Closing the Ring,Chasing the Climb

I headed out for a short, sharp hill repeat session on Glen Denning, keeping it simple with relaxed recoveries and aiming for about three climbs. I used the early kilometres across Mount Douglas to check in on my body, calm the system, and note that my heart rate spiked early, confirming I was a little stressed before the real work began. I completed each hill repeat by labouring up, turning around gratefully at the top, and enjoying the downhill resets, pausing occasionally for photos, brief walks, and friendly trail-side encounters. As the session unfolded, I settled into zone three efforts, reflected quietly on family, generosity, and Christmas while descending, and accepted that today’s work was about effort, not speed. I finished with three hill repeats plus the jog to and from, turned toward Harvest Lane at 3.68 kilometres, and signed off on the connector trail feeling worked, steady, and ready to head home.