Yesterday was Monday Funday, which also means hill repeats with Trailmomma. Now I have been looking forward to Monday Funday since the previous Monday. I know I must be going crazy if I am looking forward to some hill repeats.
After work I headed up the hill to El Dorado for some fire hydrant fun. My quads as we started running were not very excited about it. They were a bit sore and if you have ever run up in El Dorado hills you know that it is very hilly. Every turn we made there was a hill. Going up actually felt really good, it was the going down and the braking that caused the quads to hurt. But no pain no gain.
On the first repeat my legs were heavy and I felt like I could hardly move, Trailmomma looked strong. I don't think I kept up with her she was so fast going up. I hit the turnaround and headed back down. During the next few repeats Trailmomma was having some challenges of her own and had to transition into a power hike. She decided that 3 long repeats was good enough and focused on shorter/sprint repeats while I focused on completing my long repeats. Either way we were both going to get a workout in.
As my repeats kept going, I so just wanted to stop. But I told myself, that was not an option, there was no stopping because out there somewhere someone else was doing this same activity and they weren't stopping. I pushed on and focused on my long term goal. Tahoe 50 in July and this workout was designed to help get me ready and with those thoughts I pushed it again until all 6 repeats were completed. I was ready to crumble after that last repeat.
On the cool down run home Trailmomma and I ventured into a new area and enjoyed some great sights and views of the lake below. I even mustered up the strength to run up some more hills, in fact my legs by this point were feeling really good, they were light and it felt effortless. A really good feeling.
In total I completed 6 repeats and tacked on one last repeat once we arrived back at Trailmomma's house were I finished up with 7 miles for the day. Trailmomma did fantastic even though she had her own challenges. She finished the day up with 3 long repeats and 5 shorter/faster repeats for the day.
Week 3 of hill repeats was actually really fun. I can feel my legs getting stronger. I have this inner drive recently that I haven't seen in awhile. It is really exciting to see the flame spark inside of me. My goal is always present and when I lose my focus for a second all I have to think about is Tahoe and my focus comes back.
Focus is strength; and strength comes from within!
You are ready. Physically and mentally you are ready. I can see it in your face and the way you run lately.
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