Jeanne Backofen Craig

I'm a wife, mother, pianist, and runner living in Central Virginia.
You can learn more about me at wecraig.org/jeanne.
My videos can be found on my YouTube channel.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of... Heavy Breathing!

Did that title get your attention?

I live in rural Virginia.  Hills are everywhere!  About a week ago, I did 6.8 miles with 8 substantial climbs.  The whole run was four out-n-backs.  A long down followed by a not-as-long climb... then turn around for a not-as-long down, and a looong climb.  I tried to make the most of it by working myself hard and running at a pretty good clip.

At one point, I marveled at the beautiful scenery, and heard in my mind Julie Andrews singing, "The hills are aliiiiiiive with the sound of" and then I realized I was breathing quite loudly through my mouth.  Hence, the funny title of my blog today.

Hill workouts are quite the challenge and they are very effective in burning calories, building muscle, and improving cardiovascular performance.

One result I especially like that comes from running in a hilly area is that when you run on flat terrain, it feels easy.  When I run at the beach, everything feels downhill... and my breathing is nice and quiet!

No comments:

Post a Comment