RunningAHEAD - Topic: Hill workouts...?

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 4/4/2008 at 7:59 AM

Ok, so I have a few running books that I could look to, but I'd rather pick all yer brains (I'm a zombie like that). How do YOU do hill workouts? Run a mile or two easy, then do a mile or more of hills, then a cool-down? Sprint up the hill, maintain pace, or maintain effort? Walk down or easy jog...or all out? In my last race I made an effort to take it easy up the hills, but flew down--seemed to work OK. Though backroadrunner charged the hills and took it easy on the downs and we still finished about the same.

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

BadDawg

posted: 4/4/2008 at 8:19 AM
modified: 4/4/2008 at 8:29 AM

I just build them into my regular runs. I shorten my stride on the way up, and try (with limited success) to follow Figbash's recommendation to lean forward on the downhill. I can pick up the downhill pace more now without pounding my shins into submission. This is my base course, I either run it alone or use it as the first seven miles of my long run http://runningahead.com/maps/192066fa91a04d0aa108e8919b691c68 This is a short course, I use it for an easy 40-45 minute run. http://runningahead.com/maps/0bf56582b9444e43932b0c3b281ae565 It definitely helps during a race when you can look at most hills and just think "been there, done that" and just keep running. I never gave it much thought other than that until runtowin called them "speed work in disguise". I think that's true.

E.J.
Greater Lowell Road Runners
Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

Dave23

posted: 4/4/2008 at 8:23 AM

I try to incorporate hills into my everday workouts. I find rolling hills and long, gradual hills best for this. I don't do specific hill workouts per se. I do however run a lot of hills. As for racing, I try to exert the same effort going up the hill I do on the flats. Speed suffers a bit, naturally, but I open it up on the downside which more than makes up for it. Plus, I find you usually pass those folks that surged past you on the uphill, and you've expended significantly less energy doing so. But, that's just me. Others might disagree.

Mr Inertia

Suspect Zero

posted: 4/4/2008 at 8:27 AM

There's a few that I do. There's a 1.75 mile loop that has one serious climb and one serious desent. I'll do 3-5 repeats. On a medium to large hill, I'll simply run up at a modest effort and cruise back down 6-10 repeats. I have a 6 mile course close to my house that has 4 medium and two large hills and I'll run that as a mid week run. One that I've been dying to try, but it's a 20 minute drive to get there and it's a major road so it would have to be an EARLY morning run. I found a 15 mile course that has 4 medium and two large hills. I'd like to do a long run there soon. The largest hill is a full mile long and it's right at the turnaround.

sully708

My legs are killing me

posted: 4/4/2008 at 8:39 AM

Zoomy, I do alot of hills because in my area that is all there is. I have two main routes that I run and they both start with 3 miles up hill. I try to slow down my pace, take shorter strides and keep my posture upright (no hunching over) while going up and then pick up my pace going down to make up some time. I read in "Runners World" if you keep upright going up a hill you increase your air intake 30% and it really seems to help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B-r8KJhlE

Scout7

posted: 4/4/2008 at 8:43 AM

Hill Training

jeffdonahue

posted: 4/4/2008 at 9:12 AM

My running club has a thursday hill workout that goes like this. One mile warm up to the bottom of the first hill. There are 6 hills, all about .25 miles long - though each gets a little shorter I think, but not much. We collect at the bottom of the hill and then basically head up the hill at the fastest pace you can hold for the entire hill. Rest at the top for the group to catch up and then we jog over and down the next street and then up the next hill again as fast as you can and hold the pace for the entire hill. As we get closer to races (like the Boston marathon) we tend to just try to run the entire 6 hill course with a steady effort, so slower up and faster down to get a better feel for what the race will be like.

Tchuck

SMART Approach

posted: 4/4/2008 at 9:34 AM

It is great to do rolling hills in your training runs. If you have a race coming with a big hill or two, it is nice to simulate this in training. When running hills, keep your same effort. Obviously your pace will drop a bit but HR will likely go up. And go with flow downhill, don't put on brakes. As far as specific hill work to build strength, this is what I recommend and is a Tinman philosophy or his ideas influencing me. After quality work like a tempo or CV intervals, recover a bit and then do 4 building to 8 X 30 - 60 sec hill surges. Obviously start with 3-4 for 30 sec and build from there over upcoming weeks. These should not be sprinted up but you should work to get up the hill. Perhap 5K race pace building to 3K race pace. Run down easy, run an additional minute or two on flat surface and repeat. Think of weight lifting. How long are your sets, 30-60 sec right?

Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

www.smartapproachtraining.com

kcam

posted: 4/4/2008 at 10:39 AM

As my fitness gets better I do a hill repeat session once every two weeks (there's an overpass near where I work that's about .2 miles up/down). Also, most of my long runs incorporate rolling hills and some sustained ascending/descending as they're trail runs. In a race I run hills by doing whatever is necessary to maintain stride rate ie shorten stride and/or reduce pace if I must. I won't use the magical number but there's a '1' an '8' and a '0' somewhere in there. Big grin

JakeKnight

posted: 4/4/2008 at 11:26 AM

Quote from BadDawg on 4/4/2008 at 8:19 AM:

I just build them into my regular runs.

I think for most people that's the way to go. I used to have a couple specific hills and do these carefully planned workouts, running up the hills X number of times at Y speed with Z time for recovery, etc. Now I just run in the hills a lot. Every run this week, for example, has been on these hills: http://harpethhillsmarathon.com/PWPmaps/Elevation.JPG Nothing has been more effective at making me stronger, faster, and more comfortable at mile 23 of a marathon than just running in the hills a lot. The only catch is that I've had to learn to sometimes stay away from the hills. Recovery is important.

E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
-----------------------------

Marcus L S

The Greatest of All Time

posted: 4/4/2008 at 11:32 AM
modified: 4/4/2008 at 11:32 AM

Quote from JakeKnight on 4/4/2008 at 11:26 AM:

I used to have a couple specific hills and do these carefully planned workouts, running up the hills X number of times at Y speed with Z time for recovery, etc.

Great workouts, but a real ass kicker. It takes guts to run 14 hill repeats that take >90 seconds to run up and only about 30 to run down and turn around to do it again....arrgghh.

all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.

BadDawg

posted: 4/4/2008 at 11:36 AM

Quote from JakeKnight on 4/4/2008 at 11:26 AM:

Now I just run in the hills a lot. Every run this week, for example, has been on these hills: http://harpethhillsmarathon.com/PWPmaps/Elevation.JPG

Now them is some HILLS. I don't know which would scare me more, the monkeys on your back going up the hills or the monkeys chewing on your quads on the way down. That would make non-hill recovery damned important.

E.J.
Greater Lowell Road Runners
Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

Run To Win

#2867

posted: 4/4/2008 at 11:38 AM

Depends upon the workout. Generally, I don't do anything special with hills, they are just there in the run. If I want to do a specific hill workout, I'll warm up, run hard up the hill, jog back down, repeat however much, cool down. Or I might run hard up, rest, run hard down, rest, repeat, etc. If I'm working the downhills, I have a good workout on a trail that has about 550 meters downhill, sharp turn and flat for 50 meters, sharp turn and uphill for 200 meters, then I'll do a quarter mile recovery jog and start over. That has really helped my ability to control myself and run efficiently down hill.

Run to Win
25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

Crabby

Dog-Love

posted: 4/4/2008 at 11:40 AM

Quote from JakeKnight on 4/4/2008 at 11:26 AM:

I think for most people that's the way to go. I used to have a couple specific hills and do these carefully planned workouts, running up the hills X number of times at Y speed with Z time for recovery, etc. Now I just run in the hills a lot. Every run this week, for example, has been on these hills: http://harpethhillsmarathon.com/PWPmaps/Elevation.JPG Nothing has been more effective at making me stronger, faster, and more comfortable at mile 23 of a marathon than just running in the hills a lot. The only catch is that I've had to learn to sometimes stay away from the hills. Recovery is important.

Ditto. We have a 5 mile hilly route from sea level up to our Eaglecrest Ski resort. I run this once a week when I can and just enjoy the scenery. There is a 400 meter hill (really stepp) that I see folks running up fast and jogging down and I am sure that is effective but doesn't look near as fun.

Run like you are on fire! 5K goal 24:00 or less (PR 24:34) 10K goal 50:00 or less (PR 52:45) HM goal 1:55:00 or less (PR 2:03:02) Marathon Goal...Less than my PR (PR 4:33:23)

imogene

dork.major dork.

posted: 4/4/2008 at 12:03 PM

I have a course that has a street at the bottom of a hill and a street that runs along the ridge, and I've taken to running along the ridge, down a hill, along the valley, up a hill and then back to my house by way of a flattish loop. I do maybe six or seven hills this way and it is more effective that the run up/jog down approach because repeats lead to too much temptation to rest, and with this workout I just keep going. That said, it's a little bit more beefy* than how I would be able to "just work hills into my other runs". *I'm sure other people manage to do this quite rigorously.

Reaching 1,243 in 2008 -- one day, one week, one mile at a time.

Hill workouts...? (Read 1182 times)