Today's workout (treadmill): 24 minutes
Saturday has been a busy day and an early morning appointment prevented me from getting out for my run. That was too bad as conditions were perfect at 8:00 AM when I would have run. By the time I got free, it was already well after lunch. I had just read about TrailRunner Magazine's Hill Challenge that is going on at the Outdoor Retailer show right now in Salt Lake City. I thought that might be the perfect workout for me, given my limited time.
The TrailRunner hill challenge pits two people against each other on treadmills where they compete to see who can cover the most distance in 15 minutes while running at a 10% incline. 15 minutes seems like a short enough time to endure almost anything but I'm not a 20-something super athlete and I know my limits. Instead I did the Emerging Runner Hill Challenge which involved running 24 minutes with increasing speeds and inclines in the first half, followed by decreasing speeds and elevation during the second.
I began the run at 4 MPH with a zero incline and at 00:59 bumped to 1% and 4.1 MPH respectively. I continued this way until I reached 10% and 5.1 MPH which I held for a couple of minutes. After that I decreased by .1 MPH and 1% incline until I finished. I kept my Amphipod hand bottle filled with icy water at the ready and drank liberally throughout my workout. I was sweating profusely by the 10 minute mark and, despite the increasingly easier conditions the run still felt like hard work.
It was great to complete a hard workout in less than 30 minutes -- perfect for the time I had. Thanks to my daughter (and camera person) I was able to file this weekend's video update. I hope to get out for a long run on Sunday. Let's see if the rain will hold off, at least throughout the morning.
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wow- 10% for 15 min would be quite a bear! i'm a believer in hill training, tho- anytime i've been able to incorporate it, it's helped my race times tremendously. however, it also comes with a proportionately higher risk of injury. it can be something of an art to find the ideal balance. i try to incorporate it judiciously, but i think that varies per individual. running a gradual ascent on the TM seems a smart way to go (and alleviates TM-boredom!)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could manage through the TrailRunner challenge but my workout felt right. I agree that hill training is an effective race strategy, especially for the Great Cow Harbor 10K! I've been fortunate not to incur injury from running hills and TM inclines. I'm hoping that continues.
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