Double & Hill Repeats

Miles today: 2.4 in the AM + 2.5 in the PM = 4.9
Miles this week: 4.9
Miles in 2010: 251.8

This morning I "doubled"...not like a Patterson double, but just a Heather double. I ran with Stacey in Wyndhurst, but was kind of tired and knew I had hill repeats coming up tonight, so we both took it easy and only ran 2 point something miles.

After work, I met Gregg at the Lynchburg College track to do a mile warm-up before my hill workout. He had just finished an 18-miler, so he just stretched while I ran around the track. Glass' lacrosse team was practicing on the field so I had something to listen to while I ran. I swear all those people do is scream.

After my warm-up, Gregg directed me to the middle part of the entrance hill at LC...where I would start and then run up toward the stands above Shellenberger Field and run through to the top.

I told the guys at work that I'd be doing hill repeats tonight and this is what Brandon said:

Heather, your first hill will be pretty good. You'll push hard, get up the hill, be like..."this isn't so bad." Your second hill, you'll push hard and feel like you should be faster but will be slower and you'll hurt a lot more. The third hill, well, you'll feel like I'm on your back.

<----Here's Gregg, my trainer.

Just kidding.

Here's the real Gregg,
my trainer. --->

I did the first one in 56 seconds and didn't feel bad. I turned around and headed down the hill but this time started down further at the guard booth. I ran hard but felt worse. It took me 1:17. I felt my arms starting to burn like my body was going to explode. This time, at the top, I was wayyyyy out of breath. While I was running, I heard Gregg yelling, "Push, push, dig, dig. Lift your knees! All the way...push push!"

I was going to say back, "I'm trying!" but figured wasting my breath with unnecessary words at the time wouldn't be worth it.

The third hill--Brandon was right. I felt like he was on my back. I tried so hard to go faster, but my body was saying, "Nooooooooooo!" so I just tried to push through. It took me 1:20 and I started at the same place. When I was done, it took me a good minute to even catch my breath. Glad the repeats were over and all I had left was to run a mile cool-down. Ran my cool down faster than my warm-up...not on purpose, but just because it felt slow and easy.

I'm starting to feel like a real athlete. Is that possible?