Sunday, December 18, 2011

Jingle Bell Hell Virtual Run

My HTC friend XLMIC decided to bring back her Jingle Bell Hell race, a run she & some friends founded a while ago that basically was a route of purely torturous running. She invited some of her friends to run alongside her on Saturday morning or run alongside her virtually if they couldn't make it.

With a weekend packed with social events I needed to get ready for, I opted to run her virtual race near my place.

The goal: Run something that resembles your own personal hell and laugh while doing it.

Where I ran: Presidio Trails.

The parts I get: Trails are pretty. Trails are better on your body. There are no cars that can (or at least should) hit you on the trails. But I really have a hard time with them. Flat, packed dirt is one thing. Mud and hills are another. I don't like them and this was an uncomfortable run for me.

The parts I don't get: MUDDY HILLS ARE NOT FUN.

A few views from my run... (Okay, I really was just taking breaks to catch my breath.)
Looks nice, huh? In theory, yes. But this was hard. There were steps. There was mud. There were people out smiling and saying good morning. (How can runners be so friendly when they are running on muddy hills?!)

Attached are my splits. You can see exactly where...
...I HIT THE MASSIVE HELLISH HILL, and laughed as I walked up part of it.
The route kind of looks like a stupid smile, laughing right back at me, does it not?! Maybe I'm seeing things.
Not fun.

Part of me was thinking that I want to try running trails at least once a week in 2012 to give my body a break from the pavement and to change things up/slow myself down. But after running this on Saturday... I'm not so sure.

Happy Jingle Bell Hell! Thanks for organizing this virtual race, XL!
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9 comments:

  1. a runnerDecember 18, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    Maybe trails once a month would work better for you :)

    I love that evil smile those mountains make...at least the route was pretty!

    Thanks so much for participating :)

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  2. Rena @milehogger.blogspot.comDecember 18, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    You kept an awesome pace on those monster hills! My pace always drops way down slower than 10 minute miles on trails. And I totally see the evil smile.

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  3. courtney (pancakes and postcards)December 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    haha cute alyssa. my jingle bell hell was the 0.3 miles up to the top of my hill. 13:40 pace baby! ;)

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  4. Angela @ SF Road WarriorDecember 18, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    With you. Totally want to run more trails this year for all the same reasons, but there are some parts of it that just SUCK!

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  5. JohannDecember 19, 2011 at 3:13 AM

    This is great! I can do a similar run but mine will probably be on the road. Have a good week!

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  6. HappyTrailsDecember 19, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    Trails are good...

    Repeat this in your head until you believe it!!! That graphic with the sinister face is too funny! Have a great week, a Merry Christmas, and a great 2012 full of hills and trails!

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  7. misszippyDecember 19, 2011 at 6:47 AM

    Ouch! But it DID look peaceful and beautiful. Looks can be deceiving.

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  8. KatieDecember 19, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    OUCH! man. I have had it with hills already!

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  9. LaurenDecember 21, 2011 at 3:57 AM

    haha I totally see the evil smile!

    Sounds like a really tough course, but you also did really well with it. So maybe more trails WOULD be a good thing? ;) At the very least, the route does sound beautiful!

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