I finally got to do my hill workout. Tried not to push too much on my ride to West Philly, but it's tough not to fight back when the wind wants you to go backwards. By the time I was on my feet I knew it would be a challenging 70 minutes.
I didn't really find my rhythm until I got up to the Concourse, and even there I was still headed west, into the wind. I wanted to stay relaxed so I could focus on the repeats, but I was working most of the way to Belmont Plateau. Voices started telling me that it wasn't going to happen today but I managed to stuff them back where they came from.
Six times I charged up the hill south of Belmont Mansion. I chose this spot because it's grass and therefore much more forgiving than concrete. It's not extremely steep, but steep enough. I tried to run hard and steady and under control, but not sprinting. So this is what lactic acid feels like. Occasionally the recovery jog back down (between 1:00 and 1:30 or so) began as a recovery "walk." On the way down after #6 my grimace turned into a smile and I was glad to be done. Gave it my all, I can now add it to my resumé. Looped around to MLK and made my way back to campus with the wind to my back. Oh, the title refers to the route. Have a look at the elevation profile. Just like a bread knife, no? I'll call it 9 miles in 1:14. HR 170.
I should note for the record that with about a block left I noticed a tightness in the inside bottom of my right foot. Nothing serious, just something to be aware of.
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