Kill a Hill

You want to kill some demons? Kill some fucking hills already.

The view from the top isn't too bad at 7 a.m.

On that note, today was time for some serious hill repeats.  Sometimes we need to let off a little steam and a good long hill session is a perfect therapy.  I recently did a write up on 12 keys to 100 Mile Success where I explained the importance of hill workouts.  Pine and Cedar trail in Bellingham, Washington is perfect for this particular hill worout:

• Long, Steep Hills with Lots of Vert: (1x week, can alternate with short steep hills) pick a 2 mile climb that is so steep you have to fast hike it (example: 2 miles with 1,500ft plus of climbing).  Fast hiking is key to 100 milers. As you improve, begin running the least steep sections. Really push your cardio. This should not feel good. You can do one repeat of this workout, for a total of 4 miles and really push it. As you get closer to your event, work up to 4-6 repeats (16-24 miles) and it becomes a good endurance workout with lots of vert.

One thing I love about doing six repeats on this 4 mile roudtrip climb of 1,600 feet (24 miles, 9,600 ft vert) is the look of disbelief I see from hikers when they see me doing it not once, not twice, but three times in the span of their one climb.  It's sort of fun to blow minds, and it makes the monotony more interesting.  This coming week, I challenge you to blow a few minds and kill some fucking hills (and demons). 

It wasn't enough to do multiple repeats. My friend is an overachiever. Heavy pack didn't slow her much.

Heather Anderson, aka "Anish" of fast hiking PCT record fame, and K-Doug