Today was not a race one would think was PR’able but somehow I managed to do just that. I finished 16 seconds faster than I did in Champaign just a few short weeks ago. Nobody and I mean nobody was more surprised than I was when I approached the finish line still seeing “2:10” on the race clock! I really was not paying much time to my splits on the course today as the hills had most, if not all, of my undivided attention as I did my best to navigate them. Spending time on the Spin bike at Lifetime Fitness has caused me to reflect on energy management and the various ways resistance and cadence can be matched for a maximum sustainable wattage output. This is easier to do when the raw numbers are right in front of you on a bike computer but on a hilly course I had nothing more than my “breath rate” to take an educated guess of exertion. It appears that we really do gain insight into ourselves if we will ‘listen’. The real question that I have been asking myself: where I was able to dig up the energy to cover 176 yards in 35 seconds at the end of this race? This is another mystery for me to look into and ponder. . . probably sandbagging miles 11-13 is my best guess . . . . Today was supposed to just be a fun run but as soon as we made our first left hand turn onto a steady climb up a hill I knew it was going to be a run requiring tremendous effort. This came as no surprise because this is the second time I have run in Franklin County. It is no coincidence that I run here, on average, once per year. All you need to know about Franklin County runs can be summed up in one word: hills. Lots and lots of hills! Hills of varying types – long climbs, steep climbs and the occasional long, steep climb: each one absorbing energy in accordance with the effort offered. As my dear friend Michelle Schaeg is fond of saying “It’s a hill! Get over it!” Now the interesting thing about hills, we really give them a bad rap. Sure, they favor the “light” runner as gravity has a lot less to grab hold of on their way up. The strong runner can muscle up and pound the hill out flat whereas the weaker runner takes the pounding on the hard climb to the summit. The thing I rarely hear people talk about is the other side or the “down” hill where gravity returns as our helper (if we will let it). Even this, however, requires skill and conditioning unless you enjoy running endurance races without the whole-hearted assistance of your quadriceps! The wrong pace down a steep hill can reduce one of the larger muscle groups in our body to a quivering mass of jelly. (I learned this crossing the Saint Johns Bridge – Portland Marathon 2012 – mile 17!!) The other thing people do not take advantage of is the “perceived effort” affect we can gain on a hill. Sometimes taking on a hill with a continuous sustainable effort can immediately translate back to speed once the hill is pounded flat again. Attacking a hill is an acquired skill, one I am continuously trying to master. Knowing when to be aggressive on the accent and when to realize we better shift down a couple of gears – even if that means walking can make or break our next mile split. I do not hate hills – nor do I love them, but I am a realist and as long as we run far enough, we are sure to come across them from time to time. Another simple kind of real life imagery made possible by reflecting on a difficult, but surprisingly pleasurable run in Washington Missouri today!!
Posted on: Sun, 18 May 2014 22:45:52 +0000
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