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Suggestions - Hills
Over the course of a run, whether you are on a trail or road, you will experience different grades of elevation. These variations in heights can result in a runner winning or loosing a race. They are inevitable, period. Look at hills as an opportunity to challenge yourself as a runner and a place that you can outwork a competitor. Lance Armstrong was legendary in the way he performed on hills. He understood to win the race was not on the flatter portions but where people faced challenges in course height. It is very important to train on hills in order to teach your body how to react with different grades. As important as it is to train going uphill, its just as important to training going downhill as well. This is often overlooked and can determine your success on the trail.
Rules of Hill Training
1. Only train on hills 1-2x a week. Repeat 6-8x on smaller hills, 4-6x on larger hills. Too much hill training can lead to injury in your knees and ankles.
2. Run like a ninja, be soft on your feet. As you incline your balance transfers towards the front of you which results in your knees bearing more than normal. Stay soft footed and work on tranfering the weight to your thigh and hamstring, your knees will thank you.
3. Uphill - Lean slightly forward, balancing your weight forward. Shorter strides = more steps = more push. Your arms swing is very important uphill because they will help push you like a propeller. Always look up at your target! This is where you attack, attack, attack.
4. Downhill - Lean slightly forward, allowing gravity to help you down the hill. Normal strides, do not over-stride, no heel striking! Try relaxing your body while going downhill, its a nice little break during the race. Remember ninja-like? If you slam hard down on downhills, your knees and shins will be very upset with you.
Tip of the Day
Hills, face it, they suck. But you cannot look at them this way! With every uphill...there is a downhill. Hills are opportunities to overtake other runners. What is great about hill training is that it translates 100% out in the race. Runners who training with hills succeed on a much higher level than those who choose not to.
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