Time for a little hill work

[Maddee_6333]

My Canicross running buddy, D, does not like hills. She does not like slogging up them without a dog to help - she owns the darling Pointer Power, Brontë - and hates getting pulled down them (Pointer Power is fast!) 😆

She’s been asking me to take her out for some hill repeats for ages - not that I’m any expert! - but what with one thing and another (generally dogs, or kids, or dogs and kids!) it just hasn’t happened.

But today was sunny but cold, and more importantly not wet - the hill that used to by my nemesis, and is still hers, is loose gritty stuff at the bottom and solid chalk farther up - and we are both under instruction not to run our doggoes in harness (as they’re currently taking part in a Galen massage therapy trial) so off we went. Not a dog in sight 😮

Warm up walk through the farm, then a gentle jog - uphill on the loose stuff - to the steeper part of the hill. 5 x (run roughly 100m up, walk down) followed by a gentle run/walk to the top of the hill. And then 3 x (up a short bit, down the other side, walk back) then a controlled run down to where we began and on through the farm.

We were both late starting our devices so actually covered 5k by the time we finished.

Off Topic

skysue16 , you signed up for this month’s Virtualrunner Dog Jog didn’t you?

[skysue16 Graduate10]

Phew, that hill training sounds tough but hills are soooo good for us!! 😉 The dog massage sounds interesting.

oh my, I totally forgot about the Dog Jog!! I never did sign up. I am worried about a dodgy ankle which has been niggling for weeks (tendon strain possibly). I have been ignoring it because I really need to run with Mr Squiggs but now decided I really must try to rest it😡 i suppose it might improve by the end of January. Are you going to do it?

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to skysue16]

We really did take it very easy. Hopefully we’ll be able to make it a regular thing.

Oh no! Definitely give your ankle a rest. I have an odd hip/thigh/calf thin going on at the moment BUT - and here’s the weird thing - it hurts more if I’m sitting/lying down and is fine while I’m walking around 🧐

Oh and yes, I signed up so I’ll do the Dog Jog thing - the local Canicross groups are having a ‘time trial’ event down by the river at the weekend - all just for fun, so I’ll probably use the times from that.