This morning was so cold! 19 degrees outside! So why am I awake at 6AM, getting dressed to go out there and do hill work? I must be crazy! I decided to wear my CW-X compression pants, my Nike running pants, a long-sleeved tech shirt, my warm, neon green running 1/2 zip jacket, gloves, SmartWool socks, and the new running balaclava I bought at CostCo last weekend. I haven't worn that hat yet so I figured it was time to test it out (I got it for the Polar Dash next month). I also brought some water figuring it would be needed.
So I get out to the cardiac hill in Algonquin and I am thinking, "Coach won't have to know I skipped this training day. It is so cold!" Actually, I wasn't all that cold. It was just my fingers that were cold inside my gloves. I have to go find those 'Little Hotties' things that you can put inside gloves that warm them up (it is a packet that you crack and shake to generate heat). But, then I think, "Don't be a wuss! Suck it up! You know this will be helpful." Damn! I hate it when my self-talk berates me with legitimate arguments!
I get started with a 3/4 mile easy run, at a nice 10:25 pace, down the road (not the hill) as a warm-up. Then the hill work begins. I walk down the hill (5-6 minutes) to the bottom. And then start my first run up the hill. I make it to the top in 2:47 -- the hill run is 1/3 mile and rises 110ft from the start to the top. Not bad!
I start the walk back down the hill to get ready for the second hill run (I have to do three of these for my workout). I reach the bottom, and begin again. This time, my legs start complaining about halfway to the top. But I keep moving forward and complete the second run in 2:57. A little slower but, hey, it's a HILL!
I am really sucking in the air as I start my walk back down for the third time. The legs are feeling weaker and my resolve is wavering a bit. I try to stop any self-talk about 'walking' part of the next climb. So I begin the third run. This one is tough! I just keep counting each streetlight, telling myself "I'll run to the next one!". When I see the last two streetlights, I tell myself "I can do this! I've done it before and I am not telling Coach that I gave up!" So I push through the burn and make it up for the last time with a time of 3:03. Whew!
I just stand at the corner, breathing hard and drinking some water, for about a minute and a half. Then I finish the workout with a hard run for 3:15 minutes (.40 miles). I averaged 9:11/mm pace for that little run. Then I walked back to the car and concluded the workout. The whole thing took about 45 minutes to complete.
Total miles run was 3.25 and I burned off 608 calories in the process. I climbed 330ft during the hill runs and made them all without having to walk. All in all, a good workout! So I sent the stats to my coach and she responds back how pleased she was with the effort. Yay!
But then she says, "I am not sure I'd be dedicated enough to go run hills in the winter morning." I am like "Are you KIDDING ME!??" I ran this because it was on the schedule that she helped develop for me. There was no way I was going to skip it and then have to tell her that. LOL!! I just had to laugh at that! Truth be told, I know her, and if it was on her training schedule, I am 100% certain that she would have done it without regard to the weather.
So I figure I need to be exactly as dedicated as she is! And so I was! And I can be proud of my work today. :)