Hills

Sunday was our lucky day! HILLS!
We met at Playmakers early Sunday morning, which felt even earlier due to that time change thing. Mike greeted us with a big smile and one word "hills."
I am sure there are some runners who embrace hills, who love them and power up them. I am not one of those. I have merely accepted them as you can not go anywhere in DeWitt without encountering them. But I do not love them.
Sunday Mike had a different take on hills. We did not talk much about how to run up hills, but how to run down hills. Huh? What's the big deal about running down hills? You just go with it. Little did I know. So we eagerly learned about not leaning backward and landing mid-foot. If you land on your heel, it is like you are braking and adding extra stress on your joints.
So we ran an easy 2 miles out to the secret hill. We ran THE hill 3 times, took a break and ran it 3 more times while Hannah video taped us. Mike ran with us and gave us tips while we ran: "Land mid-foot," "Don't lean back so much," "Relax," "Fix your sloppy left hand."
Afterward we ran back to Playmakers to watch the video. We were all amazed at how much better our form has gotten since we started. We talked about a few things to work on over the next 2 weeks and left with our minds a buzz with this new hill strategy.
So yesterday afternoon, I had a scarce half hour before my babysitter had to leave for lacrosse practice. I went out for a quick 3 miles (yes, under 30 minutes is a quick 3 miles for me. I am not one of the speedy ones!) On my route I had a few good downhills (uphills too...) I focused on my sloppy left hand and landing mid-foot. I also focused on relaxing my head and shoulders and just letting gravity do the work. It was such an awesome feeling that I ran past my house to get one more downhill in. I felt like I was flying!
It really was cool. Perhaps I am on my way to embracing hills not for the uphill portion but for the feeling of flying on the other side.