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Many of you taking part in spring races are hoping to run your personal best time. Some of you will achieve that goal and others will go home disappointed, wondering what you can do to alter your training in order to run faster. We all know that the answer is hard workouts on the track...but not all of us want to put our bodies and minds through the rigors of a weekly structured track workout. Take heart--there is an alternative to the track that will not only help increase your leg speed, but also add to your cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance--all key ingredients of a faster race time.
So what is this magic workout? Nothing less (or more) than hills. Running hard uphill will work the muscles of your calves, quads, hamstrings, and the all-important butt muscles and hip flexors. You will also discover that your arms will get a good workout as you use them to help power your body against the pull of gravity.
The good news is that you don't have to go to the track; the bad news is that you still have to have a structured workout on the hills to gain any benefit. It won't do you much good just to include a few hills occasionally in one of your regular runs. To get maximum results you will need two types of workouts: a series of short, intense sprints up a killer hill and a series of slower efforts up a longer and less steep hill. The first option will help develop speed. For this workout, the hill should be at least 25 meters long, but very steep. After a warm up of 10-15 minutes, run repeats on this hill, at a pace that feels like your current 5K speed. Jog slowly back down and repeat as soon as you feel recovered. Start with no more than four or five repeats and add more as you get stronger.
For the second training option, either find one longer (1/4 to 1/2 mile long) and easier hill for your work, or to add more interest, plan a run over hilly terrain. These hills should be run at something less than your 10K speed, putting your efforts into the uphill portion and jogging slowly down for full recovery. At the beginning, run no more than four or five long hills, but add to that number over time.
Another benefit of hill running is that you will improve your running technique. Running uphill makes you lift your knees higher than on the flat and you will pump your arms harder. Your ankle flexion will improve, adding spring to your stride in a short time.
However, be cautious before going out and attacking Mount Washington. Make sure you warm up thoroughly before your workout, including some stretching, especially those muscles that will get a hard use--your gluteal muscles and your calves. Do a similar cooldown and ice any sore or tender spots.
Running hills takes some getting used to and can result in soreness, and even injury, if you aren't conservative as you begin this new activity. Run fewer hills than perhaps you think you should--that "just one more" could be too much.
If possible, run on softer surfaces than roads. Grassy hills are ideal as they provide more cushioning. Be wary of slippery conditions, hidden holes or other nasty surprises.
And another word of caution--take care when running downhill for your recovery sections. Runing down too quickly could injure your quads as they are the muscles that absorb most of the pounding. This is meant to be the recovery phase, so ease up. Separate workouts to improve your downhill running can be incorporated into your total training program. In these separate sessions, learn to run at an accelerated pace downhill. Lean downhill and let gravity take charge, staying relaxed at all times. Practice this on moderate hills to begin and increase the steepness gradually.
As with any new training regime, you don't want to jump into the deep end and do too much too soon. Limit your hill workouts to once a week and increase to three sessions every two weeks when you are focusing on improving your muscle power and running economy.
And if you still have some doubts about the benefits of hill running, remember the phenomenal Kenyan runners, whose home training ground is the hills and mountains of Kenya.
