Mountain Mamma

View from the top (of the hill)

Today's Run:
2.2 miles - Hill Repeat

I'm in the mountains of North Carolina for a week of family fun. This is where my mom and dad were both born, raised, met, fell in love and were married. Where I spent every summer as a child. Where I spent four years in college. Where I've buried my grandparents and my father. Where I have more incredibly happy memories than bad ones.

This flat lander rarely has the opportunity to run hills. I mean, Georgia has hills, but not like the Appalachian Mountains. So, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to get some serious hill work in this week. Pictured here is the hill behind my grandparent's home (now our mountain house) that looks challenging, but do-able. I figured 5 repeats of the route from the end of the road to the top of the hill (approximately a half mile) would be a great goal.

What I didn't realize is that the elevation change is 121 feet over the course of that half mile, but after three repeats my legs figured it out. Can you say Jello legs? I cheated the last two repeats and walked the large hill at the end instead of running it. I can totally tell that my glutes are not strong enough for serious hill running. I see many squats in my future.