i rock
Run Type: Tempo with some fun (?!) hills thrown in the mix!
Distance: 10+ km
Time: 51 minutes (knocked 1.5 minutes off the route since my last outing!)
Hills: 4 frickin big ones!
Average Heart Rate: 173 (my max is 200 so this is a bit better than 85%)
Max Heart Rate: 194 (higher than 95% of MHR)
Tom called me this morning to cancel joining me on the run so I got to do my brutal hill route all by my lonesome. I decided that was a good thing and embraced the challenge to better my last kick at it.
I started at the top (the better place to be!) of Bellamy hill and made my way to hill #1 (Walterdale): Hey, that wasn’t bad, that wasn’t bad at all! As I neared the top, I thought about my usual Walterdale buddy – Corinne, and how she’d be pushing me right about now.
Next it was straight along Saskatchewan Drive and down Emily Murphy Park Hill. I’m keeping very good pace and thinking about Aaron – man, how many times have we run this stretch together?! I bet we ran it four times just for one of Edmonton’s marathons right? Anyway…good times.
Hill #2 (Victoria): I’m remembering Annalisa’s “smile while you run” blog – it worked!
Along the river path, gaining some speed again and getting ready for…
…hill #3 (Ezio Farone). It’s a small but steep and tough hill and as I reach the top, I realize I’m 3/4 of the way there!
I go down the stairs telling myself not to walk – keep it moving, keep it moving! Right about now, I also think about what I’ll be blogging about today. Will it be a story about success or defeat? I opt for the first choice and make that part of my motivation.
Now, I’m heading along River Road still keeping good pace and can hear the music from Rocky in my head – Getting strong now – won’t be long now – getting strong now – gonna fly now -flying high now – gonna fly, fly, fly (I know it’s corny but it works!).
Next I start my way up Bellamy – hill #4. This is definitely the wrong way to be running Bellamy – Who the hell put this damn thing at the END of my route?! I started out very strong but this is a five minute long hill and it’s STEEP at the top. Hit higher than 95% MHR about 1/4 of the way from the top and it stayed there for a minute until I started dry heaving and had to walk for ten or fifteen steps. Guess I learned something – learned I should try not to be so stupid going so fast up Bellamy – ouch!!!
Today was a victory – I am “King Runner of Downtown Edmonton” (there was nobody else out there!) but I’m not sure how that fits in with the universe’s greater scheme of things…hmmm.
(Oh ya – it was DAMN cold out there)
