Love: Sometimes a UpHILL Battle.

I ran with Danielle today only we did not meet at Indian Springs. I met at her house and we ran 7 miles there. No wonder Danielle is such an amazing runner. Her route is all HILLS!
Hills are such a strength builder.
Yeah, they hurt. Yeah, they will make the sweat trickle and Yeah, they make the booty scream hatefulness.
But they build strength and stamina.
And if building buns of steel isnt a good enough reason to run hills then how about the fact that your are using basically the same mucles you use to sprint.
So if you do not like speed work then running hills is a good alternative.

If you are a treadmill junkie (especially if you are from Michigan this is where we do a lot of our running in the winter months) put that treadmill on at least a 1% incline. This helps to duplicate running outside a little bit better.

But BE CAUTIOUS...Running hills is also a sure fire way to get injured if not approached wisely!


As Danielle and I got to mile 1 I knew I was in for it. This was her normal route and this route to me would be considered a "Hill Run".   Aside from the ice cold wind tearing my skin off I was trying not to whine. Aside from my tears mixed with left over mascara wanting to freeze down my face I tried not to complain.  I mean afterall I was running with Danielle and  it was a pretty day therefore I was still in a happy place. I had to chuckle at the thought of the post I just wrote yesterday about "LOVING to RUN"!

But loving something is not always peachy keen and Jim Dandy. We love lots of stuff, good, bad and indifferent. And in this 29 degree weather and winds ripping my face off I still Loved Running..It was not the same circumstances but I still loved it. I just loved different elements today. Like running with Danielle, or running in a new environment.

Isn't this where Life and Running Collide. Sometimes we love things when the circumstances are perfect or when the situation goes OUR way. Sometimes we Feel LOVE when people respond or react the way we want them to. But as soon as things no longer go to a "feel good" state we no longer have that Loving Feeling!

^{1 Corinthians 13:4} Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I would clearly be lying if I told you I had a masters in LOVE. I fail every day. Somedays are better than others and some days are just downright discouraging.  Somedays seem like a UPHILL battle. A path that is painful and discouraging but never never quit because most of the time we QUIT right  as the path straightens out. Or we throw in the towel before we get to the top never seeing the beauty of LOVE on the other side. So take that turn, make it to the top of the hill but PERSEVERE. 

Anita