Reality Check Run

I realized a few weeks ago that despite running a ton of hills during training (both steep and long), I've not come close to the hill that awaits me in Big Sur.  Hurricane Point.  Longer and steeper than the famed Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon.  Granted, Hurricane Point arrives at mile 10 and not mile 20 like in the Boston Marathon, but it's still a huge bitch.

I posted a while back about this hill.  The climb is 1.84 miles long at ~4.47% grade although some GPS systems map it at a 4%.

I decided to one up it.  After running 4 miles along a very flat trail, I ran 2 miles up a hill in Rancho Palos Verdes which is a notoriously hilly area where I've done a bunch of training runs.  I've never run up Hawthorne Blvd though, for good reason.  The road crests at the appropriately named "Crest Drive".  The hill climb is a 6% grade.  I managed under 10 minute miles up and back down.  I didn't push it since I'm in the taper period...and I had to run a lot of the hill on the gravel/rocks that are next to the road since there isn't a bike lane or sidewalk.  But regardless I'm still really happy I ran <10mpm on such a steep incline.

I felt okay going up, although a 2 mile long incline really does suck a lot.  At one point I felt like I MUST be getting close.  I checked my phone quickly and I had run 0.8 miles.  Ouch.  The downhill wasn't much better honestly, because it was just as steep on the way down.  However!  Now that I've gotten a much worse hill out of the way...I feel even more ready for the marathon.  I pretty much have no running this week (supposed to run 3 and walk 2...haha) and then it's showtime.

6 more days.