Moving from California to Missouri, I forgot what the terrain of the Mid-West looked like. I had not seen our house or town before moving so I was full of questions. My husband told me that the area we were moving to would be flat. Flatter than flat. Like really flat.
I was concerned and bummed.
I knew there would be no mountains to look at… but to run the on only flat land again was not the running challenge I was hoping for.
When we arrived to our new town I was greeted with hills. Hills upon rolling hills.
Grated these were NOT mountains, which is why my husband made mention that it was flat. However, every way you looked, walked, ran, DROVE you went up and down and over hills. Many many hills!
I have yet to find a flat running route… or driving route that does not encounter a huge hill (up and down)
Living in Elk Grove I searched for hills. In order to run hills I had to run up and over the overpass… or drive 45 minutes to Auburn to run the trails.
Not here.
Earlier this week, I snuck out for a quick 3 mile run. Mama needed to run. The hills were killer. I ran the whole time, albeit super slow up those hills… and super fast (and sometimes out of control) down the hills.
I am out of hill running shape. I am excited to run on and become a hill running expert. Ha!
The following day I was supposed to run a fast-tempo 7-8 miles. I decided to explore a new-to-me trail near my house and run while pushing T in the jogger.
The views were different than my typical California running routes… but so much better. I ran a paved and winding trail along Smithville Lake.
Oh boy! That was a challenge!
Hill upon glorious hill. Up the hill. Down the hill. There wasn’t much of a reprieve of flat trail to find a consistent pace. Oh the hills… I have missed you.
Running hills is hard. Running hills by yourself is hard. Running while pushing a stroller is hard. Running while pushing my not-so-tiny T-man up (and down) the hills was killer.
I about died. Multiple times (according to my Polar M400 heart rate monitor). Just kidding. Not really, although I did feel like I would at any moment.
To add insult to poor hill running shape injury, I had the ultimate finisher the last mile back to the car. I took the short cut route home and it was a steep and steady incline the last .9 miles! There was a point in one of the rolling uphill climbs that I felt like I was pushing the jogger straight up in the air! I literally laughed out loud and how challenging it was.
You won’t be hearing me complain about not finding and running on hills here anymore. Holy moly… all the hills. Time to suck it up and embrace my hill loving self. I must re-read all the hill running tips and come to grip with the reality that my times might be slower than I am used to seeing. I will get stronger. I will run faster. I will conquer these hills!
I will be running all the hills. I will be a stronger runner from running the hills. I will be stronger physically as well as mentally. Running the hills will make me stronger.
If you really want to conquer the hills, sign up for Hospital Hill. It is always the first Saturday in June. I have done all 3 distances, 5K, 10K and Half Marathon. My current PR for my half marathons is hospital hill! Its a great race!
I ran the Hospital Hill half marathon back in 2007. I was pregnant with P when I ran it and ran with a girlfriend for fun (lots of walking and talking). I DO remember those hills on that course… and the volunteers saying “This is the last hill!” lol 😉
Hills are good for you! I live in hilly southeast Ohio. The hills are not mountains, but it’s good hill training!
While I don’t really like running hills, I do it anyways b/c I know how good it is for training. There is one route I run that is about 2 miles uphill with only a few short flats or downhills…but on the upside, I get to run DOWN on my way home! My goal is always to keep a steady pace and run the hills. My running friend always laughs at me b/c often I will power up the hill and take my quick walk break at the top!
Yes. While I don’t like doing it… I know that it will make me stronger. 🙂
I love the hills and miss them so much. I remember just thinking for every up there is a down and always telling myself how much stronger and faster each hill was making me!
Yes! Thank you! 🙂
Where I am in DC there are SO many hills! I found the perfect straight route that has just enough inclines, but I would love to go other ways…but the hills would kill me! At the end of my run I always have to run back up a massive hill! It is so cruel, but makes me really beast it out to finish! Haha!
I’m one of the weird people who actually likes hills haha. I love hill sprints, both outside and on the treadmill. You’ll get back into hill shape in no time! My favorite treadmill workout is doing 30-45 second runs (not necessarily sprints but around 5K pace) at 8.0 or 9.0 incline…killer!
You will absolutely conquer those hills!! I used to hate running hills but after training for the SF Half marathon last year, I’ve come to appreciate them. I hesitate to say love ha! But I gained so much more confidence from hill training and strength too.
Yaaaaaah for hills! I live in the Green Mountain State (Vermont). There isn’t a flat spot to be seen! I hated it when I first moved here, as I had come from flat as a pancake South Carolina. But now I can’t imagine running a flat course again…
I have to try really hard to NOT find hills on my runs! It only makes you stronger! Way to go mama!
All my running routes have hills as well. I don’t mind them at all. Nice pictures!
I’m impressed at your enthusiasm for hills! I dread ’em haha.
I have a love/hate relationship with hills. And here in Tennessee there are a lot of them. I usually slow down a bit as I am running up them and just try not to fall on the way down 🙂
When I started running, I did everything possible to avoid running hills. Now, I embrace them. Even when I’m training for a race with a flat course, I try to run as many hills as possible, in hopes that it’ll make me that much faster come race day.
There are a lot of hills here. The way I understood it’s from the end of the glaciers from the ice age.
Hills are a necessary evil and if you can conquer them then you will be all the better for it in the longer run as far as conditioning. Now doing inclines while pushing the stroller of a todder? Oh I think I would have passed out.
I actually used to love running hills! I started my major running in Manhattan and VA, so that was all I did. Now that I live in Chicago, though, I’m a hill pansy
Good for you for taking on those hills! You have inspired me not to give up so easily. 🙂
How funny- when I moved to Nashville from CA, I was concerned about hills as well. OMG I have not run a FLAT route since moving (except when we went on vacation in Florida haha!)- SO many hills out here!