As mentioned earlier, we did more hills tonight.
Warmup run, then the following on loop: start at the top of a hill and run down it at an effort level slightly higher than an easy jog. When the hill changes direction to start going back up, run "like you're chasing someone who stole your wallet and they're a professional runner" said our coach. Then at the top of the hill, loop on slightly more level ground at recovery effort and start over again. The whole thing is about 3 blocks in each direction.

I think I did this a total of 8 times. I'm finding that although running shorts (as opposed to something longer) are growing on me, I'm less comfortable with them at higher speeds. I'll have to remember this. Anyway, I got kinda freaked out about how winded I was after the first uphill run, but then I realized that the rest of the loop allowed for ample recovery time and although the workout was rough, it was doable. I decided to run along the reservoir back to our meet/stretching point and I was almost tempted to run all the way around it once (about 1.6 miles). It was such a beautiful evening and sometimes it feels nice to stretch out and settle into an easy stride after focusing on a particular task. I didn't want to find myself stranded in exhaustion on the far side though, and I forgot to stick some energy gel in my pocket on my way to the park, so I decided against the full loop. I still think I could have done it though, and after an hour of working so hard I was pleased that I still had something left in me.

Energy gel is essentially carbohydrates in a form that is easily absorbed when consumed. You burn hundreds of calories every hour when you run/bike/whatever, and your muscles need refueling. But eating while being physically active is sort of gross and for most people extremely unpleasant. So they make this stuff in pouch form that you just sort of squeeze into your mouth like toothpaste and it has an extremely quick effect. You're supposed to start with one after an hour of working out, and continue every 45 minutes until you're done. I just bought a case of chocolate Gu and I have to say it's reasonably tasty. But still really weird.


This weekend our head coach is running a 100 mile race. I can't even comprehend this. But he is this compact person made, as far as I can tell, entirely of muscle. For him a marathon is like a long walk in the park. Seriously though. 100 miles.