7 February 2008
“Speed”, Big Hills, Freezing Rain, and other observations…
Posted by Julie Hurley under: Julie Hurley .
I participated in my first speed/hill workout on Tuesday night with RunGazelle. A nasty storm was on its way, but I’ve been told time and time again that RunGazelle RARELY cancels an event; I can proudly now say that I’m glad they have this policy.
To be quite honest, I thought it was going to suck. There, I said it. I played sports all through high school and softball in college, and I sometimes really hated practice. Mostly just the running part; laps, sprints, etc. I was not a runner and I despised every part of running. See how far I’ve come? So, as I watched everyone gather in the EGR library, I had doubts as to how well I was going to handle this. As the group rushed out the double doors into night, chattering and laughing, I quickly remembered that I was a runner - a Road WARRIOR for cryin’ out loud - and felt the masochist in me take over. Piercing daggers of sleety rain struck my face with more force than I can ever remember, and I liked it. It make me feel very strong and a little crazy to be out there, not only testing the limits of my body, but of my mind as well.
I grinned to myself as I settled into conversation with Brad F. (thanks again for running with me!), and made my way through the very dark streets. I could see the bobbing forms of runners ahead of me, still chatting and laughing despite the sleet. Runners are a very happy group of people, no doubt fueled by the rush of endorphins flooding their brains.
After a quick 1.5 miles, we made it to The Hill. In total, it was estimated to be about .25 mile up and down. It didn’t look that intimidating, but hills are my Achilles Heel. We were instructed to run at 80 percent of our max (I hope I heard that right), and sent on our way. As I ran up the hill, I could feel my quads start burning immediately. I cut back on my speed and made it to the top. We were allowed to jog or walk the way down. We did this five times, up and down. I don’t think I broke any speed records; I actually think I was running at a much slower pace than usual, but I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I was done. I ran the 1.5 miles back to the library and was very happy that I had made it out of my house to go run.
If you’re still considering running the 5/3 RBR 25k, or even 5k … what are you waiting for? Really? When I applied to become a Road Warrior, I had been saying to myself (and friends and family) that I was going to run a 25k one day. I never sat down and made it an official goal. I was all talk. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would even be running the 25k this year if I hadn’t been selected (I know, I know…what would I have been waiting for?). I needed that push and that accountability to move forward. But once I got in a couple of long runs (eight miles), I realized very quickly that this was something I could do, and it really surprised me.
As I meet new people I’m learning that a lot of people read these blogs, and I think that’s really cool! I never thought my life would make for interesting reading, but I do appreciate everyone who takes the time to sit down and read our blogs. Feel free to comment more! I love getting feedback from people.
2 Comments so far...
Shirl Kohl-Martin Says:
7 February 2008 at 11:20 am.
Julie, This is a GREAT story and very motivating! I look forward to doing hill/speed work with all of you!
GREAT JOB! We are really going to do the 25K…it’s not just talk! We really are!!!!
Shirl
Terry Says:
7 February 2008 at 9:14 pm.
Great blog Julie. Keep up the great training. Before you know it you’ll be up to 15 miles.
Terry