The Wrath of Mother Nature

OThe forecast called for rain all afternoon today, but if you have to race in it, you better train in it. Or at least be prepared for it. So out I went into the cold, rainy, miserable weather. For hill repeats. Even better.

The hill that I have been using is actually literally a tenth of a mile (if that) from my house, but I started off with an easy 2-ish as a warm-up, going slightly slower than GMP (that's "goal marathon pace"). I didn't need to go crazy in the first 20 minutes - I still had 2 miles of climbing to do so no sense wearing myself out well in advance. I have a marker on the road - sorry Town guys! - at my starting point and one at the finishing point so that I can be accurate in my splits. My goal is to not just increase the number if repeats I do every three weeks, but to also get stronger and faster. While this might not translate to faster hills splits, it will hopefully translate on the flats. 

The hill was a little longer than .15 of a mile, and I wanted to maintain an even split each time (remember, I have that whole "pacing" problem). Here's how it worked out in the end:

1 - :51

2 - :55

3 - :51

4 - :51

5 - :49

6 - :48

I would say not too shabby. Obviously this is only a very short distance and does not in any way translate into keeping a steady pace over 26.2 miles, but I am pleased none the less. 

After another easy 2 miles for a cool down, which, considering the weather left me actually a bit cold by the end, I came home to an awesome home cooked meal, a hot shower and an accompanying shower beer. Ahh, the joys of marriage!

Now it's time to enjoy a two hour lecture on hazardous materials - fun!