So here is what I learned about running hills and training for hills:
http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-run-hills
Learn To Run Hills
Follow these elements of the Wharton Performance Model and you'll be able to climb any hill come race day.
Some
race courses are so flat that bumps in the road are of no concern.
Others (the Boston Marathon comes to mind) are legendary for their
"heartbreaking" hills. The following tips, which are part of the Wharton
Performance Model (see runnersworld.com/wpm for more), will help you
climb any hill come race day.
>>Knowing what you're in for--becoming familiar with the
course so that there are no surprises--will put your mind at ease,
which will help you relax and perform better.
>>Before charging a hill, do a shoulders check. Are they
creeping up to your ears? If so, roll them both forward then backward
to relieve tension and keep them low and relaxed.
>>If you feel tightness in your quads, gently "kick"
your leg back slightly farther than normal at the end of each stride
while you are going up. Don't do this on a down slope.
>>When running downhill, instead of landing each stride
on the heel, focus on the feeling of naturally gliding downhill--almost
in a free fall--landing evenly across the midfoot.
Running Hills
Running hills is an important part of your training, because it
strengthens your legs and ankles, increases your aerobic and anaerobic
capacity, and increases your tolerance for lactic acid. When you run
hills, you're not only moving your body laterally, as you do on level
ground, but you're moving your body against gravity. Thus, hills offer
resistance training that helps strengthen your body.
Four Phases to Hill Running
There are four phases to running hills.
- You can't run the hill and you walk it
- You run the hill at a very slow jog
- You run the hill at a faster pace but slower than your normal pace
- You run the hill at your normal pace
If you're not used to hills and you think you'll never get out of phase
1, don't get discouraged. Just be patient and let your body work itself
through the four phases. The time will come when you'll be in phase 4,
and you'll run the hills without even thinking about them as hills.
Hills, Stairs, Use What You Have
Many routes used for LSD have hills, and you can use those hills for
hill training. You can increase your pace up or down the hill as a
fartlek and then continue your run at your LSD pace, or you can stop
and run intervals up and down the hill for a few minutes. If you don't
have hills in your area, try running stairs or using a tread mill with a
steeper incline.
Don't Overdo a Good Thing
Hills put high stress on your body. In addition to the stress of
moving your body horizontally, you are increasing the stress due to
overcoming gravity to move your body vertically, and the effect on your
body is like you're running much faster. Because of this higher stress,
don't do heavy hill training more often than once a week. During the
rest of the week when you encounter hills during your run, consider the
hills as LSD training and run them at a slower pace and then continue
your run.
You Look Different When You Run Hills
When running hills, you'll use a different running form than you do on
level ground. Take smaller steps. Pump your arms and raise your knees
higher to get more energy into your running. Some web sites recommend
that you lean backwards when going up hills (I think the goal is to be
perpendicular to the road), but I've found that the opposite works best
for me. I lean into the hill such that my body remains vertical (I do
the same when I'm hiking), and I run more on my toes while going up a
steep hill. I take deeper breaths to get more oxygen. When I run down
hills, you can lean forward a a little bit to get more speed. This time,
gravity is your friend, and you can get increased speed with less
effort. However, be careful, because if you lean too far forward, you'll
lose your balance and fall. When going downhill, I take longer strides
to accommodate the faster pace, but I'm careful to not over stride. I
make sure my fore-foot hits the ground (not my heel) under my body.
Unless you've trained for running with longer strides, be careful
because using a longer than normal stride increases the risk of shin
splints or other injury.
That Big Hill is my Buddy
Hills can be your friend, so welcome opportunities to master them!
There was a large hill near my home in Massachusetts. The elevation
change to the top was about 400 feet, and the distance to the top was
about 1/4 mile. When I first moved there, I had to walk up the hill.
However, after a while, I found I could jog up the hill. Then I found I
could run up the hill at my normal pace. And then I found that I was
going up the hill and not even thinking about it. That hill had become
my friend. I was glad for all of the hill training I received in hilly
Massachusetts, because when I ran the Foxboro Marathon, the route was a
loop that included a big hill like the one near my home, and to complete
the marathon I had to traverse that hill three times. Here is a picture
of the hill near my home, taken from Google Earth.
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Mt. Lebanon
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Here is a link for learning about hill training and the advantages you'll receive in your running and racing
Now to figure out how often, and where :)
