Holy Hills!!

Fresh off one of the hilliest courses I have run so far (ZOOMA Cape Cod), I headed to Washington, PA for a family wedding and some more hills. The three runs I did while in Washington are quite possibly some of the hilliest EVER (in fact, I think they are!). After arriving in Washington at around dinner time, I realized getting out for a run was not going to happen. I woke up Friday morning and headed out with my husband for a four-miler. Let’s just say that I sort of forgot how hilly it was in Southwestern PA (see pics)!

We went for an out and back and saw two deer along the way. The mother and young one ran out of a driveway and bolted across the street in front of us! We turned around shortly there after and headed back for the mostly uphill return. My legs started to really burn during the last quarter mile and my heart rate hit the max zone! Runs 2 and 3 were relatively similar—very hilly! It was nice to have a change from the norm while running in PA.

I actually love hills because I know they make you stronger AND faster! I choose to embrace them instead of being intimidated by them. So many people let the hills psych them out during racing, rather than seeing them as a temporary obstacle and powering through them. The past weekend really made me realize that I need to incorporate some more hill training into my weekly workouts. My legs are sore in a very good way!