Running Uphill

Why (you might be asking yourself) would I be going to the track for a sprint running workout when I have a major lake swim race coming up in less than two weeks. Ah, Grasshopper, does not the pebble, entering the water, begin fresh journeys? Does not the grass, waving in the wind, understand the ocelot? Does not Master Po have a strong case for suing Yoda about ripping off his character?

I wonder if Yoda ever used the Force to enhance his dates in high school? "But Yoda, I'm not that kind of girl!" -- "You will be."

Heck, he probably stole some of his best lines from his Algebra teachers, too. "But professor, I don't see any use for quadratic equations as a tool in fighting the Sith." -- "That is why you fail."

Anyway, my only race of the summer -- the Horsetooth 10K Lake Swim -- is coming up on August 10th. I'd really like to do well, especially since I wasn't happy with my performance last year. Therefore, I really had to think about it when my brother asked me if I was going to do a track workout on Tuesday night. After brief consideration, I concluded that I could always show up, support Pat's training, and then play catch with him afterward. (We often toss a ball around after running. Good sibling bonding stuff, that.) There was no requirement for me to run if I didn't want to.

Pat has been working hard and his speed is coming along. When we first started running together several months ago, I could actually keep up -- though we both knew that he possesses the greater running talent and would be whupping me before too long. And sure enough, I kept up for a while, but have long since re-assumed my historic position of 2nd place behind him. (I retain the advantage, though, in swimming, charm, and intellectual capacity, so it's OK.) His priorities for the workout were to post some aggressive times in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. After trying to get my workday-stiffened legs warmed up without success, I decided that I would watch and cheer, rather than participate. And while he was imitating Jesse Owens, I'd get a nice, mellow workout by jogging slowly around the track.

But as I jogged, I noticed that there was a fellow on the side of the nearby hill, running up a near-vertical path leading to the big tank that sits at the summit. "Hmm," I thought, "that looks challenging." Not only that, but the steepness of the slope looked like it might be easy on my knees; it's the impact from a long stride that tends to generate tenderness. And going up a steep road, well, my strides aren't going to be very long, are they?

Pat finished his timed runs (and did quite well, thank you), and was open to the idea of going up the hill with me. It was steep, but short, so we set a goal of merely making it up without stopping. Take your marks; GO!

Those who've never done sports probably don't understand how we could label something like this as "fun". Your legs burn, your lungs are trying to exit your body right through the chest wall, and your breathing sounds like rusty sheet metal being crushed into a cube. But you keep going, one foot in front of the other -- each step lifting your entire body another 6 inches further from the center of the earth. And truthfully, you may not actually enjoy it as it's happening, but once it's over, you feel that life is good and the Universe is a happy place. It's fun!

And the best part of it was...well, the best part of it was that the dudes who were zipping around the hill on dirt bikes didn't T-bone us -- but the other best part was that the climb actually got my legs warmed up. Whoo hoo! After carefully descending the hill, I tried running on the track and found that my stride seemed long and strong. So I ran a few laps at a fairly challenging pace, and felt pretty darn good about myself and what I had accomplished. But I discovered that I still wanted to run the hill again. So I did.

It was fun, again! I'm hopeful that I've discovered the secret for my own personal speedwork training program. Run up a hill first, and then try to go fast on the track. Warming up is always the problem for me. And when I literally warm up by going up, well, it seems to be effective. I plan to incorporate this technique into my future track workouts, and I will let you know if it actually works, or was just a fluke.

But you'll have to wait a while to find out. Next week is "taper week", and I'm going to stay away from any activity that could get me injured, sore, or tired. I'll cut back on the weightlifting, decrease the intensity of swim workouts, and think about whether it makes sense to shave my legs for the race. I'll spend less time wearing myself out, and more time channeling my inner Yoda. A good week it shall be, mmm?

I guess we'll find out, won't we? Thanks for dropping by, and have a great day!