So, as all know who read this blog, I am a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness at the Crosstown location. I have a client and friend who is an ultrarunner as I am. I should say I am as she is as she has been much longer than I. Anyway, she has been running around the Eden Prairie area for a long time and training to run long distances all over the country. Let's just say she know a bit about running up and down hills over and over again for fun in Eden Prairie.
Let me start by saying this, I absolutely love how she explains to me where this place is. "you take shady oak north to this road, down this hill, look over your left shoulder, turn around and start going up hill." Spot on with direction, I just love how the adventure begins.
Interestingly enough, two weeks ago (the last time I had time to try to find this place), I left the club in search of "Watertower Hill". Did the whole head north to this trail, East under this bridge, South to this path and look for the park. After that "you can't miss it". Well, after getting to where I was supposed to be then now, I could and did miss it. In fact I ran right past it, like it was directly in front of my face. So what did I find on that sunny, hot day two weeks ago? What I like to call drinking fountain loop. A bit more grown in today than then and swap out the sun for a steady rain. Makes for a much different environment. Not bad or good, just different. Different challenges and a different audience... none!
Well, I didn't find what I was looking for then and was asked the question, "did you run watertower hill?" on Tuesday in my clients training session. My answer was similar to what I explained above minus the part about how I ran right past it and anything that happened today. I talked about the drinking fountain and she acted like she had never seen or known about it. For goodness sake, it's only within eyeshot of watertower hill. I'm sure she has seen the drinking fountain in question, at least if she has run watertower hill in the last 10 years or so. It is quite possible that she may not have. Her ultra days are a ways behind her.
That was a bit of a tangent but fun to write about none the less. Where was I? Yes, today... I got into work, began working with a potential client that turned into a contact (too many of them lately), worked with a client while silently being reprimanded by the one who gave the client to me. I love my new client by the way... that's not the point. Serviced a consultation that was very productive and made some great connections, had one more referral consultation that I believe went very well, and then I was free to program design and run, until making 6 phone calls when I got back (two of which turned into appointments).
My workout:
1 hill 500 feet up/ 500 feet down (not real muddy yet)
2 mile warm- up 9 minute mile pace
5 hill repeats threshold up pace walk
2 drinking fountain loops at the top of tennis court hill
5 hill repeats threshold walk recover down (getting muddy and slippy)
2 drinking fountain loops first fuel and back down
5 hill repeats threshold walk w/ pieces of mulch to help count (muddy fell on last hill down)
2 drinking fountain loops walked at top of hill two
back down tennis court hill to acute hill cooldown for 2 miles
1 hill for good measure and back to the car.
pre workout nutrition:
6 oz apple sauce natural
2 bananas w/ peanut butter gobbed on
water
and that's it really since Kate's yogurt for breakfast.
One cool motivator for this workout was that Grandmas was today and I know a few folks that ran. Way to go Tomm!!!!! I had finish line live footage rolling as I got ready for my run today and heard them call 5 hours.
I got to my destination, revisited my revised instructions on how to get to watertower hill, and followed them. I must confess, I did make a rather large loop in the car to finally arrive at my destination. Hopkins watertower is not what I was looking for I quickly realized (there's no hill). I looked back to the Southwest and saw barely the top of what looked like a watertower. I knew it had to be the one I was looking for as it was off the road I was to be looking for it off of. Down the hill, around the bend, and there it is, right in front of you.
I was curious. So, I started walking right up the hill to see what I was getting myself into. It was clear quickly that we were not messing around here, especially with the rain turning dirt to mud. I got to the bottom and began to warm up. Jog two miles was the protocol today before my first set of repeats. I didn't know exactly how this workout would be structured, what I did know is that there would be hills and 15-20 of them as that is what I was told would be a good supplement to 20-25 miles and 4-5 hours away from my family. Coincidentally or not, I was done with this 10.75 with 17 hill repeats in 2:20.
Pace was as it could be. Walking up, and down really especially as the dirt did turn to mud. My pace up was between 22 and 28 minutes per mile. I don't know what it was on the way down as my focus was not falling flat on my face. There were roots. I don't get along very well with roots. When I go down, roots are the root... cause. Pun intended hahahaha! We are a bit crazy yes...
Long hill up to the flat on the top of drinking fountain loop but much more gradual that watertower hill for sure. Joggable so that's what I did. It felt good every time to stretch my legs, especially on the down of drinking fountain loop
The workout is listed above and until that final 2 mile cool down it was fuel to stay ahead of any extreme fatigue. There were a couple of acute hills there at the end that really taxed every bit of stores left in the tank. I pushed though and made up my mind that I would do one more hill when I got back just for good measure. I did and back to the club I went to describe my experience to the boss at the club and a good friend of mine who just happened to be meeting together.
It really is nice to share the work that we put in. I thought about that on the way back to the club after my workout today. How would I explain my workout to those who asked and would they be patient enough to listen to what I had to say. They were and that is why I have so much respect for the two I was able to connect with this afternoon. Thank you.
I feel like I unlocked a new training grounds today thanks to my client who I feel is grooming me as an ultramarathoner and I am grateful for her support. That's all for now, the plan is a couple of hours more steady tomorrow as I need a couple of tough weekends in preparation for 50 miles on July 30th. I will be asking Life Time to sponsor my as a runner in that race. Night!
