"Oh the hills!!!!!"

Did my first hilly run this week - just 5k - around Mummy and Daddy Penguin's neck of the woods... (Mummy and Daddy Penguin are what we call my parents...long story...)

It is a circular route about the market town of Cowbridge, and one we have walked many many times in childhood and a walk my parents still do on occasion now. It has many hills, up and down...and also very scenic.

First decision was which way to run around it - I chose clockwise on the basis that that was the direction we normally walk it, and it meant the biggest hill (at least the biggest perceived hill!) would be downward.

I was please with my efforts - the  hills, though tough, I coped with well, practising the shortening and quickening of my stride on the uphills, and trying not to lean back on the downhills...as I had read in magazines and book.

I clocked 33mins45secs - slow for a 5k but compared to my last flat 5k, and given the hills, not bad at all.

Interesting to see the plot of my pace against elevation...

I'm hoping in a month or so's time to run this circuit in both directions back-to-back to create a 10k hilly run. Now that sounds tortuous!!

Oh, and now that I look at the elevation, the perceived longest hill...? IS the longest hill!