God Bless Cross Training!!!! (Read 1550 times)

After being forced to the gym due to a back injury, I have spent months toning, trimming, etc. I have done more squats and lunges than what any human should in their lifetime, all with a good amount of weight added. I've done the leg press, I've done resistance work in the pool, you name the leg work, I've done it. (Thanks to Pam for the great workout plan!) My hill runs weren't exactly runs before. I wouldn't call it walking, maybe not quite crawling either. More like a caveman after a long day of mammoth hunting, perhaps? I tried reciting a mantra, compliments of Janell when running hills ("I love hills. Hills make me stronger. Hills make me faster. Hills are my friends. I love hills"), but this usually was accompanied by a significant amount of swearing, some tears and a little knuckle dragging. But apparently all of my hard work in the gym has finally paid off. Me, the Queen Despiser of Speed Work, the Hater of Hills, Loather of Fartlek's...I ran up and down both sides of the monster hill that plagues me in my nightmares. I didn't walk it, I didn't crawl up it, I didn't even so much as break stride...I RAN THAT HILL!! The mile stretch that encompasses this hill used to add over a minute and a half to my time. The last two runs, I have only added 10-15 seconds during that stretch! I ran the hillllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See...you just found what those of us with monster, powerful thighs have known all along--hills are FUN! k

congratulations!!! Robin

Thanks, Robin! I'm a little excited, if you couldn't already tell!!

Awesome!!! WTG Eryn!!! Way to show that hill who's boss!

LOL Congratulations on a nemesis trounced

You rock, Eryn! I'm so glad all your hard work paid off. Great description!

Congrats, Erin! Are you going to change your mantra to "I love wall squats. Squats make me strong enough to run hills"? Way to go!

I think it was those squats with the barbell that did it. I started with just the bar, then eventually made it up to where I am now: usually 3 sets, the first set 15 with 55#, 2nd set 15 with 65#, 3rd set 12 with 75#. And lunges with either the easy bar or with 30-40# worth of dumbbells. And I also recently discovered wide-stance squats, compliments of a body builder...now those are great! Painful, but great! I love squats, squats make me stronger, squats make me run faster, squats make me kick some hill a#s!!

Nice work Eryn! I'm becoming a believer in cross training. Today I did some cross training of my own--I ran 8 miles in the morning and then went skiing all day with two of my girls. I doubt the skiing will help my running but it was fun!