tackling the hills

Just over two weeks until our run.  Last year we went in blind.  We had seen a map but we were not familiar enough with the area to know the terrain.  We expected a few "hills" - this is Seattle after all.  What we didn't expect was the final hill - the last tenth of a mile was a steady climb. 
So - this time around we are preparing for those hills.  Today we did a run that had us go out on a steady incline, tapper off, a bit of downhill and then turn around and do it again.  When we get to the hills - we really kick it in and run as hard as we can.  We recover on the flat or down hill portions.  It was a good run - just a bit over 3 miles (the length of the race we will do). 
Best part?  It was a beautiful autumn day and we ran in short tights and short sleeved shirts.
Tomorrow the rains return.