Man Made Hill

Finally back to form after a forced vacation of no crunches, squats or track work; kettlebell swings, push-ups or fridge cleaning!
You have to pay attention to your body when it sends you persistent pain signals.
So I headed to the track this morning and ran some laps at my tempo pace (8:15) - felt pretty good!
A rest does do a body good.
Then I ran over to the only hill in our neighborhood.

This Google Earth image was obtained
before hill formation.

Here is the story about this hill. At first there was just an open rough area surrounded by houses and a filbert orchard. Then – the powers to be decided it should be a park. So in came the crew. They built a kid’s zone with a whole lot of cement sidewalks.
(But did incorporate some nice tile work.)

Next they added a bark mulch path – albeit a very short one...
Then they built a hill! Not a huge hill, I’m guessing a 40 foot mound. I was wondering why they built such a hill as we don’t get much snow in Eugene... Except last year – then it turned into kid’s nirvana!

When I powered up it today, I felt a little silly. But at least I’m getting my hill running technique figured out. Lean forward – take short steps.
Next Saturday is my first ever Trail race and I have a feeling the elevation will be greater than this man made hill!

Running Hills Where There Are None

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