On Sunday morning I added a new game to my repertoire:

Cat(ch) Me If You Can

It is no secret that I do most of my training in Central Park.  And since my usual routes consist of the four-mile loop, the northern or southern five-mile loops or the full six-mile loop, I tend to run up or down Cat Hill on almost every run.

Cat Hill is one of the toughest hills in Central Park.  It is located on East Drive in the 70’s, just north of the Central Park Boathouse.

The elevation change is steep and drastic, and you’re greeted by an angry looking cat statue just before reaching the top.

If I am running counter-clockwise through the park, I tend to reach Cat Hill about one mile before the end of my run.

Ordinarily, that would be a good time to start winding things down.  But on Sunday, I decided I would do more than just push through to fight my way up that hill.

I decided to run up as fast as I could.

The goal was to make it to the top without anyone passing me.  And I did.

I may give this another try tomorrow morning.  I’m planning to run the four-mile loop before work.

Saving a challenge for the end of a workout is a great way stay focused and strong throughout.

Run On™