When I was younger (we are talking 14 to 18/19 here). I ran regularly to the point where I was running 3.5 miles 5 days a week and 7 miles twice a week.
My regular run involved the toughest hill that I have ever run up as well as having the first 1/2 a mile being an incline. It was all comfortable and enjoyable back then so I didn’t realise the value that it added to my running.
Now, I live in a very hilly part of Exeter and the majority of my runs involve hills and it really tells when I get on to a flat run.
My training for a 5k race recently involved a 5k loop starting and finishing at my house. The first mile and a bit was a series of hills and the last 1/4 mile involved steep inclines. My average for the run was around 30 minutes.
The race had a couple of hills but was much flatter and I ended up running it in less than 29 minutes.
Fast forward to my current training stint and my 2 mile runs are basically downhill for 1/4 mile, flatish for 1.5 miles and then uphil for the last 1/4 and it is really helping. The 3 miles that I tried out recently ended up being run in 27 minutes 40. I had to remeasure the route just to check that it was actually 3 miles and not shorter.
So now (when I don’t necessarily need to know it), I’ve realised the value of hills.
And I have just watched Bolt smash his own 200m world record – superhuman!
Nice to hear someone appreciating hills but I cant help but have that sinking feeling when your at the bottom of one. If youve ever surfed you realise that waves look much bigger when your lay on your board to when your stood on the beach, its that whole looking up at them aspect that makes the size just seem like such a chore! For me this is what running at the bottom of the hill is like, the further up you get the more satisfactory it is that its not quite so big anymore.
Anyway, I know you recently ran the Cardiff half and mentioned the hills here, I also know exeter quite well so you must have been well prepared!