Training Log - Thursday, April 1, 2010 (Part 2)

Richard and I met up at Five Guys at Jones Valley to drop off my car and take his car to the Land Trust parking lot off of Banhead Parkway on Monte Sano Mountain. From there, we went up Tollgate Trail onto Bluffline Trail to start our run. Straight uphill to start with many more hills to follow. The plan was for a point to point run back to Jones Valley to finish with a big juicy burger, fries and a coke as a reward. After reaching the end of B luffline, we went onto Monte Sano Boulevard towards and across Highway 31/Governor's Drive. After crossing 31, we went down Asbury Road. For some reason, I don't think we were supposed to be here. I guess the big gate should have been a sign. Anyway, we continued to run through this neighborhood until we reached a jeep road (still Asbury Road) that we followed until we reached yet another gated community (The Ledges). Aside from the initial climb up Asbury Road, the jeep road also offered lots and losts of climbs withe the biggest one right before we reached the Ledges. This was definitely a hill run. Once we reached the Ledges, we made our way through the neighborhood and won the main entrance road. What followed was a 2 mile descent into Jones Valley on concrete sidewalks. Not the best running surface for your joints but a lot safer than the road. All in all, a really fun training run with lots of hills. For tomorrow's training schedule, James has come up with a great workout. We're going to stash our bikes at the Madison Skate Park to combine a seven mile run with a seven mile bike ride.