One of the best things about being in training while on vacation is not letting one’s workouts fall by the wayside when away from home.  One of the worst things about being in training while on vacation is not letting one’s workouts fall by the wayside when away from home.

I slept until 7:30am and rose in a hazy state of relaxation.  It was not until I downed the first couple sips of coffee that I remembered, I had to run 3 miles.  After chasing my coffee with some Greek yogurt I geared up, laced up and headed out the door with my faithful companion, CMB.  The plan was to stick to the pavement, an out 1.5 miles and back road run.  No biggie- until we headed up the first hill, actually the only hill, because we climbed the thing for 1.3 miles!  We later figured out (thanks to Map My Run) that we gained 1,200 feet in elevation during this time.  Had I know this while we were running, it may have helped to explain the impending heart attack I was sure I was about to suffer.  I couldn’t speak or groan or raise my hand to wave at the friendly neighbors driving by.  I kept running (without walking or stopping) by telling myself the road had to level off soon, and if it didn’t at least eventually there would be an end to this madness-I could turn around.

The road finally leveled off to a flat-ish .2 miles before we stopped and snapped the above picture- in my mind, a more than adequate compensation for the brutal ascent we endured.  But in my body, the true reward was an adrenaline rush only achievable by soaring downhill.