I ran up Red Mountain today.

It used to be that the thought of an uphill, let alone an entire mountain, left me cowering at the back of the pack. Uphills were my doom. Over and over again I watched people ski run or ride away from me as the climb got steeper. I feared them in races, I avoided them in training.

Now I find that I adore uphills. I love them because of the focus they bring to whatever technique I'm doing. Sure, the view might be great but I rarely look on the way up. I know I can enjoy that on the way down. On the way up it's just me and the next step, kick, or pedal. I still fear uphills in races, but now I seek them out in training. And I find that I'm no longer one of the uphill-haters.