I increased the incline to 15% and kept it there for the remainder of the hour (50 minutes). I did several things at this incline. Going into it, I was thinking I will just speed-walk the entire hour. Yeah, right. I was feeling too good. So I cranked up the speed to about 4.5 and ran it for a half mile. Then I brought up back down to a brisk walking pace--between 3.4-3.5 pace. Did that for about 3/10 mile or so then back up to the run. This continued on for a bit until I remembered not to injure myself by going too much in one workout. Then I slowed it down a bit by walking a bit more than running, but still pushing for something definitely over 2000 ft in elevation.
When it was all said and done I had gained 2600 feet of elevation in this 50 minute workout. The mileage in this time was about 3.5 miles. So it appears that you cannot simulate the portion of Leadville with the mad incline. However, you can get close and the workout
itself isn't so bad. Once I get stronger, I'll run more of it. But for now, I'll workout out smartly and not get myself injured in the process.
And as a side note: I wore my Drymax Maximum Protection socks for this workout and they worked like a charm. I was sweating pretty profusely, but these socks kept my feet dry and feeling comfortable the entire time. These socks are the real-deal. These guys even offer a money back guarantee that this sock will keep your feet drier than any other sock. That kind of guarantee is just unheard of. I gladly stand behind this sock and will recommend it to anyone looking for a sock that will finally get the job done.
2 comments:
I have been wanting to check out the drymax socks for awhile.
Those uphill workouts will get the legs strong. I swear I am hardly ever injured because almost all of my running in on the steeps.
The SU was flat and look what happened....Injury!
That 50 miler is coming up quick. You ready to suffer?
Thanks for the comment, Evan. I think I can already feel the effects of the uphill training when I'm running on trails. I can feel the strength in the legs. I can only imagine what it'll feel like if I keep it up!
Re the 50 miler: I'm getting ready. I'm gonna continue killing the hill workouts and the trails on the weekends. At the moment, I'm not focusing more on one, but trying to integrate the two together in a fashion that is advantageous to me and the upcoming race. Another runner in our group was telling us about the grueling course the race is on, primarily the hilly terrain. That kind of talk doesn't scare me, but actually has the opposite effect; it makes me want to work harder to make sure the hills are not so detrimental to my success. I can say one thing for sure right now: the 50 will be completed at that course. The cool thing about it is that I'll be the first to have signed up for the marathon length and do another loop for the 50 instead. I'd say that's another pretty nice motivating factor, wouldn't you say?
Post a Comment