An Incredible Training Tool for Runners – Hills!

March 11, 2010 · Posted in Training Tips, Triathlon, running · Comment 

Many runners cringe when they hear the word hills, often coming up with a myriad of excuses why they can not or should not incorporate hills into their weekly routine. The truth is hills are a fabulous training tool and should have a spot in everyone’s training regimen, whether you are training for a 5K all the way up to a marathon.

Yes, hills are hard, very hard, but the reason they are hard is because they require a lot of strength in order to scale them successfully. If you cringe when you think about running hills then it is likely that you are lacking in the strength department. Unfortunately this is a necessity in any race, especially when the going gets tough, so you will definitely want to improve on this if you want to reach your full potential. In the beginning it is best to start off small, something like 3-5% of your weekly mileage. Once you start to get stronger though you will want to increase this to something like 10-15%. You definitely do not want to incorporate hills into your interval or repetition workouts because these are designed to be run fast and to increase your lactic threshold. Instead, it is best to save the hills for temp runs and longer easy runs.

If you are training for a race that has a hill in it and you already know the course layout you can design a workout that simulates the run. So for example, let’s say you are running a 5K and you know there is a hill at about the 3K mark. A good training workout would be to run at or above race pace for 15 minutes or so and then do a few hard laps up a local hill, and finish with another 15 minutes hard. Another great workout to improve your finish is to do short intervals that end up hill. A great workout for this would be to mark off a mile but make sure the finish is at the top of a hill.

There is a ton of different things you can do with hills to spice up your training and increase your strength. Running up hill is comparable to doing squats, lunges, and even leg presses, so if you do not have access to a gym or want to reach your full potential in running then hill running is just what the doctor ordered.

DS Carroll is a consultant for Biomedical Research Laboratories. Biomedical Research Labortories market scientifically based nutritional supplements for endurance athletes including supplements for cyclists, runners, triathletes, and mixed martial arts. Visit http://www.epoboost.com to learn more about how EPO-Boost can increase VO2 max, running economy and endurance.

Patent pending EPO-BOOST ingredients have been shown to increase VO2 max and running economy in college athletes.

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