Hills.

hill: noun: A naturally raised area of land, not as high or craggy as a mountain

To many runners, this word may represent one of the worst things that could possibly pop up in the middle of a run. To a crazy few (myself included), this word represents one of the greatest things that could pop up in the middle of a run.

For the past few months, my runs have been deprived of these beautiful, challenging objects. The flat lands of North Carolina, specifically Pembroke, have forced me to train on flat, even terrain. While this is perfect for speed training, it leaves out the definitely benefit of incorporating hills into your training.

Fast forward to now... It is currently 12/13/2011. I have logged 2 consecutive days of runs through hilly terrain. Tomorrow will be the third, and undoubtedly, I will probably hit upwards of a full week of hilly runs. Mentally, this is the most exciting thing to happen to my runs since I got some new running attire over a month ago. But why write a post about it? Because...

MY LEGS ARE THE MOST SORE THEY'VE BEEN IN MONTHS. It hurts to crouch down. And even extend them fully. I am not used to hills anymore and it sucks after hitting them hard for 2 straight days. Pretty much, I just wanted to vent about my soreness.

In all honesty, I am beyond stoked that I have hills to run on again, but I also cannot wait until I am used to them because I miss not being sore...