Stone - I agree that there is no need to finger point. I am not sure if you were including me in that (hard to tell sometimes via the Internet), but if you were, I would point out that I did not intend that at all. I was referring to “people” in the generic sense, people I read about in blogs, etc. online, people I meet in the store, people I meet at races, and so on. I respect the people here, as they are dedicated, intelligent runners, and often fare well in their racing. That is why is come here.
Whoever brought up the “finishing on a net downhill” I answer yes and no. Yes, I do finish on a net downhill sometimes, and on other runs I finish on an uphill,...and on some runs I finish on a flat. Mostly it is a combination or rolling effect. Even on the “downhill finish” route, it kicks up a bit toward the very end, especially depending upon whether or not I continue onward a bit more, and so that tends to work me some toward the end of a run. I say “head to the hills” as my main or favorite run has a major hill somewhere between the 3-5 mile point (depending upon how I run it). I call it the “hump” or the “big hill,” and that alone puts a nice dent in me. Once I am over that, I work on recovering some, and then handling the rollers that lie ahead. For the most part, those are my beloved hills, and there is also a nice, more sustained climb on the far end of that 3-mile loop, not quite as steep as the “big hill.” When I want to max out the hill effect, I will do the 3-mile loop once, twice, or even three times, and then turn left before completing it, and head for what my wife has named the “little mountain,” a newer road over a steep hill that is very similar to the “hump” or “big hill” I have mentioned (heading north)...which then ropes me into having to climb a similar hill heading back toward my house (heading south). I have hit these hills as late as miles 13-15 in my runs, and they really work me. On this particular run, I have to finish with a fair amount of uphill/rollers in the last 2-3 miles. I any case, I am glad you brought this up, as I do not mind explaining what I do.
Was I being senstive? Perhaps so. I was mostly trying to point out that we should keep an open mind about training methods, no matter if they come from a respected running mind such as Tinman, or some guy who likes to run hills and get high from his running, or from some other guy over in Taiwan (or wherever) who focuses on HR...or whatever/wherever else, espeically if we find that these people are producing consistent results. Also, as one who searches for patterns in things, I think it interesting to find aspects of one training method crop up in other training methods.
All the best, my friends...time to head to the hills, I believe.