Hill repeats are an excellent way for runners to build strength and improve their speed. Hills make us better runners. Hills are our friends!
Often times a marathon is advertised as “flat” as a reason to register. But some of the best marathons are the hilly ones. The hillier marathons are usually the most beautiful. Embrace the hills by preparing for them!
Yet hill workouts aren’t just for preparing for hilly marathons. You can reap the rewards of hill training when you run on the flats as well. Hill training will make you a stronger runner no matter what you’re training for!
Hill Running Basics:
Generally, the idea is that you will run up the hill fast/hard, and then you recover by jogging down super easy. This type of hill workouts is fantastic for improving VO2 max and increasing muscle strength. In fact, I have read that hill repeats are basically a form of strength training:
“The forceful contractions caused by the lifting of the hips, glutes and quads when you’re running up the hill utilizes the same principle mechanics as many plyometric exercises. Also, because these long hill repeats are often very intense, they are a great VO2 max workout. The muscle groups you use to overcome hills are virtually the same as those you use for sprinting, so hill work enhances your speed. This strengthening effect is supplemented by the fact that hill workouts help increase both the frequency and length of your stride — you get even faster. As a final added bonus, hill training also strengthens the muscles around your knees, helping to reduce knee injuries.” source
Here are some tips and training ideas for your hill training.
Always warm-up!
I usually do an easy jog for about two miles to the base of the hill. You should get 10-15 minutes of slow jogging in to warm up the body before you arrive at the bottom of your hill.
Focus on form.
Don’t stare at your feet. Instead try to focus on the ground a few feet ahead of you.
Push Yourself!
Run up the hill at your 5K “effort” pace. You’ll want to try to push yourself hard up the hill, keeping a consistent effort up the hill but then take it really easy on the downhill. When you reach the top of your hill, you should be feeling the burn…Turn around and recover by easy jogging down the hill.
When should I start hill training?
Ideally, you shouldn’t start incorporating hill training until you have 4-6 weeks of solid base training under your belt.
How often should I do hill training?
Most sources I found said no more than once a week.
How many repeats should I do?
Your number of repeats depends on your experience and fitness level, as well as the distance and grade of your hill. Generally, my coach has me do several short hill sprints (about 20 repeats of a 100m hill). However, the schedule my running club follows includes longer repeats (about 1/2 mile up and down) so that schedule maxes out at 8-10 repeats.
If you are new to running, I would recommend the lower end of the range, but if you are an experienced runner who has been hitting all of the miles so far in training, then go for the higher end of the range.
Most coaches and experienced runners would agree that training on hills is a great idea for any runner.
Here are a few other reasons I found to encourage you to incorporate hills into your training:
1. They help prevent shin splints
2. Those who train on hills are less likely to lose fitness if they take time off of running. (source)
3. Hill repeats help to improve your form and stride.
4. Hill training will boost your metabolism.
I challenge you to add a hill workout into your training. Let me know how it goes!
Do you train specifically on hills? Or are all your routes already hilly?
Great post on hills. I just had those last night. I actually love hill repeats! 🙂
Me too! This time he had me do 300m repeats (fewer of them) though generally its 100m repeats. I don’t mind hills- they’re tough, but you FEEL tough afterwards 🙂
For sure, and it is crazy how they help with speed/endurance.
Hills are speed work in disguise!
I’ve been doing a weekly session of hill reps as part of my marathon training and I know from looking at the splits for each rep that I am getting faster (and therefore stronger!). It’s pretty hilly where i live so most of my runs involve hills anyway and these sessions mix it up so I’m not always just plodding up but working on becoming stronger.
That’s so awesome Allison! It’s great to see progress. Hill training definitely works 🙂
Any favorite hill locations in the cities that you recommend and are convenient? It’s pretty flat out here in suburbia, so I tend to do my hill work on highway pedestrian overpasses (the exhaust fumes are the frosting on that sandwich…). But in general I find them too short, and often too steep.
Sure! My running club usually runs up Kenwood Parkway from around the Parade Ice Stadium and up- that’s about 0.5 mile. Running down the other side towards Isles is good too. I know a lot of people love the hill off the West River road by the lock and dam. There’s a solid hill behind the Weismann Museum by the U that is really popular too!
FYI: The hill I’ve found that most matches Heartbreak is from Bohemian Flats up to Franklin on the right side of the river. Just make sure you run three other hills before that to get the full Boston effect, as Heartbreak is mostly about the cumulative effect of the prior hills.
Great suggestion, thanks Dan!