This wasn't the smartest run I've ever done. I know I have some significant hills in my 10k race next Saturday so I wanted to get some hill work in today. It ended up being mountain work. Steep rocky mountains.
I mapped out a course on GoogleEarth that I thought looked pretty good. My wife drove me up to the start. The first thing I saw was a private property sign - no access to park. But we went anyway. I had to step over a barbed wire fence to get to the trail. It wasn't much of a trail since I didn't start exactly where I wanted to. And it didn't take long before I was huffing and puffing trying to climb the mountain. There was a 266 foot climb in the first half mile. I didn't have the leg power or the wind to run up, so I walked some. Then it dropped back down to about the elevation I started at by the time I got to the first mile. It took 12:45.
The next mile was a 500 foot climb, and I was battling daylight. This was a very tough mile with lots of walking, but no stopping. I kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong. There could be snakes. It might get dark. I have nothing to drink. I could turn an ankle. I'm dumb. This mile took 16:05.
The next mile was the beginning of the downhill. It was almost as bad as the uphill because it was so steep and rocky. I couldn't run for fear of not being able to stop and not being able to get a sure step. This mile took 10:34.
The fourth mile was pretty decent. The hill was less steep and more sure. I ran this one in 8:21. I was thinking I'm glad Britta didn't convince me to bring my music. I need all my senses.
The last bit was all on the main road. When I say main road, I mean paved. I saw my wife down the road, and then she turned and drove away. I didn't think she'd go very far, but she did. So then this pit bull came out and was daring me to make a wrong move. I yelled at it to git. Thankfully it listened. I called my wife and told her to turn around and come get me. The last 0.84 miles was in 7:21.
Bottom line; not sure if this is the kind of hill training I needed for the race next week, but it was certainly an adventure. I leave you with a picture I took at the top of the mountain and the sun almost down. What a moron I am.
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