18 Days to the Tough Mudder - Part 2

This morning I commented I was heading out for some running hill work if I could hold the stomach flu off for an hour or so. Success. The flu was tolerant of a run; but not just any run. It was a run like I haven't done in quite some time. The hills turned into some sprints and I ended up doing a good tempo run for a full 36 minutes at a 9:48 mile pace, average heart rate of 157 bpm. I know, I know... that is slow, but its fast for me for the duration of 36 minutes. The elevation gain was 252 ft for 3.75 miles, so there were a couple smallish hills, but no real hill workout with this one. It was one of those runs that doesn't happen very often -- you start out a nice pace and start feeling good and end up going faster, and faster, and faster. You attack the hills; you run like a gazelle on the down hills -- stretching your legs as far as your stride will take them. The adrenaline if rushing and you're thinking, "Damn! why I can't I run like this all the time! Especially in a race." That, my friends, I'll never know. I've been trying to figure that secret out now for almost 8 years and could never dial-in the perfect combination of nutrition, training, and rest to get in good workouts all the time. Every workout is different, and today was awesome. I just ate to replenish the carbs, and I can feel the flu coming back. Argh!