Top of The Hill

I ran about 11.5 miles today.  In order to run directly from my apartment you have to go up and down a lot of hills.  I do very few runs directly from home and regrettably drive less than 2 miles to various locations so that I don't have to start and end my run with a monstrous hill.  The most direct route from the beach up to the apartment involves a lot of climbing stretched out over almost 1.5 miles.  Thus far in my relatively short time in San Francisco I have not successfully made it back home from the beach running the entire distance.

I almost made it a little over a month ago right before my running funk hit.  I had planned to do 10 miles that day and Garmin beeped that we're-at-10!!-let's-stop-now!! about 0.15 miles from my front door.  I thought about it a nano second and started walking.  I know.  I kicked myself later for just not sucking it up another minute.

So today I planned to do roughly 11 miles and wanted to end the run going all the way up The Hill.  I started off the run going downhill towards the beach.  I really dislike starting off downhill because I feel totally chilled to the bone and feel like my cold legs are getting pounded into the cement.  The wind here is kicking pretty well today.  There was another infamous headwind along the shore.  In fact, my hat blew off twice.  It was miserable.  Once I got to the safety of the park the winds magically died down as I did a five mile loop.

Heading home I was looking forward to the run from the park down the beach because it had to be a tailwind this time.  The wind didn't disappoint and I forgave it for the beating it had given me earlier in the day.  Then I turned up my street to face The Hill.

I wish I could tell a story of dire suffering and perseverance as I fought tooth and nail against gravity back home.  The steepest sections of incline occur in the last 2-3 blocks before getting home and my heart rate didn't even feel elevated until I got to the very end.  I guess the interval training I've been doing has allowed my body to get used to elevated heart rates.  I arrived victorious at my apartment and even had something left to round out the Garmin to the nearest tenth of a mile.

I'm hoping to incorporate The Hill into my training more often.  I think it's great for helping with endurance and strength.  I also hate having to drive the car such short distances to go running.  It's a new era in RoadBunner running!