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Workout - Hills |  |
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See the Index for more topics, information, hints and tips.
See other types of Running Workouts.
It has been said that you can never do too much hill training! Find a hill or even a ramp on a road convenient to you. It could be short and steep or long and gradual. No hills? They make parachutes for runners or pull a tire or other heavy weight. Another substitute is stairs. Look for tall buildings or parking garages.
When climbing the hill use shorter steps. Use calf raises, extend your back leg fully, pump your arms, make sure you don’t tighten your arms, shoulders, and back. Maintain good posture - stand up straight and tall and don't stoop over.
At the top of a hill be sure to relax and get back into proper running form. The tendency is to look down, bend forward, and tighten your arms and shoulders. So after you top a hill (after you celebrate) reach your arms up above your head and stretch to get your back straight. Drop your hands down by your side and shake them to loosen your arms and roll your shoulders. Look ahead and keep your chin up.
Going downhill, the tendency is to use long strides. These create higher impact and actually slow you down. Use shorter strides, a fast cadence, and let your heart rate recover. Repeat going up and down the hill four to eight times.
Check your goal race. Does it have hills at the start, middle or end? Significant up or down hill? Runs near the coast tend to be uphill for the first half and downhill the second half.
If you want to see a challenging race, look at the Pikes Peak Marathon. It's 13.1 miles uphill gaining 8000 feet and then 13.1 miles downhill loosing 8000 feet.
Benefits: It makes you faster. Very few courses are without some kind of hill. Builds muscles, you learn techniques of ascending and descending.
