run? I have a couple of options for lunch hills then two options for evening. I try to keep it to lunch hour since it gets me out of work, anything that does that is a good thing 🙂
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