Natalie Hartley Runs...Up That Hill

Never has Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' rung so true!  I have walked past this running path in Primrose Hill many many times and seen loads of nut cases running up and down with heavy rucksacks training for god knows what and yesterday that hill became my new friend too (sadly).  

Reason being is I had my first personal training session with the lovely and super fit Jocelyn the in house Nike trainer.  She was part of the reason I wanted to join up, something I never thought I would ever pay for myself so this seemed a treat (in a very romantic view of it all).  

We started with her 'subtle' lunges, which was enough for me, but then led into sitting on a bench, one leg out, arms and and had to pull myself off the bench using one leg strength to pull me up from sitting...well, I couldn't do it on my left leg and my right was marginally better but still had to push myself up with my hands so now back to square one as now need to not only run but build up a lot of leg strength.  It is really starting to become apparent that my illusion of a couple of runs a week is all thats needed is fading fast into the distance.  

The running hadn't even started yet and then as we walked over to 'the hill' I was told to run up and down three times while she timed me giving it 40%, 60% and then 80%.  This run is half mental half physical and have done it twice I gave my final efforts, ran at my fastest and did the last run in 36 seconds, hurrah!  San Francisco is full of hills and even though I tried to push this to the back of my mind I have to train for it and this is now becoming the focal point of my weekly training with her, lucky old me. 

However despite the shock of how much I might need to put into this whole experience I am actually starting to enjoy it and more importantly have never slept so well in my life!