Forums >Running 101>Hill Repeats
I am planning to start running some hill repeats during my Wed runs, starting this coming week...probably starting with 2 and slowly adding a few more........but what i dont know is how long the hill repeats ought to be for optimal training purposes...(I live in a pretty hilly area, so finding hills is no problem for me)...
I'm guessing 1/2 mile.....then jog down the hill and then repeat....
What would you recommend for the optimal training distance for hill repeats??
Champions are made when no one is watching
Courtesy of Nader from another thread
Pete Magill Hill Workouts.
I have a fairly steep hill that takes me 90 seconds to do at moderately fast pace. I try to do this once every 2-3 weeks, run up hard, jog down, and walk at the bottom of the hill until my breathing is back down to comfortable level do about 5-6 repeats. Otherwise couple of my weekly runs are rolling where some hills are half mile long, other about 2-3 minutes long. I just vary running hard up some, and fast down others.
Right on Hereford...
Lots of ways to do hill repeats. Here is what my training group did last night. Keep in mind, we've been building up to this. We're near the peak of training for Boston now. In other words, don't jump right in. Check my log for the hill workouts over the last 4 months to get an idea of the buildup.
Hill-Tempo/Sustained Workout – Meet @ FAC 5:30 pm Warm Up 20 min/Stretch/4 x 25 sec strides 5 x 2 min steady up/2 min steady down Take 90 sec active rest between intervals 5 x 60 sec hard up/60 sec quick turnover down Take 60 sec active rest between intervals After the Last Interval - Go Steady ALL the Way Down to King Soopers (6-7 minutes)Cool Down 10 minutes The effort on the first set of 5 repeats is hard. The 2nd set of 5 is harder. Note that we are NOT jogging down the hill. We are running hard every time. This is good prep for a downhill course like Boston.
Some things the coach tells us during the downhills:
"Lean into the hill."
"Relax the shoulders."
"Quick feet, save your quads."
Am I doing this right?
Lots of ways to do hill repeats. Here is what my training group did last night. Keep in mind, we've been building up to this. We're near the peak of training for Boston now. In other words, don't jump right in. Check my log for the hill workouts over the last 4 months to get an idea of the buildup. Hill-Tempo/Sustained Workout – Meet @ FAC 5:30 pm Warm Up 20 min/Stretch/4 x 25 sec strides 5 x 2 min steady up/2 min steady down Take 90 sec active rest between intervals 5 x 60 sec hard up/60 sec quick turnover down Take 60 sec active rest between intervals After the Last Interval - Go Steady ALL the Way Down to King Soopers (6-7 minutes)Cool Down 10 minutes The effort on the first set of 5 repeats is hard. The 2nd set of 5 is harder. Note that we are NOT jogging down the hill. We are running hard every time. This is good prep for a downhill course like Boston. Some things the coach tells us during the downhills: "Lean into the hill." "Relax the shoulders." "Quick feet, save your quads."
This might be a dumb question, but does "Lean into the hill" mean to lean forward or lean back?
No excuses....
Forward. If you lean back, you're putting on the brakes. This would slow you down AND trash your quads.
If you've ever taken ski lessons you will probably know how this should feel. Don't fight the hill...let gravity take you.
Our natural tendency is to lean forward on the uphills and backward on the downhills. Do the opposite, Run tall on uphill and don't lean back on downhills is the advice I got.
bigbunnys never ask dumb questions.
Lean a little forward into an uphill (or "run tall"). Lean more than a little bit and you will be doing the power climb thing with your quads. Combine the quad pumping up the hills with the quad breaking down the hills and your quads will be howling for days.
Why is it sideways?
Form follows function. Concentrate on running strong and fast, run repeats regularly. Proper form will follow.
Depending upon where I am in training and what the goals of the run are, I'll select from a number of options but for what I call a "hill repeat", I usually go hard up 3-4min (convenient landmarks), jog down and take reasonably full recovery (not so long that I cool off or mosquitoes carry me off, maybe a couple minutes), then start up again. My preference is to do these on a 25% slope - because that works best for my hilly races. These are usually for neuromuscular benefits. If I want more cardio, I shorten the recovery time.
Physiological benefits are usually related to time and intensity.
Other hill workouts (other than fartleks and regular runs) may include 30-60sec, 5-7min (less intense, but again it's between convenient landmarks), Lydiard hill drills. Sometimes I'll do 10sec hill sprints (but convenient landmarks frequently end up being closer to 15 sec apart).