Wednesday, June 2, 2010

hill sprint at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by meschee at Garmin Connect - Details: "Share"
Well today Ihad good intentions, there was some really steep x country routes that I wanted to check out in preparation for my hilly 10 k cross country race on sunday. I parked in the nature reserve so I knew I had a good mile to warm up before I went to find the hills I had chosen. I am always running past lots public footpaths that look like they could be quite challenging so today I would explore. Its just typical isn't that today there were animals in, well horses to be exact. Ahhh I thought, I know horses they will be fine, they wont even notice me...........It wasnt until I got half way up the hill that I noticed lots foals in the field and then a very pregnant mare. They had seen me and started running towards me and I do know that mares can be very protective of their young so I wasnt going to stay around to find out. This was a chance to do some speed work with vaulting a gate at the end...... now where? Oooo I know just down the road theres another steep public footpath, lets check that one out. I was up the road and over the next gate, there were cows in the field with calves but the path was protected by an electric fence.....yes up the hill I went then again stopped. The path turned into a sea of stinging nettles unpassable, arent they supposed to keep the paths free? so again back down the hill. I wanted to do at least 5 miles so I ran back the way I came up to what is now know as "boobie hill". I ran up it once and back down, now last time I ran up this hill I did it 3 times creating a rather nice picture of boobies on the elevation chart. I wanted to do something bit more intense what could I do. Tthe words of Kate entered my head " go on you know you want to hill sprint" Damn you Baker.
So I stayed on the steep bit and started at a telegraph pole and then I sprinted up to the next pole giving it everything i had. Now you might think that telegraph poles are quite close together but here in Meare they aint not when you giving it your all up a steep hill, let me tell you. I then walked back down and started again. I did this 5 times ( on the elevation chart it looks sooo tiny). It just so happened that as I was walking down one of the locals drove past shouting " come on you should be running up not walking down" that really really annoyed me had he not seen me sprinting up with my heart poking out of my chest?? So with an angry head I turned back round and jogged right to the very top of the hill. There I had done it, maybe I didnt sprint far enough but it was a start and next time I would do it more timesw or for a longer distance. I love hills

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