Progression on the Hills

I headed back to Forbidden Drive today. Instead of just a normal hilly run, I decided to do the scheduled progression run. In consisted of 5 miles at a comfortable pace, followed by 3 miles at moderate pace.

The temperature was in the low 30s, so going without a jacket was the obvious choice. That worked out well and I was actually quite hot with just the ColdGear top on. I put my headband in the car when I looped back around.

Going north from Valley Green is perfect to start a progression run. It's relatively flat when compared to the rest of the trail. I started there and ran just past Bells Mill Road. I turned around at the 2 mile mark. There was some icy patches, but other than that, the first half of the run was fairly easy. My foot was still sore, but not nearly as bad as it usually is on here. The new trail shoes are taking more of the impact from rocks.

I was really impressed with all the fast runners that were out around lunch time. The La Salle Cross Country team had a bunch of runners out there. I saw quite a few other guys who looked very fast as well. They were all going the other way though, so I didn't get to challenge myself. I thought about actually seeing if I could join the La Salle guys.

I ran alone though and going south from Valley Green was quite challenging. It is much more hilly in that portion of the route. I am adapting well though, as the hills themselves aren't bothering me that much anymore. It was combining the hills with harder run that made things difficult.

Some patches were quite icy too. That was the one hazard on the second half of the run. I ran most of the last three miles on these hills at around a 7 minute pace. A few times, I considered quiting or slowing down, but I really knew that wasn't an option. It was only 3 miles at moderate pace. I thought about using the heart rate monitor to keep track of my effort, but I didn't want to test the heart rate monitor out on such a key workout. I'll use it tomorrow.

One thing that I was very happy about was the ability to finally adjust my watch setting. I got rid of the virtual partner feature and now I can see what I want to see. It's not showing some pace that I don't even understand. I didn't have the pace per mile displayed, but seeing time and distance was good enough for now.

The hills are definitely making me faster and stronger. My IT band bothered me a little during the final mile, but other than that I felt strong. The IT band discomfort was only minor.

I'm glad I bought trail shoes, but I am disappointed with their breathability. I used them with my New Balance socks and my feet were soaked. I didn't run through water or anything. I'll try thinner socks next time. Maybe in the spring, I'll have to invest in a good pair of trail shoes.

Tomorrow is an easy 4 mile run. I'll head back to the river. Hopefully, I'll finally use the heart rate monitor. I'm curious to see how it works, even if I don't want to use it much in the future.

8.02 miles - 57:51 (7:12 pace)