Hill Training For Runners and how it can improve over-all running performance.

Many runners will ignore running hills because it just seems too hard and they believe it has little value in the big scheme of things as far as their training goes.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. I was guilty of ignoring this method of training for many years myself, but once I incorporated it into my regular training schedule for several months, I began to reap the benefits.

HILLS ARE GREAT TRAINING FOR MARATHONS OR THE IRONMAN

One thing I soon found out about running hills is that it's a very important aspect of marathon and Ironman Triathlon training.

Finally one Spring after reading an article on hill training I decided to incorporate "up" and "downhill" repeats as part of my training leading up to a marathon that was about 4 months away.

For ten weeks I tackled a large hill near my home once a week and worked my way up to 10 repeats. I concentrated on maintaining speed and building strength on the uphills and economical form and balance on the downhills.

HILLS CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE

I credit my personal best 2:54 marathon for the race I was training for and a 3:34 marathon in Ironman Canada the following year in large part to my solitary runs up and down that hill.

Many great marathons have been decided on the hills and we can take a lesson from some of the best runners in the world.

Few people realize that the winner of the Boston Marathon is not really determined on Heartbreak Hill, but rather in the miles of downhill proceeding it.

GREAT RUNNERS KNOW HOW TO RUN HILLS

Runners who can handle the Boston downhills with economy and speed will almost always catch the runners in front of them who have trashed their quads on the downhills and can't maintain their pace on Heartbreak Hill.

Add to that the fact that Heartbreak Hill begins at the 20 mile mark where most runners run out of glycogen and hit the wall, and it's easy to see why the more efficient downhill runners will more often than not conserve energy, maintain form, and wear the laurel wreath.

So whatever you do, don't be afraid to make downhill running part of your preparation for an upcoming endurance.

I found the best time to begin a hill training program is when the your big event is about 13 or 14 weeks away. That allows 10 weeks to slowly build up your hill training and still have 4 weeks to taper into your event.

A SIMPLE PROGRAM

First of all, find the right hill. For this type of training a hill that is on the steeper side and not overly long is best. I found a steep hill that can climbed in around 2 minutes and made sure it came with a flat stretch about 200 meters long once I crested the hill.

--I decided I would do a 9-week hill training program.--I ran hills once a week for 9 weeks.--I started with 2 hill repeats the first session and every week I added one--The final week of hill training I did 10 hill repeats.

I tried to run each hill repeat in each session faster than the previous one. So I would begin by going up the hill on the first repeat at a pace I could easily handle and then try and better that time on the next repeat.

So it's easy to see how this can become quite a workout once you are doing 5 or more of these repeats.

I had a starting point at the bottom of the hill and a finishing point 200 meters beyond the crest of the hill.

Once I crested the hill, I pushed myself to keep on running and until I reached my finish marker 200 meters away. It can be a tree, a telephone pole or a house. In my case it was a fire hydrant that I sprinted toward.

Often I've been in marathons where runners will push to the top of a hill and then slow down big-time once they reach the top. I was training myself to keep on running once I reached the top and I believe this really helped my endurance.

I went up the hill at a steady pace and this seemed to help build my strength over the course of the 9-week hill training sessions.

I started my stop-watch at the beginning mark and stopped it at my finish point.

I never stopped running. I turned around and slowly began to run back toward the top of the hill. The slow run back to the top of the hill was the recovery phase.

On the downhill I really concentrated on maintaining good energy-saving form and avoiding the braking that most of us runners seem to be guilty of when we run downhill. When I reached my starting point again I started my timer again and did another repeat.

So you can see why it's necessary for a slow build-up as each repeat is done faster than the one previous and each week another repeat is added.

It's best if you have an easy 15 or 20 minute run before and after your hill session. One is for a warm-up and one is for recovery.

It's best to have an easy day before your hill training day and a full rest day after. For a triathlete that easy day might mean a fairly short swim and for a marathoner perhaps an easy 30-45 minute run.

As I have said often, I am not a coach. This is just a hill workout that really worked well for me and I'm passing it on to you to try if you like.

You can modify it to suit your needs, but I feel two very important points are to continue running once you crest the hill and concentrating just as much on the downhill as you do the uphill.

I can tell you one thing for sure. When the marathon arrived and I came to a hill it seemed just "so easy" to me after working up to 10 hill repeats in my training.

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