Hill Repeats...again...

Farrell Road behind me...it's the bottomless hill!

Yeah, that's right. Hill Repeats. The ever so loving Farrell Road. 4x. Same drill. Would have liked to have gotten 5 repeats in but I was under a time crunch this morning so we had to start earlier and finish earlier. And there was a strong skunk smell this morning as we were heading up #4. But I got 4 in! Next time 5!

But they didn't feel like a good 4 hills. Mostly because I am out of my AdvoCare O2 Gold. It really does help with my breathing. It oxygenates me more and I can just breath better!

We had some new people join us this morning. I wonder what they thought? Katie, Holly, Lisa...feel free to weigh in. Would love to hear what you thought of the fun this morning!

I think people think that Hill Repeats are easy. I thought that too at first. And maybe they are to some people. But I think it really depends on the hill. For example, heading west on Stone Quarry is an incline. When I have to do my mile repeats(3x1600's) again (but not until week 8!), I may do Stone Quarry. It's a slight incline that doesn't intimidate me as much as Farrell Road. I need to find another hill. I want to see if Farrell Road is really that intimidating or if it's just hills in general. Open to suggestions of hills in the area!!!

In other news, I read on a running blog this week, www.MileTwentyEight.com, about how cherry juice is a good recovery food for runners, and well, just healthy! Plus I am a little bored with bananas after my runs anyhow! But cherry juice, and I am assuming fresh cherries, provide the following benefits:

• Provides pain relief:  tart cherry juice has been shown to block enzymes that cause inflammation
• Performs as a sleep aid:  tart cherry juice has been shown to encourage melatonin production.  Melatonin is a hormone secreted in the brain that brings on sleep
• Fights heart disease:  tart cherry juice helps fight triglycerides, which is a chemical form of fat in foods.

So with that in mind, when I went to the grocery last night, I picked up a bag of fresh cherries. They were $1.99/pound at Kroger! What a deal!!!  2 pounds later, washed, rinsed and in a strainer ready for the morning! (I chomped on a handful before bed...had to test the Melatonin aspect! DOH! ) And this morning I did enjoy! Along with my banana. 

I have to admit that I have felt better today after the hills than I have on previous occasions. Maybe it's just because it's FRIDAY!  

Or maybe because it's THIS GUYS 12th Birthday on Saturday!!!

NATE!!!!! 1st Birthday!

It's been a good week...all things considered. Looking forward to the Long Run of 10 miles on Sunday. I am sure there will be lots to blog about then! 

Thinking about a run tomorrow morning...try this "recovery run" that I read about!

Until then...

Happy Birthday Nate! Mommy loves you!!!
-t-
Run. Strong.