Uphill all the way !

[ButtercupKid]

Well, I’ve set my long term target on the local 10k hill climb in 2020. So today I started at 1:1 again and ran it completely uphill. There’s a disused railway line that skirts the village and the west end of it is one long gradient: local legend tells of steam trains cantering down it to make up lost time, frequently missing the station altogether ! Off I went up there, expecting it to be easy since I can jog for 30 minutes now, and of course it wasn’t. But I did it ! Then I checked Strava and found 3 golds and a silver in my PBS. Which can only mean that, in spite of my shiny new graduate badge, I still walk faster uphill than I run on the flat 😂

The photo shows the view from the Tartancat Bridge at 8am. Happy running, y’all 😀

[DiscoRunner Graduate]

Brilliant! For some of us, our brisk walk will always be faster than our run 🐌🐌🐌

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to DiscoRunner]

That’ll be me then 😄

[Hidden]

Well done ButtercupKid

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thank you x

[johnt46 Graduate]

Absolutely brilliant BCK! at that rate you'll do it before 2020! Keep up that positivity!🎖🏅

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to johnt46]

Thanks JT - can’t see myself feeling ready by 1st March, when this year’s entry opens: happy to take it slow and steady 😀

[johnt46 Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

Sorry hadn't realised, however you can still set yourself the target to do it before🤗

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to johnt46]

Seems a very early sign up - the race isn’t till the end of August. I could sign up this year and just walk what I couldn’t run, but I’d really like to shock everyone and run it 😂

[johnt46 Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

And you will !!!🥇😱

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to johnt46]

Thanks JT x

[sofiaO Graduate]

Wow, that is steep! Good luck with your new challenge

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to sofiaO]

Thanks 😊

[BishyBarnabee Graduate]

Great stuff Buttercup! I’m still trying to avoid hills ... anyway, I wish you a bit of Buttercup Gold after all your runs! 😊👍🏻🐞

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to BishyBarnabee]

Thanks BB ! And the same to you 😀

[SeeJillRun Graduate]

That’s quite a hill! I’ve not been brave enough to do more than a gentle slope yet 😂. Well done on setting yourself a target n on getting up that hill! 👏

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

It’s not 10k uphill, thankfully ! The race route is through the village, up the hill, wander around the top a bit and come back to where you started, so in practice probably a little less than half is actually a climb. But it is very steep and I haven’t broken 3k yet, so next year seems a sane target 😄

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

Sounds sensible n I’m sure you’ll break 3k soon as long as you keep at it. I’m dreading tackling hills, I live in Sheffield (built on 7 hills) near a valley bottom. So far I’ve managed to run in mostly flat areas but I’ll have to tackle them at some point n they’re all either steep or very long, or both 😭

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

Oh my - you certainly picked the wrong county for hill avoidance ! Move to the Fens - you know you want to 😂

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

I did didn’t I! 😂😂. I didn’t realise there were hills anywhere in the Fens. I used to work in Lincolnshire n there’s definitely no hills in their fens. What they called a hill was just a little bump to me 😂

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

That’s what I was thinking - we had a holiday near Spalding one year. No better place to be if you’re planning on hill avoidance 😂

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

Definitely! 😂😂😂

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Good luck to you BCK for all your runs uphill in training for the 10K local climb in 2020

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks AlMorr. Hope you’re enjoying some good exercise too x

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

Yes BCK I am enjoying my exercises at home as well as a few short runs and long walks. The longer runs and bike rides will start once the warmer spring weather begins.

Some of the exercises I do at the moment at home are press ups, sit ups, I also have a pair of 5 Kilogram kettle bells which I bought in Tesco last year, they say that helps your cardio.

Talking about cardio, there are 3 YouTube videos that I do planks to, perhaps you may be able to use them for part of your training for that 10K uphill run next year. Those 3 YouTube videos are:-

The three-minute perfect plank workout (3.39) Bowflex with Tom Holland

5-minute workout that replaces high-intensity cardio(11.47) from Bright side

7 minutes plank challenge (9.36)

Regards. 😊

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Cool ! Thanks x

[Couchpotato2 Graduate]

Good luck with your hill practice! Once you master that, you’ll be so fast on the flat 🐆

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Couchpotato2]

I’m kind of hoping it’ll make at least a little bit of difference 😂

[Couchpotato2 Graduate in reply to ButtercupKid]

It will. How much I cant say but even I went faster yesterday as I was more less on flat for the first time...

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Couchpotato2]

Yay ! Go you 😀

[CRAZYCATME Graduate]

Wow that is pretty! Well done you! I have been doing stamina and 6.4k today..with only a few inclines mixed in there. I think it will be a while before I tackle a hill like that lol! Have a happy day Buttercup after that hill!

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to CRAZYCATME]

Thanks CCM ! I haven’t managed to break 3k yet, so full of admiration at your distance running x

[Granspeed Graduate]

Lovely to look at.... 😂🏃🏼‍♀️👏🏼 Please may we borrow some sun. All grey drizzle here again today. ☹️

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Granspeed]

Clouding over here now - glad I got out when I did 😄

[molly1973 Graduate]

Wow, good effort! It’s relatively hilly here so I’m slowly getting used to them but it’s still so hard!

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to molly1973]

I know ! Amazing what a difference just a tiny slope can make 😂

[SaskAlliecat Graduate]

Now that's a hill! What a great goal you have set for yourself and you have a great plan to achieve it.

[Irish-John Graduate]

I went from dreading hills to actually enjoying them!

It is a real thrill when you knock of those particular Gremlins

It also keeps a challenge in life - 'cod there's ALWAYS gonna be a bigger, meaner, longer hill out there!

Very best wishes in your quest

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

Thanks ! You’re so right about never running out of challenges. And small but steep can be much worse than huge but gentle 😄

[Wimborne]

Well that’s a mighty fine Goal for 2020 BCK. I underestimated my local hill and literally my calves shouted at me for several days after. Take it gentle and slow to give those legs time to adjust. 😀. Happy hill running 👍🏃🏼‍♀️

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Wimborne]

Thanks Wimborne. Calves are always a potential problem with me, so taking it slow and steady as always 😀

[Tartancat Graduate]

I am absolutely thrilled to have a bridge named after me and the view is lovely! Looks like a serious hill there, so you're doing well if you can run up that 😊. I'm still slower running up hills than I am walking, but that's not the point is it?

It's all good!

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Tartancat]

Exactly - the trick is to keep moving ! Glad you like your bridge 😄