Les and I have made plans to go to Yosemite next month. With that in mind I'm trying to get more hills in my running. This morning I headed out for a trail run with the plan to go higher up the trail. I knew there would be more hiking than running on the upper portions. I also had the added challenge of Santa Ana winds.
I was on the trail before the sunrise, but there was enough light that I could see. The first 3.5 miles were challenging but I was able to run quite a bit. At the 3.5 mile mark I had gained about 550 feet of elevation. The next mile was the meat of the outing and I gained about 570 feet! It was so steep that I was only able to power walk it and my heart rate hit 155.
I was at the top of what we call Sunshine Mountain at the 4.5 mile mark and decided that was far enough. I took a few pictures, then started back down. Getting back down the first mile was more walking because I didn't want to lose my footing. Once the trail evened out I was able to run most of the way down.
Total stats: 9 miles in 1:55:17, 12:47 pace. Max heart rate 155, average 135. Calories burned 832.
I also ran a half marathon last Saturday. It was a great run! I was able to run the entire time, no walk breaks. My average pace was 10:16 a mile. The first half I averaged 10:26, and the second half I was able to kick up the pace and average 10:06. Total time on that outing was 2:14:36. Max HR 148, average 130. I burned 900 calories. This is only my second half marathon this year. The one I ran in April I averaged 11:42 a mile. I'm loving the improvements I'm seeing.
And finally, on another happy note - I am now down 30.5 pounds! I had gotten down 29.5 and couldn't seem to get to 30. Last week I was up a pound, but today I was back down. It has taken a long time to get to this point, but I have continued living and that means celebrations like birthdays and weddings, it means traveling, it means ice cream! I know I need to be careful about what I eat, but I also know that I can enjoy occasional treats.
