Kilian Jornet is king of the hills
Hills build strength, stamina and endurance, not to mention courage and tenacity. They also help to improve technique, enhance knee lift, develop co-ordination and improve the form to drive legs and arms effectively. Think of your hill training as a block of effort. Plan a series of hill sessions, perhaps weekly, into a bigger plan. It’s the repeated exposure to the hill that brings about the mastery of it.
3 hill running tips
- Pick a hill gradient that suits the session and your ability. It’s not necessary to pick the steepest toughest hill.
- Don’t stop ‘til the top! Tempting as it might be to stop just before the crest of the top of the hill, that’s like easing back before crossing the finish tape. Run right through and over the top.
- On the way up, drive your knees up, shorten your stride, lean into the hill as you power up it. Use your arms to for balance, drive and control. Pump them by your sides to develop power but keep them relaxed to stay controlled.
3 hill workouts
- Ups and downs
Choose a hill that takes you about 90 seconds to run up. Work hard (80-90% effort) up the hill and use the descent as a jog or walk recovery. The number of reps will depend on your level of fitness and motivation, but try for somewhere between six and eight. As a general tip, start off on a hill that isn’t too steep or too long. You can always increase the gradient and distance later.
- Off-road hill fartlek
Run on a varied and hilly off-road route for 45 minutes. This could be a continuous hilly course or multiple loops. Each time you hit an uphill, a rise or incline put down the hammer and charge up it. When the ground level flattens or descends, that’s your recovery. No matter how small the incline, or how long or steep, if it’s there you’ve got to run it…hard!
- Hill Pyramid
Hill pyramids involve running up the same hill for different periods of time. The shorter the effort duration, the higher the intensity of the hill effort required.
4. 60-second repeats
- Run 60 seconds hard up the hill, turn at the top and recover on the down section.
- Run 45 seconds hard up the hill. Turn at the top and recover on the down section.
- Run 30 seconds hard up the hill. Turn at the top and recover on the down section.
- Run 15 seconds hard up the hill. Turn at the top and recover on the down section.
Repeat the hill pyramid set a second time to complete the session.
