A Hill to Die On

I've heard that one of the toughest things about Tough Mudder in Toronto is going up and down the ski hill at Mount St. Louis Moonstone.  So for the past couple of months I've been working on some basics to help me with this part of the challenge.

There is a dam near my house that has a good-sized hill that is about a 45 degree angle. For the first month I'd walk as quickly as I could down and up, down and up. Believe me, there's a lot of huffing and puffing at the top! And it's a great way to make your glutes talk to you! But oh no...that's not enough for my trainer, she likes to add a little more challenge!

Like doing the bear crawl up the hill! Knees low to the ground, but not on it. And why not add some mountain climbers at the bottom before you run back up!And you really should practice going down backwards.

And doing laterals on the way up. (Trust me, this is harder than it looks, especially on this kind of incline).

Then add some planks during your "rest" at the top. As if that isn't bad enough, let's run 3km first and THEN do our workout. 

Well the truth is, my trainer is right. All these variations prepare different muscles in the core, quads, glutes, and knees. The uneven, slippery grass will prepare me for the course conditions on the day, so that's a good thing. So many people get injured, especially on the way down the hill. And the running before just helps to simulate the conditions on race day. Can you do something tough after you've just run for awhile?

I have to say, this training has been a lot more fun because I've been able to do it with one of my teammates, Sheri Koch.

I've known Sheri a long time. She babysat my kids when they were little and now she has her own family. She is a complete BEAST when it comes to these hills. She actually runs pretty fast up them. She is so determined and it will be great to do this event together next weekend.

If you have been following the blog you know that we are doing Tough Mudder to raise money for 

international programs that will benefit women and children through World Relief Canada. With just over one week to go, I'm asking you to please consider donating to the cause. Here is the link.

I'd never ask you to give if I wasn't committed myself--so my husband Rod and I are matching all donations that come through my supporters up to $10,000. (We are actually just over half way to that goal!) With the matching funds that World Relief Canada receives from the governments (2:1 or 4:1) every dollar goes a long way! 

Thanks for considering it...and stay tuned!