Uphill Battle.

So yesterday I went running on my lunch break.

I went with one of the guys I work with who runs quite a bit. We changed into our gear at the gym and went outside from there. (Who runs in 25° weather? Retards and Grocery Guys, that's who.)

I'd tell you how the run went, but it's easier to show you:


The green area at the top is where we started, and the line represents how easy the run was at the time: flat, easy pace, nice breeze, etc. There's also a downhill slope about halfway though that, which made the run easier at the start.

The yellow line was where things get ugly - we decided to go for a "longer" run at this point, since things were going so well. I completely forgot that the area we were running into was all uphill. (Hey, I've only lived here for twenty years - I can't remember everything.) This part of the run was harder, but not bad at all. The hill was gradual and mild.

We even got another green area! All downhill, here. The hardest part of this was pacing yourself and trying to lessen the impact on your knees. Easy Peasy, that. The worst part was that the sun had come out from behind the clouds and it had gotten a bit hot by then.

The next yellow part was a tougher run through a suburb, nothing major, although the ground was starting to slope dangerously uphill...

The red area represents my own personal hell. A long, steady hill, pounding sun, and I can't even recall what water looks or tastes like. This was the hardest part of the whole fucking run. I'm proud to say that I kept my pace and didn't stop or slow until we reached the top of the hill, clearly marked on the map as "I thought I was dead". (Please forgive my crude writing - my mouse skills aren't what they used to be.) At this point, my lungs were burning and I was thankful it was almost over.

Until the next red part. See, my gym is almost at the top of a very long hill, and we join the main road about halfway up it. I still had to run the last bit to the gym to finish it out. It was hard, but after making it through the previous area, it was almost easy. (I say almost because it really wasn't.)

The air conditioning and the water fountain at the gym were fantastic. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to mount use first. I chose the fountain, in case you are wondering.

All in all it was a good run, and I can't wait to try it again. I think The Sidekick and I will hit the Seawalk first before we tackle this, but I think he'll be ready soon. As long as I have enough energy to beat him to the fountain at the end, it'll be great.

Oh yeah, it'll be awesome.



Later.