Map My Run: The Rolling Hills of Arlington

One aspect of my training that I have sort-of neglected until recently is hill running. I've never been a big fan of hills, particularly running downhill. The legs seem to take on an abnormal amount of extra pounding, and it is rare when I can get into a rhythm while running up or down any kind of grades. They say hill running makes you fast, but I've tried to stay away from them as a preventative measure...I can't afford an injury with about six weeks remaining before the marathon.

But thankfully Saturday's run was different. The rolling hills of Arlington were a welcomed challenge. A few months ago I went on a bike ride along the Custis Trail and linked up with the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and the scenery was spectacular. That bike ride served as my inspiration for this run, only the hills were a lot easier to conquer while pedaling as opposed to on foot.

The weather was a lot more conducive for running this week, with the exception of the wind. I started this run around 9 am, and the wind was already gusting to 30 mph. Luckily the majority of this route was sheltered from the wind or, at least, there was no prolonged exposure to wind as the route generally stayed perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

Like my long run last week, this route started out along the Potomac River on the George Washington Parkway. The biking/running path was significantly more crowded this week, however, with many people taking advantage of the early spring-like weather. After about a mile on the GW Parkway the route takes you into downtown Arlington, where you meet up with the Custis Trail.

The Custis Trail parallels Interstate 66, winds through some small city parks, and ultimately terminates at the trail head for the Washington & Old Dominion bike trail around Benjamin Bennaker park. The majority of the uphill battles occur on the outbound leg, particularly between miles 4 and 7. Because I had never run Custis Trail before I decided to take the hills conservatively on the outbound leg in order to gauge how my body would react. That strategy worked well for me, because I was able to attack the hills on the return trip...and overall I felt very strong throughout the return trip.

The highlight of this run came around mile 12. I was descending one of the larger hills after crossing an intersection when I noticed another runner about 100 meters behind me. I had no idea how fast the guy was, but he looked like an experienced runner. Immediately the competitive instinct took over, and I told myself there was no way I was going to let this guy beat me to the river. Like most other runners, I try to avoid being passed by anyone while training. After about a half mile I came to another intersection. I had picked up my pace a little to try to "bleed" him out, and the strategy was successful as my lead had increased to about 200 meters. I made it to the river without being passed and picked up the pace a little more as I approached the final segment of the run.

Just like that past three weeks, my body told me it was tired with about a mile to go. Had I not picked up my pace at mile 12 I probably would have been able to coast home, but as this was not the case I instead was forced to endure significant fatigue for the balance of the run. I fought through it, and made it home without injury or having to stop.

Overall I enjoyed this run. Because of the amount of hills, the distance, and the overall scenery throughout the course, I will do this run at least once a week until it is marathon time. After neglecting hills for the first portion of my training, this run is exactly what I need to gear up for the rolling hills of Boston.