Running - Hill Training

Everyone likes to avoid the monster hill on the training route. They hurt, they don’t get easier and everybody whether it’s the seasoned racer or the complete novice. But hills can be your friends. Yes that may be the cliché of the century in any sport, but with proper hill training, you can use them to further your endurance skills and increase overall running strength.

The first step is to find a hill you struggle on a bit at first and then really struggle on toward the top. This is your hill to set your goal on: run it and time yourself. This is your time to beat in 2 weeks. Alternatively build up the number of times your un it. ie jog down and do it again.

When you start off, learn how to pace yourself up the hill. If it’s long you may need to pace yourself; or just sprint if it’s short. You need to move your arms at the speed you’d like your legs to move. If you want to accelerate move your arms faster and your legs will follow suit.

If you feel really tired, just look at the road in front of you. It’s only that piece of road you have to worry about. If you feel strong, look at the top of the hill and visualise it.

Hill training is amazing at building strength and endurance, but because it’s more strenuous, you shouldn’t do more than 5 repeats for beginners, and the next day should be a recovery day (either rest or a gentle run).