Embracing the hills

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October 17, 2012 by Amy B

I took a hillier route tonight than normal. I wanted to try to slow down my pace – hills have a way of doing that – and I was getting sick of the same route I’ve been running most days. Pepin loop delivers.

The route only changes 188 ft in elevation, but damn, it seems like more than that. There’s a pretty large downhill at about the 2 mile mark, and then it just starts going back uphill. The last big push after the 3 mile mark kind of kills me. There’s a fairly substantial uphill climb for 0.5 miles. Now, granted that when I say “substantial” it’s relative, but the normal route I run? Pretty darn flat. And I like flat. I really do.

Despite the hills, I do feel pretty good about the splits. The Garmin was acting wacky during the first quarter mile, and I know my heart rate isn’t accurate for that first mile. I had to go back and adjust the map a bit, too.

I’ve been trying to embrace the hills, in my running and in my life, because God knows I’ve got plenty of them in life. And I know I’m pretty fortunate, and what seems like mountains on most days are really speed bumps compared to what other people endure every day. But I’m trying to be thankful that I’ve got these hills in my life. It’s just not easy when you’re sucking wind and your chest burns and your legs feel like they’re made of lead.