Taking it up a notch

So, in an attempt to prepare for the craziness that is Ragnar: Adirondacks, I have upped my training.  This morning, I ran with some of my teammates up a massive hill.  We went up three miles and then came back down for a total of six miles.  Since Ragnar is full of steep hills (remember, it's through the mountains), we figured we should start doing some serious hill work.  This fit the bill!

I actually really enjoyed it.  There's something very therapeutic about running straight uphill for three miles.  It definitely makes you feel tough.

If that wasn't enough, I added another component to my training.  I started running more than once throughout the day.  Normally, I just run once every day or so.  But, Ragnar requires me to run three different legs, each about 10 hours apart.  I need to be able to run three times in a day and a half.  So, after the brutal hill work this morning, I added a second evening run.  I ran six miles this morning and three miles this evening.  It wasn't so bad...except for the intense heat.  I really dislike running in the heat.

Now that I'm adding more intense training to my schedule, I'm even more excited about Ragnar.  It's going to be tough, but I know I can do it, and that's a great feeling.

Wait...what did I agree to?!

A few months ago, in the midst of half marathon training, one of our running buddies sent an email to me and Paul asking us if we wanted to be part of a Ragnar Relay team.  I had never even heard of Ragnar, so I immediately went to the website to check it out.  For those of you who don't know, Ragnar is a 200 mile relay that is run by teams of 12 (or ultrateams of 6...I think you can probably guess what type of team I'm on :))  over the course of approximately 30 - 36 hours.  It sounded fun, so we both agreed.  Paul was especially excited and has been doing all sorts of Ragnar planning ever since.  He and the woman who sent the original invite are co-captains.  So, there is a lot of Ragnar talk at my house.

Anyway, the way the race works is that each runner gets three legs of the course to run.  The legs are varying distances and difficulty levels and occur at all hours of the day...even in the middle of the night.  We're participating in Ragnar Adirondacks.  The race actually goes through the Adirondack mountains! 

So, I knew we would have some elevation to contend with.  But, I guess I have been in denial since we registered.  Since my legs range between 5.2 miles and 6.4 miles, I haven't worried too much.  That's the distance I run on a regular basis.  It's definitely doable for me.  But, I didn't think about the difficulty level of each of my "legs." (Do you see where this is going?)

Today, Paul and Staci set out to drive the entire course.  Luckily, the starting point is only about 2 hours from where we live, and the race ends about 45 minutes from where we live.  They wanted to see what we're in for and do some planning.

While they were driving the course, Paul and I were texting.  

It looks I'm in for a tough set of runs!  I guess I better start training!

Hills + Heat Wave = No Fun!

I can't believe I'm even typing the words "heat wave" in the middle of March.  This weather is so crazy.  Yesterday, it hit 80 degrees!  Seriously, our normal temperatures are 30 - 40 degrees at this time of year.  The lilac bushes along my driveway are sprouting leaves, which doesn't usually happen until May!  It's just so bizarre.  But, like all good things, this too must come to an end.  Today's temperatures were lower and next week is going to be in the 40's and 50's.  There's even a chance that we could still end up with a big snowstorm in the coming weeks as it is not uncommon to have a March or April snowstorm in Upstate NY.

I have been running outside during my lunch hour, and it has been difficult to adjust to running in the high temps.  Two weeks ago, I was running in 20 degree weather, and my body is still in cold weather running mode.  I usually have time to gradually adjust to warmer weather running, but this was not the case this past week.

Yesterday, I decided to do some hill work during my lunch hour.  The college where I work sits atop a very steep hill and we have a pedestrian road that runs parallel to the main road.  I use it a lot during my summer runs.  The hill is intense!  If you look at these pictures, you'll see what I mean.

This is the first thing you see when you look up from the bottom of the hill.

Then, after you crest the top of the first steep part, you see this ahead of you.

But wait, you're not done yet.  This is the last section of the hill.

The total distance of the hill is about 1/2 mile, and it's really steep.  I don't know the exact elevation because I forgot to wear my garmin yesterday, but I do know the elevation is pretty intense.

Since it's quite the climb, it's a popular spot to do hill work. 

Yesterday was tough.  The intensity of hill work combined with the hot mid-day temperatures and glaring sun did a number on me.  I really felt it and ended my run really sweaty and a bit overheated.  I only ran the hill six times, which is just over 3 miles, but it did me in.  The rest of the afternoon I was exhausted and felt like I couldn't get enough to drink.

I love this warm weather, but I definitely do best in regular spring/fall temps of around 50 degrees.  That's my comfort zone.