Hills are speedwork in disguise. - 1972 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter
Why should you incorporate hills into your training schedule? Well, just look at the potential benefits:
- Hill training increases your stride length and stride frequency, both of which make you run faster
- Hill training increases your stamina so you’ll be able to run farther at a given pace
- Hill training increases your leg strength, which reduces your risk of injury
In the interest of candor, I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of hill training. Like many runners, I’d much prefer doing long runs or intervals. But, because I’m so convinced of the benefits of hill training, I’m going to incorporate them into my winter training schedule.
Here’s a source of some treadmill hill workouts - perfect for those snowy/icy days when you don’t want to run outside!
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I’m not a big fan of hill work either, but I know that there are many benefits to it. Do you think that once a week is enough? I sometimes feel that I should be doing more of it.
Yes, I do think that once a week is enough - that’s what most of the experts out there seem to recommend. I personally like to do 3 quality workouts a week - 1 long run + 2 workouts from the following: interval, tempo, fartlek or hills. I have done more intervals and tempo than the other, but I’m going to start doing more hills. I think it will make me a lot stronger of a runner.
Good luck with your training!
I have noticed a considerable increase in aerobic capacity since I started running hills and trails regularly earlier this year. I run most of the time on trails, and most of them have some hilly sections so I get in quite a bit each week. Speed and strength have improved quite a bit as well. I can’t recommend it enough!
Early on it’s important to remember that it is ok to walk sometimes - you have to work yourself into it. And remember to listen to what your body has to say and back off if something starts to hurt or bother you.
Good luck.
Good advice, thanks. I’m glad to hear from someone who has experienced the benefits of hill training firsthand. I just hope my results are as good as your seem to have been.
Happy training!
It doesn’t take a lot of time to see the results, you just have to stick with it. My wife finally succumbed to the trail running craze a few months ago, after being adamantly against it for years. The last couple races she has run she has done very well. She even set an incredible PR in a recent half marathon, after not running much the previous two weeks due to a bad work schedule and vacation. And she attributes it to all the hill running she has been doing.
Hill running is challenging, but that is what makes it so fun to me. It’s a great feeling to get to the top, though, and have the downhill to catch your breath, a nice view, and then drop the hammer and fly down!
I think one of my favorite parts of running is the challenge - I really enjoy doing well in a hard workout and seeing the improvements. I don’t know why my attitude has been different with hill running than with other hard workouts, but you’re convincing me to be a convert to loving the hills!