I gave my legs a break from the hills and ran around campus this evening for 52 minutes (8 miles). It feels weird being able to run at 6:30 pm (daylight savings), but with the warmer weather approaching, I’m going to be doing more late evening or early morning runs.
Today’s run in comparison to yesterday manifests just how much hills slow the forward motion of the runner, especially for humans. Today’s run was easier both mentally and physically but yet I was running over one minute faster per mile. Four legged mammals seem to have far lesser reduction in efficiency with their lower center of gravity and more parallel movement to the ground. Humans, meanwhile, have a higher center of gravity which inherently places the body in a more perpendicular position to the hill. Oh well, I’m glad I’m just racing humans up the hills!
Leor Pantilat's Adventures