runners-and-hill-training

Why hills are good for your training

Hills are one of the most versatile of all running tools. Not only can they be used to cover all the energy pathways, they also have great variety and can be used in developing the runner’s technique. They also have the added advantage of being very specific sessions and take up little training time.

Take the opportunity to look at your regular training routes. Do they have any hills in them? How steep are the hills? Ask another runner to run the course with you and get their opinion on it.

To make the most of any hills then you need to attack them. Don't just wait until you get to the hill. Be prepared to attack the hill before you actually get to it. When you approach the hill pick up the pace so that you are running faster than normal when you hit the bottom. Pump your arms and slightly shorten your stride whilst increasing your leg cadence. This action applies to any hill.

You can only get better at hill running by practicing on them. Doing specific sessions on hills is a great way to get a quality workout done in a relatively short period of time. Hills can be hard work but the benefits are enormous.

With all training it is important to build up gradually over time the distance and speed. This is very important with regard to hill running, as you will probably be using muscles that haven't been utilized in this way before. The motto here is start steady and build up. When you finish the last repetition you should feel that you could do one more, if you had to. Hill sessions are about running hard but controlled. Your legs will probably feel more tired than usual the next day so compensate by running a little slower and letting your legs recover a bit.

Here are some suggested hill sessions. Remember to warm-up thoroughly before all sessions.

Beginner runner: 6 - 8 x 100m hills with slow walk back recovery.
The hill should be a gentle one to start with but as you progress it should get steeper.

Intermediate runner: 2 x (10 x 100 - 150m hills) with jog back recovery and 5-10 minutes of jogging between sets.

Advanced runner: Build up to this gradually as it's a hard one, you have been warned! (The full session takes about two hours so be prepared) 3 x (8 x 100m + 4 x 200m + 8 x 100m hills) with jog back recovery between repetitions and five minutes jogging between sets.