A half marathon run covering 818 vertical metres and carrying an 8.5kg pack

For most people running once up the Uetliberg would be enough.  It wasn't enough for me today though.  I set out with one aim in mind - to run 2 times up the Uetliberg from the very bottom to the very top.  Now as I mentioned yesterday I have done tons and tons of long steady runs but I want to inject some more speed in my legs now.  So what better way to achieve that than to do tempo runs (like yesterday) and some hardcore hill training (like today).

Running two times up the Uetliberg is fairly hardcore, but running 2 times up the Uetliberg carrying an 8.5kg pack is really hardcore.  I put a couple of extra items in my pack this morning, so it may actually weigh a little over 8.5kg when both water bottles are full.  I have now put in some Leukotape, Immodium, Ibuprofen, safety pins, nylon repair patches, disinfectant wipes, passport and hand sanitizer.  The only things I believe I am missing are energy gels and those are at the DHL depot in Zurich ready for collection.

The first time up the Uetiberg I chose a ridiculously steep path and it wasn't actually possible to run in places as it was so steep.  I kept up the pace though, and when I couldn't run I walked as fast as I could.  Apart from the steepest sections I was running the whole way.  The second time up I chose a less steep route that I could run without problems.  I was seriously considering abandoning my plan part way through the second ascent as I felt exhausted, but I am quite stubborn once I have set my mind to something, and that stubborn part of my mind told me not to give up.  Several minutes later I got a second wind and then I felt fine again.  It is great to know that I can recover on the move.

Remember all my running at the moment I am doing without the aid of energy gels, to teach my body to burn fat.  Over the next few weeks as I introduce energy gels into my training it will be interesting to see if that makes me go even faster.  I have a sneaky suspicion it will.

The summary of today's run is that I covered 21km (approx 13 miles) in 2 hours 41 minutes and 35 seconds with 818 vertical metres climbed.  My average heart rate was 131bpm and my maximum heart rate was 156bpm.   The activity on Garmin Connect is here http://connect.garmin.com/activity/155443540.  Now it is time to rest folks.