I had a good run today. Weather was a little warmer, into the 30's F. Overcast, with a little fog as the melting snow tried to rise. Went out on the hilly King-Summer-Mount-Upper Union-King loop I like.
This is a good course to run particularly on the comeback route. There are three hills. The first one, a good half to 3/4 mile long incline with almost a one mile downhill to follow. The second hill is shorter (about half mile) but steeper and followed by another approximately one mile decline. The third hill is both shorter and more of a slope which leads to a flat stretch for the finish.
Why are hills good for the comeback route?
The hill provide resistance so you are working harder for the distance. The best part of running the route in this direction is the combination of the downhills after the inclines. Especially during the comeback, you can let gravity do the work on the downhills. Simply concentrating on form, getting a good stride and rhythm, letting the hill do the work, stretch your legs out and down you go.
I'll expand upon this idea in a future podcast. One of the good things about the run was that I came up with three podcast topics: (1) hills, (2) curse of the splots, and (3) the practicality of glittens.
