LET'S HEAD FOR THE HILLS! STREAKING: DAY 6

Hey all, V here. I've heard adage that "teamwork makes the dream work," and having been part of some pretty uplifting and supportive teams over the years, I believe it. One thing about running, though, is that while you can surround yourself with the best people and coaches and teammates ever, it is up to Y-O-U to get the job done. No one will train or run the race for you -- your legs and your legs alone will carry you over the finish line (unless you are into the tradition of Finnish Wife Carrying, in which case enjoy the bumpy ride).

No, thanks. I'll run. 

In my case, I think it's going to be speed work and hill work makes the dream work. Day 6 of The Streak provided me with the opportunity to test out my hill skills. I was looking for a shorter run, but still wanted to exert myself, so adding in hill sprint repeats seemed to be the perfect fit.

Really: It's a hill. 

I drove to a decent hill -- in the flatlands of northwest Ohio, you have to DRIVE to find a hill. It is important, really, to find a good hill -- not too steep, not too long. Be picky, like Goldilocks. If your hill is too steep, you're going to wear yourself out and won't be able to reap the benefits of the "repeat" part of hill repeats. I'm looking to gain speed, so on tap were some short hill repeats. This is intended to help strengthen all three types of muscle fiber (slow-twitch, intermediate, and fast-twitch muscle fiber) and makes you utilize a wider range of motion in the stride when charging up the hill. Because I'm just beginning, I did six reps up the hill, sprinting at about 90 percent of my max effort to the top. I walked down the hill to recover between each charge up. Eventually, I'm aiming to be able to do double these reps, a max of 12.

Keep moving. Don't stop. 

This is when I learned that the key word in "hill work" is "work." I can't honestly remember the last time, outside of being a kid, that I intentionally ran up a hill. The first two or three -- not bad, feeling pretty strong. The last couple -- OK, let's face it: I looked like Sisyphus with an invisible rock, straining to get to the top.

Ugh: Holy Hill Work. 

But: I did it. And next week, I'll do it some more, and maybe even feel better about it. Eventually, if I can find enough hills, I'll figure out some kind of hill circuit. And maybe, just maybe, I'll reap the rewards when I notice my 5K times rolling downward. Like I did. After I finished my hill repeats. Now that -- that was just plain fun.

Hill: Top right. 

While I was stuck in the flatlands for Day 6, M was having her own adventures off in the Hocking Hills, where she did NOT have to drive to find a point of elevation.  I'm happy to report the streak is still alive for her as well, even while vacationing. Nice job, sista.

M logged 3.07 miles at an 8:58 with a beginning runner friend in the rain and through the beauty of the Hocking Hills. Looking good, feeling good!!