The Hill Finder

Going into the race this past Sunday, I was aiming to run under 20 minutes, which I just missed at 20:29, but since the course was about 3.1 miles, I was on pace for 19:57 for 3 miles, which means I improved upon my previous time.  Despite all I've written lately, I don't run long distance very often anymore.  I have found shorter, more intense spurts to be far superior for getting leaner, stronger, and in better condition for wrestling.  In the wrestling community it is common knowledge that the only way to get into wrestling shape is to wrestle.  You can run, lift weights, or play other sports all you want, but you're not in wrestling shape unless you wrestle.  I experienced this back in high school when I ran cross-country; although we ran about 50 miles each week, I was still gassed the first day back on the mat.  Once I made the decision to wrestle year round my junior year, the transition into the daily grind of the season was seamless.

When it comes to short spurts, uphill sprints are unparalleled.  They give you the maximum workout in minimum time.  Running hill sprints every other day is about the closest you can get to wrestling shape without actually wrestling.  There was about a month and a half last summer when I couldn't wrestle because my work schedule conflicted with practice times, but I ran hills three times per week during that time, and I didn't feel a bit tired when I returned to wrestling.

At home and at school I am lucky enough to have large hills nearby, but when I moved down to the cornfields of Bloomington, IL this summer, I didn't think I'd be able to find any.  However, since any hill worth running could be a decent sledding hill, I searched for sledding hills online, and found a site that I have dubbed "the hill finder": http://www.sledriding.com/, which allowed me to find a great hill a little over a mile from my apartment.  Just search by state and then county.  If that produces no results, running the bleachers at the football field is the next best thing.

See you on the hill,
Jeff