Rich on Running: Onward and upward at Lynn Woods

?Going up…”Those are familiar words in an elevator, and a familiar feeling for runners at the weekly Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country Races. And that feeling is established right out of the gate.From the flat surface of the Great Woods Road parking lot, runners must transition to uphill-climbing mode as soon as race director Bill Mullen signals each race with his cowbell. That transition is, to put it mildly, abrupt.?It?s tough to go right uphill,” said St. Mary?s coach (and former Swampscott coach) Dom Finelli, who was one of the runners on Wednesday. “Especially as you get older. You have to do more warm-ups and be loose to run the first section. It is rocky. A lot of times, people don?t do as much warm-ups as they should. It?s grueling.?I talked to a gentleman who came back after he ran the race last week. He ran on the weekend and ran the first hill 10 times to get used to it.”It is nice to see people encouraging each other from the outset. I regularly hear runners congratulating each other as they make their way up the incline. Perhaps getting kudos from fellow runners gives us some much-needed fuel as we power our path uphill.I have tried going fast up the hill … and running up at a gentler pace. What I found problematic with the first approach is that it may have sapped me of energy that would have been useful heading to the finish line. In going up at a more conservative pace, it?s still a little disheartening to see people passing me, but it does tend to leave me feeling better throughout the race.However, there are many runners who, in Finelli?s words, “attack the hill.”?The top guys, I?m sure, attack the hill,” he said. “Some (people) do it to stay in shape. Young kids who?ve never learned before are learning how to run. If you?re loose enough, attack.?Hills are a great equalizer. Attack the hill, push at the beginning … if you?re a competitor, it?s a good way to break someone. A good warm-up is a mile and a half, a 2-mile warm-up. It?s (good) for high school (runners) and older (people). Be stretched and loose so you won?t get hurt.”That first hill is also a good introduction to the terrain of the course. It?s rocky, and last week my foot hit what felt like a large stone and I almost did an imitation of the Bobby Orr photo where he?s flying over the ice.?Lean into the hill,” Finelli said regarding uphill running. “Be up on your toes a little more. The key thing is that when you get to the top, don?t slow down. Go up and over. Continue on your pace until the next downhill.”I remember one race a few weeks ago when one runner at my side exclaimed – perhaps in satisfaction, perhaps in relief – that they had reached the top. I think it?s great to celebrate making that first climb … the first test of a course that offers many tests.Relay date approachesIt?s time to get a team together and sign up for the 44th annual Lynn Woods Relay, which takes place next Wednesday at 6 p.m. Cost is $50 per four-person team. Each member will run a 2.5-mile leg, for a total of 10 miles. See you there!