This weekend was the first really big test of the Cyclo-Runner-Husband Challenge. What was going to make this weekend different? In a word - hills!!! This weekend I was adding hills to both the ride and the run. When you add that this was just one week after my PR-setting half marathon, which I promise to write about next, you have all the necessary ingredients for a big test.
Plus, it wasn’t like I had been sitting around all week. After Sunday’s half marathon, I did a 42 mile recovery ride on Monday. That was followed by two days of rest. Then, on Thursday I was back at it with a 3.5 mile run followed by another 5.0 miles on Friday.
When Saturday arrived I was excited to ride. While I have been riding, I have not spent much time on hills yet this year. That’s primarily because I spent most of my Saturday rides trying to save my legs for my Sunday run. However, I have an event in late April that includes big climbs so I couldn’t hesitate any more. It was time to start some serious climbing, which I actually enjoy.
However, at this point I don’t need one big monster climb. What I really need is a ride that goes up and over multiple climbs. Fortunately, I have several routes that corse through the west county hills. The goal is to complete hill intervals while enjoying the beautiful day. As you can see from the profile, the plan called for a lot of up and down.
All-in-all the ride was fun but uneventful. I approached each hill with simple mindset of making it to the top without over doing it. Then, I would cruise down the descent as I got ready for the next climb. It was the perfect route on a beautiful day and in the end I felt great. But, how would I feel on the run the next day.
Sunday was even more gorgeous and I was really looking forward to the run for two reasons. To begin wth, I was running the trails of Annadel. Plus, my new Let’s Run Paris shirt had arrived and it was my first chance to wear it. Still, even though I have run some hills this year, this was a big run with two big climbs, so I was a little nervous.
To spare you from all the details, let’s just say the run went fine overall but it had its moments when I was wondering what the hell was I doing. I made a last minute decision to tackle the steeper climb versus the longest climb first. Half way up it seemed like the wrong decision but I finally settled into a good pace. The fact that it was truly a beautiful, spring-like day really helped.
Once again, the profile shows that I did some really good climbing. Of course, this is nothing compared to the over 3,000 feet of climbing in my next running event which is on March 12th. It is a trail run in Marin County and I am relying on the fact that I also love running on hills to get me through it. I’ll also have a running partner with me that day and that will be a big help.
While I must admit I am feeling the efforts today, I’d say the Cyclo-Runner-Husband Challenge is off to a great start. I managed to climb and run hills in the same weekend without feeling completely wiped out. I even had the energy left over to perform a few chores around the house, which made Sherry quite happy.
I wonder how I’ll do on next weekend’s test?
Ciao!
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