CANADA RUNNING SERIES / CIRCUIT DU CANADA
Training Tips
"The Joys of Hills"
(Long Hills = 400m+ / Short Hills < 400m)
Hills improve FORM, STRENGTH, SPEED & CONFIDENCE, and are the important second phase of your training cycle. They are especially VITAL in building quad strength for Marathoners and Half-Marathoners.
Hills provide an excellent, easy introduction to developing form, strength, speed, and confidence. Short hills merely provide a more intense version than long hills.
Some wise words about form: "It is easier to run uphill quickly with good form than slowly in poor form" (Bob Glover). Here are some other pointers:
- Shorten stride, increase cadence
- Increase arm-swing slightly, driving your arms (but don't inefficiently over-exaggerate). Bend elbows (like clockwork soldier, de-emphasized!). Keep hands relaxed.
- Maintain an erect form. Keep your hips forward, back straight, chin and head up, eyes straight ahead and very focused. Do not put your eyes and head down because your bum will "go out" and you'll run into the hill, rather than over it
- Always start easy on the first half of the hills and come off the top strong. In a race (practice in training), you should be able to go hard from the top, not collapse in a heap!
- Practice running through the top of hills to a point 20-50 metres beyond the crest.
- Do your hill repeats at approximately 10K-race-pace or a little harder - you should be breathless by the top, jog the recovery in between (back down the hill) and do between 2 and 6 repeats depending on fitness level.
- In races and when practicing on regular, continuous runs, maintain the same effort, not the same pace on hills.
DON'T FORGET - Run relaxed, get smooth before you get fast, but work hard in the hard runs and very easy on the recovery days.