Hill Sprints Suck

But ohhhhhhhhhh do they make a difference.

This afternoon, to celebrate the true dawn of Spring, I did my sprints outside -- on a long, sloping-yet-not-so-steep hill. I have been sprinting on the bike, once a week, for 1/2 hour. Two minutes off -- two minutes ON -- like all my guts and muscles ON. So today I sought out a good hill in Peru.

I know how much they kill -- I know from experience. But I also know how much they benefit fitness and how much they increase running speed. So I was all for it -- in the same way I push myself to do anything I know I must to do to benefit and maintain fitness -- knowing full well how much it is going to hurt.

When I stopped in at the shop to say hi to Jim, I told him and his brother that I did not WANT to do them. They both answered, like the true brothers they are, in unison, "Don't do it!" They encouraged me to go buy beer and that we would grill. Tempting, but no dice.

I ran an 8 minute warm-up, to the second bridge. Then I set my watch and proceded to "sprint" the hill. It was one minute 40 second sprint. One down, four to go. I love the walk back down to the starting point. The first few steps are spent heaving with my head slightly spinning -- and within about 30 seconds, I am only heaving and within 45 seconds, I am relatively normal. Back down to the bridge, reset the watch and then off again -- for another minute and a half ++ sprint up the hill. Two down, three more. Once I hit the three mark I see hope. But as one would imagine, they get harder and harder. At the top my legs feel like jelly and they feel like they are hardly moving, hardly getting me anywhere. When I stop I feel like I am going to poop and puke at the same time. Fitness fun.

Fitness is work -- hard work -- but oh do I love the payoff. After nearly a month of sticking to serious fitness goals, I am feeling good. I am hiking strong, I am lifting weights, I have more energy and I know this above most everything else means something incredibly significant, I am sprinting hills again.