Day: 51
Distance: 9.97km
Time: 53:43 secs
Calories: 768
The training plan calls for "60 mins including 8 x 1 min hill climbs, jog down to recover". Although hills have featured in some of the runs I've been doing, I have shied away from doing those runs which demand a certain number of hill climbs. This is largely because there aren't a lot of hills round where I live or work, which means that I'd need to keep running up and down the same hill which would look and feel a bit weird.
However, I was reading a Runner's World article today which changed my mind. The article nailed my feelings about hill climbs, as it correctly notes that hills are ...
"an obstacle, standing in the way of fast times, a burden to be endured, a muscle-sapping, lung-bursting exercise in pain"
But the article, and others I've read, also says that hill climbs are good for runners (how sadly predictable) as:
"Training on hills improves leg-muscle strength, quickens your stride, expands stride length, develops your cardiovascular system, ... In short, hill running will make you a stronger, faster and healthier runner"
Well, I've tried to follow the training plan as much as possible so I guess I need to give these hill climbs a proper go. While the training plan is pretty specific on the number and length of these hill climbs it doesn't give a clear steer on general pace or whether all 8 climbs should be done in one burst or if they should be spread out across the hour.
With no help from the training plan, I set off at a pretty fast pace (averaging around 4:30 mins/km for the first 10 mins). The gap left by the training plan was filled, initially, by an opening burst of rock n' roll from AC/DC in the form of "Safe in New York City". The song benefits from a rock solid drum beat which saw me flying from the blocks.
The first hill hove into view around 12 minutes into the run and I realised that my initial pace may have been a mistake as I was already knackered and the thought of "a muscle-sapping" hill climb was not altogether appealing. As the route I was following featured two hills I'd already decided that I'd do four hill climbs up the hill on Lordship Lane. My concerns about looking weird whilst doing these hill climbs was heightened somewhat by the people who were sitting in the laundrette at the bottom of the hill. It might just be my paranoia, but I'm pretty certain I was getting increasingly bemused looks from them as I struggled back to the bottom of the hill each time.
After the fourth hill climb came to a merciful end some 20 minutes into the run I continued on my way. Normally, 20 minutes into a run I would be feeling warmed up. Not today, I was absolutely shattered and it's pretty telling that in the 15 minutes which followed the initial hill climbs I was running at a considerably slower pace than when I'd started (around 5:50 mins/km).
I hit the second hill, this time on Forest Hill Road (there's a clue in the name), around the 35 minute mark and I remember feeling absolutely determined to take the fight to the hill. So, it's quite pleasing to look at the stats on Run Keeper and see that the following was recorded:
Minute 35 - 4:03 mins/km
Minute 36 - 6:15 mins/km
Minute 37 - 4:33 mins/km
Minute 38 - 6:23 mins/km
Minute 39 - 4:32 mins/km
Minute 40 - 7:59 mins/km
Minute 41 - 5:43 mins/km
Minute 42 - 5:50 mins/km
Ok, so I slowed down markedly on the final hill climb (Minute 41) but I think these stats show pretty clearly that I tried my hardest to follow the training plan's diktat of running up and then jogging down a hill. Let's hope this does go some way to making me a "stronger, faster and healthier runner".
After the second set of hill climbs I again continued on my way. The route was slightly shorter than the 60 minutes it should have been, but for once I didn't mind as I felt I'd put in a lot of effort and by the time I reached home I was out of breath, absolutely knackered and very glad that tomorrow is a rest day.
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