Posted by Bruce Coldsmith on October 25, 2010 at 17:23:10:
Does anyone remember the Budweiser commercial from the '68 Olympics, where they showed a runner doing hill repeats on a huge sand hill in the Sahara? (It turned out to be a young Ben Jipcho, future Oly Steeple Champ).
The end line was- "They call it Agony Hill. And those who would be champion run the hill..." (As bad as it sounds, this got me hooked on running.)
So anyway, our hill is the river: Dog River Bridge. The Ghost Chase will go up the bridge, twice (out and back course, of course). This will make the Senior Bowl seem flat as a pancake, (which, of course, it is).
From my coaching and running days, I saw a lot of different strategies to attack the hills. Some people love to charge up the hill and try to hold on. Others slog the hill and then jet down the backside.
One strategy I worked on with my runners was to 'Pop the Top'. This strategy involves keeping pace with whoever you start up with, but not pushing the pace. When you get to the top many people take an automatic breather. You attack there. Pick up the tempo. Whether it is flat after a hill, or as in this case, a downhill, you can always pop the top. Also keep in mind, the course is downhill from the top all the way to the finish line, not just to the end of the bridge.
I have heard the word from Bo Phillips the owner of the River Shack. He has the music lined up, he will provide a fish or chicken snack after the race, with drink coupon(s), and dinner will be discounted 10% with your number. So plan on staying for a great time.
So if you haven't signed up yet, get you app in now!