The Joy of Running Hills

Nothing brings me more joy during a run or race than seeing a huge hill ahead of me just waiting to be conquered. As someone who has run for 30 plus years, I would avoid speed work like the plague and would find any excuse not to do it! Thus, I was pleased to find out that running hills could make me faster and could be considered a form of speed training.

This is great news for the injury prone runner who would benefit from a hill workout that results in the same gains as a speed workout on a track- elevated heart rate translating into increased aerobic and anaerobic capacity, but with far less mechanical stress/fatigue on the ligaments, tendons, and muscles =FASTER RECOVERY!!! The muscles that you use for running hills are the same muscles that you use for sprinting: GLUTES, QUADRICEPS, HAMSTRINGS, AND GASTROC/SOLEUS COMPLEX (your calf muscles). Hills increase your speed by

building leg muscle strength. This results in the quickening and lengthening of your stride, further improving your speed and all the while having a “protective effect” on your knees.

Interesting to note, along with the fact that running hills will make you a stronger, faster, and a more powerful runner, it has been shown that runners who incorporate hills into their routine are less likely to lose their fitness after taking a hiatus from running. Hills can improve the elasticity of their muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Great news for runners having to slow down their training due to injury or life/time constraints.

So next time you encounter a hill, practice one or two of the following tips:

1. LOOK UP: 10 paces ahead. Looking down can really compromise your FORM (hello lower back pain and IT band issues), BREATHING (compromised lung capacity and therefore endurance), and ALIGNMENT (injury to hips, knees, achilles tendon). Trust your feet to do their part!

   
   

2. STAND TALL: Try to be as upright as much as the slope allows. Mimic the angle of the hill. Bending at the waist can constrict airflow and cause lower back pain and tighten up your hip flexors. Think of leading from the hips/core- this will help keep your head, shoulders, pelvis, and feet in line and core muscles engaged- the abdominals and glutes.

   
   

3. ARM PUMP: When I am tired, I imagine pulling on ropes with my arms bent at the elbows. This is a powerful tool that helps you run from your center of gravity and engages the upper core. It will keep the momentum going up the hill as well as taking stress off your lower body muscles so the glutes can engage properly.

   
   

4. FAST FEET: Try to shorten your stride- LIGHT push off with forefoot/toes. Keep your feet under your hips/center of gravity. If you can see them out in front of you that is too far ahead- your body will compensate and have a detrimental effect on your form and endurance. If you are getting tired, try short strides up for 8 steps and then power hike (use the “arm pump”) for 8 steps- switch back and forth to keep your energy up and prevent poor alignment due to fatigue. Power hiking is also a good time to eat, especially if you are racing.

   
   

5. KNEES UP: Hard to do if you are too bent over at the waist! I call this KNEE DRIVE or “leading with the knees”. I like to say lead with the knees and feet will follow.

   
   

6. KEEP RUNNING! Don’t stop at the top of the hill! Keep running through the peak of the hill to keep the momentum going and flush out the lactic acid build up. If you stop at the top of the hill, it is much more difficult to start up again.

   
   

7. LASTLY: In a race situation, it is very important to remember that the goal is to keep EFFORT the SAME on the uphill and the downhill. This of course does NOT equal the same PACE. A good way to tell if you are working too hard on the hills is by using a heart rate monitor. It helps prevent you from burning out too soon and not having enough in the tank to get you to the finish line.