I asked myself a question today – How do you run up a hill? What is the best way? This raised more questions. Do you grit your teeth or do you smile, do you keep a steady pace or do you sprint up to get it over and done with, do you run in a straight line, do you look at your feet or do you keep your head up, do you run alone or are you better with someone running with you, what is the best breathing technique, do you set a target for how quick you will finish? I don’t really know the answers and I would really like to hear your views. I had a lovely day. I got slides finished for training next week. Then cheques arrived in the post from two (happy) customers. My favourite break away from home and the office is Knockma Woods near Tuam. There is a lovely Forest hill which is very popular with walkers, runners and friendly dogs. There is a circular route of about 1.8 miles on part dirt track part grit so it is perfect even in wet weather. Maximum altitude is 660 feet so its a nice climb.
You can do one lap or two, and sometimes even a third one and still be back in the car in an hour having done nearly six miles. It is in no way monotonous even on the third lap. It is a lovely spot to think about nothing and it is great spot for ideas to pop into your head.
It is a challenging course. And it makes me wonder what is the best way to run up a hill. I have not reached any conclusions but:
- The second lap seems easier than the first.
- You can not go too fast as the route will catch up with you.
- It is important to get a good momentum going and I try to keep a steady pace.
- I try to breathe regularly through my nose but that is not always possible.
- I try to look ahead but in the serious inclines you have to focus on putting one foot forward.
- I keep the time and I also use Endomondo on the Samsung Galaxy. I just want to make sure my time is not too slow but I have no challenging target time in mind.
- Going downhill is actually as hard as it is tough on the heels but the break is great
- I try to focus on individual sections so getting over the next hill is the objective and keeping my pace.
- You have to enjoy it – get a real sense of enjoyment and achievement
- Most importantly, when I meet someone, I say hello and ask them how they are. Lovely people in Caherlistrane.
I am not going to make all the analogies between running up and down a hill and business startup but I am reminded of ‘The Entrepreneur Rollercoaster’ – a 3.5 minute video about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
I think the crucial issue is ‘Keeping on your Toes’, in both a literal and physical sense for both running up a hill and managing your business. I hope you found my blogpost about work/life balance and entrepreneurship interesting. Comments welcome.
regards
donncha
@donnchadhh
