Forums >Running 101>Always with the hills.

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Always with the hills. (Read 1014 times)

hillsaremyfriend


    posted: 8/17/2007 at 10:06 AM
    I live in a small valley and all around me is rolling hills. Some of these are large inclines and some are ant hills. So every run has a hill run section to it. Should I be driving to another area that is flatter to do some of my runs or is it alright to continuously run in this kind of terrain?

    My sport's your sport's punishment

     

    2012 goals

                  

    100 Km month         150 K month      200K month

    5K run    10K run     20K run              30K run

    sub 30 min 5K         sub 55min 10K

    kevinyoder


      posted: 8/17/2007 at 2:57 PM
      I think it's better than alright. It is true, hills are your friend. Always running hills will make you a stronger runner. I too train on hills, and when I ran the Boston Marathon with my brother, who is a faster runner than me, I ran away from him on the hills. Don't drive away, stick with your friend.
      btb1490


        posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:07 PM
        As was said, hills are a great way to run and build strength at the same time. I could see a couple of reasons for running somewhere flat however. One would be if you are planning on running a longer race that is flat. You use your muscles differently on the flats vs. the hills, so you want your muscles to get used to running on flat terrain. The other reason is that uphills are tough on your achillies, and downhills are tough on your knees and quads, so pounding them every day like that could lead to injury. It's good to mix up your terrain once in a while.
        Mississippi


          posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:28 PM
          Quote from btb1490 on 8/17/2007 at 3:07 PM:
          and downhills are tough on your knees and quads...
          Yes, I agree. As I sit here icing my right quad, thanks to that one big downhill during the race the other night.
          btb1490


            posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:35 PM
            Quote from Mississippi on 8/17/2007 at 3:28 PM:
            Yes, I agree. As I sit here icing my right quad, thanks to that one big downhill during the race the other night.
            Yeah, but you got a shiny new PR to show for it! Cool I understand you have a 20 miler to do tomorrow, so I hope the quad cooperates. Good luck!
            Jeffrey


              posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:42 PM
              Rolling hills sound good to me! I have a 4 mile route in my 'hood that is sort of flat. Today, most of my runs are beyond 4, so I have to deal with the hills on every run. I look forward to the slope as it forces me to think about how I begin/end my runs. I also like the way hills work the different muscles in my legs; helps break up the monotony of flat terrain. Smile btb1490 brings up a good point about training on terrain that matches an upcoming race.
              Mississippi


                posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:43 PM
                Quote from btb1490 on 8/17/2007 at 3:35 PM:
                Yeah, but you got a shiny new PR to show for it! Cool I understand you have a 20 miler to do tomorrow, so I hope the quad cooperates. Good luck!
                Very true. Big grin I hope it behaves. We're not running until 5:00 so I have all day to work in some more icing (as I sit at my daughter's soccer tournament all day). Thank you!
                Mississippi


                  posted: 8/17/2007 at 3:45 PM
                  Quote from Jeffrey on 8/17/2007 at 3:42 PM:
                  Rolling hills sound good to me! I have a 4 mile route in my 'hood that is sort of flat. Today, most of my runs are beyond 4, so I have to deal with the hills on every run. I look forward to the slope as it forces me to think about how I begin/end my runs. I also like the way hills work the different muscles in my legs; helps break up the monotony of flat terrain. Smile btb1490 brings up a good point about training on terrain that matches an upcoming race.
                  My usual 5k route has 4 decent sized hills in it and it has really helped me with improve my recovery ability during runs. But I really do enjoy changing it up a little and heading to one of the local parks where I can run more of a flat course, and set my pace on "cruise control".
                  zoom-zoom


                  Fanatic #3965

                    posted: 8/17/2007 at 4:49 PM
                    I wish I had more hills to work out on. I can drive a little ways to get to some good ones, but then I have to put my sweaty ass in my nice little car and attempt to drive back home (a bit more challenging with a manual) when my legs are Jello. I do like hills, though. I rarely lose any speed on them and that's where I pick off other slow runners. In a hilly race I tend to do better in terms of placement. k

                    Kirsten

                    '07: 1324.5 | '08: 1561 | '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike | '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike | '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike '12: 659.9 run ~ 3365.6 bike (100% benched by ortho last 4.5 weeks while in long-arm cast)

                    '13 Goals:

                    • DON'T BREAK ANYTHING!!!

                    • get within 5#s of 130#s (and stay there, gotdammit!)

                    • 1st olympic distance duathlon

                    • 1st Iceman Cometh mtn bike race

                    • Half Fanatic

                    • punch Type 1 in the junk

                    JVol44


                      posted: 8/17/2007 at 8:06 PM
                      I agree that hills are our friends, but mine is a love-hate relationship! Big grin Bottom line, they are a necessary evil, and I must admit the feeling of accomplishment is pretty awesome when I see that $!@&^% hill looming in the distance and then crush it without losing pace.
                      "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" - Steven Wright
                      Peke98


                        posted: 8/19/2007 at 10:08 AM
                        Quote from btb1490 on 8/17/2007 at 3:07 PM:
                        uphills are tough on your achillies
                        I learned that this summer, my bad habit of not stretching & warming up properly caught up to me. I love my hilly routes too but, have to avoid them somewhat as my left Achilles tendon recovers from years of neglect. Tough lesson to learn.

                        Take your protein pill and put your helmet on.

                        hillsaremyfriend


                          posted: 8/19/2007 at 11:02 AM
                          Thanks guys! I've noticed that even though my brother-in-law who is not human when it comes to running distance comes over I can recover quicker then him and he lives where it is pancake flat. The hills seem to even us out. I'll watch out for my achilles though. Being a heavier runner (200+ pounds) I have to watch out for over doing it.

                          My sport's your sport's punishment

                           

                          2012 goals

                                        

                          100 Km month         150 K month      200K month

                          5K run    10K run     20K run              30K run

                          sub 30 min 5K         sub 55min 10K


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