Hill Training

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 · Mike Davis

Today I took my 10K training group for their first hill training session. We warmed up with an easy mile and then I had the group run for 12 minutes up and down a pretty good incline. Perfect weather for a run and despite some fears I think everyone enjoyed the run. I love hill training with a group; people really depend on each other and pull each other up the hill. Training for any distance can be benefited by hill training as you strengthen your legs and improve your running efficiency. When you run steady hills the focus becomes your posture and arm swing. Good posture with a slight lean into the hill while pumping those arms really make a difference as you repeatedly climb. We had 3 people that started late and who were not quite up to the task to run steady for 12 minutes so I had them go up and down 3 times. They felt good about themselves and at the same time they got some great training. Before their final trek up the hill I stopped them and said okay let’s all stand tall, lean at the ankles and pump those elbows. We proceeded up the hill and somewhat maintained our running form. At the top they thought they were going to walk, but instead I told them they could walk after we ran a bit more.

Hill training is an effective way to improve your running efficiency and can also hasten your conditioning. Running hills should be a part of every runners training program and one that I will include occasionally on a Monday night training session. You don’t need to run hills every week, but instead mix it in every 2 to 3 weeks. Find a decent hill and start out by running for 12 minutes and add 2 minutes on each time out. Make sure you warm up with a mile and cool down likewise. If you want to experience hills be sure to come on out to a Monday night Dover training session!