Saturday's Run - If you like it, follow it

Report:
Today's run is brought to you by the word "flexibility." Not the "sexy bendy" kind of flexible, the "go with the flow" kind of flexible. I put in 14 miles this week which nicely over my planned mileage of 10. My 11 LSD run for the weekend was going to be on the trails but then my wife and I hashed out some scheduling items around our errands and I ended up with something a wee bit better.

Hospital Hill.

For those of you that have run the Blue and Gray Half or the Marine Corps Historic Half, you know what hill I'm talking about. So today I ran up Hospital Hill 5 times. And back down 5 times. And before and after my hill repeats, I ran to and from the local YMCA. Just happened to be about 2 miles for the warm-up and cool-down. So in the end, it all worked out great. I had a nice jog to and from my workout session and put in a decent effort on the hill repeats. And while I would have been more than happy to pull a turn-around to follow the cute girl down the hill, I stuck to my plan. Along the way, I learned to break the hill down into sections that are easily runnable and over time I even managed to feel comfortable going up and down.

One other side note for you locals, I managed to give the Belmont Ferry Farm Trail a test drive. Saw it on my way out and ran part of it on my way back and it was nice. Certainly safer than running on Butler Road.

Weather:
Temps were about 60F near the start but warmed to a nice 65F. There was a decent breeze blowing, maybe 10 to 15mph. Not really noticeable going uphill but noticeable going downhill. Sun was out and the sky was clear.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was toast, eggs, yogurt, and coffee. During the run I had my Salomon hydration pack full of water (1.5 L), a small flask with water, and a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum with Hammer Gel mixed in. After each hill repeat, I would take a swig of the Perpeteum. I'd drink my water as needed. And the small flask of water I put half a Hammer Fizz tablet in after my last repeat to drink. Recovery was Hammer Recoverite mixed with chocolate ZICO. Post-run meal was a salmon club, baguette, and iced tea from Panera.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt as I ran but the 2 miles to the hill helped warm me up. My outgoing pace was faster than I wanted but part of that was running on fear since Butler road is a bit hairy for pedestrians. My right hamstring was tight after the run and the medial side of my right knee was hurting too but again, nothing too major.

Gear:
Wore my Salomon hydration pack and loved it even more on this run than my first run. I did not like how hard (actually impossible) it was to reach the side pockets on the bottom (under the arms). Outside of that, it held my fuel bottle, my small flask, my cell phone, my iPod Shuffle, my EpiPen, baby wipes, ID, a small BodyGlide, Hammer Fizz tube, and a few other things. And it didn't feel heavy at all.

Codename - If you like it, follow it
After getting a glowing smile from the lady going the other way, I suddenly began to create shirts in my head. Like "if you like it" on the front and "follow it" on the back. Or "stop staring" on the bottom of the back. You get the idea.

Mile Splits:
Mile splits are from RunKeeper and may not be accurate.
Mile 1 - 9:47
Mile 2 - 11:10
Mile 3 - 12:19
Mile 4 - 11:49
Mile 5 - 10:17
Mile 6 - 12:40
Mile 7 - 11:13
Mile 8 - 12:47
Mile 9 - 9:55
Mile 10 - 11:36
Mile 11 - 10:40

Splits:
YMCA to Hospital Hill - 25:39
Up Hill 1 - 8:03
Down Hill 1 - 7:13
Up Hill 2 - 8:03
Down Hill 2 - 6:59
Up Hill 3 - 8:31
Down Hill 3 - 6:43
Up Hill 4 - 7:49
Down Hill 4 - 8:54
Up Hill 5 - 7:19
Down Hill 5 - 6:37
Hospital Hill to YMCA - 28:16
Finish - 2:10:11