The Hills are alive (with the sound of panting...)

No, not "The Sound of Music" but the sound of panting and gasping for breath!

Today marked the beginning of a new type of run training -- the loved and hated Hill Work! My trainer decided that I should start doing some training on hills to better prepare myself for running hills during races and to help me run faster by building up leg strength. Well, that sounds like a great plan, right? But HILLS!? I have dreaded this moment, and now it is upon me.

So I got up this morning as I always do around 5AM, got dressed and drove over to this nice hill where my son's doctor office is located. I met Meghan there, in the darkness, at the top of the hill to find out how this was going to work. The first thing she told me was "You are doing the running, I will be watching your form and providing encouragement." Okay, so the pain would be mine to bear alone. I get it. :)

This hill is a .32 mile stretch of road that follows an upward "S" curve as it goes from 750ft above sea level to 900 ft. I believe that represents a 6% incline from start to finish. Now I have walked on treadmills at that incline level and higher during my TEAM Weight Loss classes at LifeTime, but I am not sure if the 6% incline on the treadmill is the same as the 6% on this hill. So I was somewhat skeptical that I was going to be able to do this without significant PAIN. LOL

So Meghan tells me how this is going to work since I have never done hill work before:

1) Jog a 10 minute easy run just to get warmed up.
2) Then I did three reps of:
- walk down the hill
- run up the hill
- take a one minute rest, and repeat
3) Then do a 3-minute hard run through the neighborhood, followed by a 5-6 minute walk back as a cooldown.

The first time running up the hill, I ran the whole way up the hill at a 10:45 pace, only breathing heavily towards the last part of the hill. I was pretty darn proud of myself for actually making it up the hill! Of course, my brain was telling me "Good luck doing that a second and third time!" Meghan was pleased with the effort and sent me down the hill for the second rep. She stayed about mid-way so that she could watch me coming up the hill and then as I passed her continue to judge my form.

The second run was a LOT more difficult. I was doing well the first half but then I started feeling tired. But Meghan was urging me to keep going and then to charge the final few feet to the finish. So my pacing was 10:45 but those last few seconds were at 9:36! I was pretty pleased with myself but now, I was feeling tired and not so sure I could do the third run.

The third run was really tough. I was tired from the second run and was feeling it even before I reached the midpoint. Meghan was encouraging me, and I think she knew I was thinking walking the last third of the hill. But I did not want to show weakness so I toughed it out and finished the third run with a pace of 10:54. I was quite winded at that point and took a few minutes to recover.

Then Meghan said I should run hard for 3 minutes to see how my legs felt. She said it would feel good to run them out, and that I would likely feel faster now that I had done the hill work. I was skeptical but I did what she asked. I ran the 3 minutes at a 9:03 pace -- not sure where that energy came from! Then I walked back to cool down.

All in all, I put down 3.61 miles this morning in about 51 minutes. My first concentrated hill workout was in the bag, and I lived to tell the tale! Now I will start adding a hill workout to my schedule once each month, and gauge my improvement either in terms of speed and endurance. Hills: you gotta do the work, but you don't have to love it! LOL

Race Report: Chicago Police 5K Foot Chase

The day started at 5AM (this has become my regular wake-up time I guess) to get cleaned up, dressed in my running garb, have my regular pre-race breakfast, and head downtown for the Chicago Police Department's annual 5K race. It was a balmy 44 degrees outside and sunny by the time I parked the car and walked to the Start, which was in front of Soldier Field (Home of the Chicago Bears).

There were about 600 runners assembled, many of them police officers. There weren't many vendors there so I just walked around to warm-up, visited Gear Check, and waited. It was interesting being around so many police -- it is a good thing I am an upstanding citizen! :)

The race started with the National Anthem and we were off! I had already decided not to run hard today because I had run 8.2 miles the day before on my Long Run, and since that was the longest run I have completed to-date, I did not want to overstress my body (even though everything felt fine). So I kept myself to a 10:30 pace for the race, and actually focused on seeing the sights along the race route.

Starting at Soldier Field was pretty cool. We ran down Museum Campus Road, passing the front entrance to the Shedd Aquarium, and then onto the wide sidewalk on Lake Shore Drive. The view of the cityscape along the Drive is pretty sweet! I thought to take out my iPhone and snap some pictures, but I didn't want to change my stride. We passed the first mile without incident. But soon after that, I had a couple of twinges in my right knee. Hmm.. this was a first. So I slowed down a bit to test it. After about a minute, the twinge went away. So I kept onward and eventually returned to my 10:30 pace. It did not bother me again. (I guess I must have landed strangely on my right foot)

By Mile 2, we had turned from Lake Shore Drive and onto a bike path right along the shareline. Most of the boats that usually line Lake Michigan were gone (they were probably drydocked for the winter) but some were still out there, bobbing up and down. It made me think of our summer place in Idlewild MI, where we have boats and stuff. I was feeling pretty good and running in a good rhythm. Some people think about stuff while they run but today, I was just in tune with my cadence and breathing (I decided no music on this run).

At Mile 2.5, we were back at the Shedd Aquarium but this time running around the back of the building and up a consistent incline for a while. I ran the entire incline while others were stopping to walk. I had to smile inwardly to myself for being able to run through it (thanks to Meghan and TEAM Weight Loss inclines on the treadmill). At Mile 3, I sped up a bit to cross the Finish Line strong! It was a fun race; my legs were fine, the knee was okay, and I was pretty happy about now being able to wear the cool tech shirt in the goodie bag!

After the race, I spent time with a guy named Steven, who I found out later was a police cadet who runs a lot of races and was the Male Winner for the officers. He was the second overall male winner. It was interesting that they broke out the overall winners between Officers and Non-Officers. I guess to make sure that each group received prizes for their effort.

After the race winners received their awards, they began their raffle. Each runner had a section on their bib which went into a large bowl and winning numbers were drawn from that. And guess what? I actually was one of the winners! I never win raffles so I was quite surprised and pleased. So I got to pick my prize -- a rolling drink cooler that had a built-in AM/FM radio. So now I can have my food, drink, and music for tailgating parties! LOL

It was a good way to start my Sunday morning. I got back in the car to speed back home so I could hopefully make it to church before the service was over. Hmm.. not so successful with that. I got there just as the service was finishing. But I was there to lead my HS Christian Ed class, where we discussed how "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" could be a hard directive to follow. Especially, if we haven't learned how to love ourselves. It was a good discussion!

Then it was lunch with my wife Christi and a Deacon from the parish. Oh, and I had a donut today! Not often do I treat myself with one of those, but I figured it would be okay just this once. :)