Hill repeats can be grueling, but make a huge difference in your ability to run well at both road races and on trails. My MRTT friends and I recently ran the ZOOMA Half Marathon in Annapolis before we added hill repeats to our summer training schedule and we paid for it dearly.
Last summer we went into our fall races in beast mode because we spent twelve weeks running hills every Tuesday. Hill repeats aren’t for the faint of heart, but can be adjusted for anyone. Even as a running coach, I’ll be the first to admit that the best part of hill repeats is the drive home. You may dread running them, you may not feel so great while running them, but you will feel like a badass when you’re finished!
If you live in an area that’s hilly it will be a lot easier to work repeats into your training. If not, you might need to find a hill and drive to that location for your repeats. When running hill repeats, my friends and I meet at a local restaurant at 5:30 AM, run for about a mile to warm-up, and then hit the huge hill next to the restaurant over and over again.
Last summer, we started out our first week running six to eight repeats, and then worked our way up to thirteen by the end of the summer. Our goal was to simply run uphill at a challenging and sustained pace, turn at the top, and run back down at a comfortable recovery pace. Keep in mind that your uphill pace will need to be adjusted to slightly slower for longer hills and hills with a steeper grade.
The downhill portion of each repeat is a great opportunity to practice gliding (relaxing your running muscles and allowing gravity to do the work for you). Once at the bottom of the hill, turn around and run it again! We kept our water bottles at our turnaround point at the bottom of the hill and stopped as needed for a quick drink.
In review:
- Run uphill at a challenging and sustained pace
- Turn at the top
- Run back down at a comfortable recovery pace
- Practice gliding on downhill portion
- Turn and run your next repeat
Your running form will need to be adjusted slightly when running hills. You’ll want to shorten your stride slightly and engage your core. Keep your head up and gaze ahead, not at your feet. For me, not looking straight down at my feet when running hills in one of my biggest challenges. I try my best to look slightly ahead, and it’s a constant correction I have to make.
And finally, choose your hill according to what your goals are. Shorter hills build speed, while longer hills build strength. For my next round of hill repeats starting in two weeks, I’m going to double the length of my repeats during the early phase of my training cycle. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.
- Questions:
- Do you incorporate hill repeats into your training?
- Is it hilly where you train?
- What’s the hilliest race you’ve run? ~ Mine was probably my first leg of last fall’s Ragnar Relay DC. Running up to Hurricane Point during the Big Sur Marathon was a long climb, but the rest of the race wasn’t too bad.
Hey-i was at Zooma 😉
I have not done hill repeats but know I need to. I live in a pretty hilly area and should look to add this to my trainings.
Hilliest races so far Baltimore and Annapolis.
You might not like hill repeats, but you’ll thank yourself for adding them to your training when you run your next hilly race! Too bad we didn’t know to look for each other at ZOOMA!
i’ve heard zooma annapolis is brutal. i’m running the richmond marathon this fall and definitely need to work hills into my training this fall. but it’s completely flat here so i have to drive to a bridge 🙂
kristin | W [H] A T C H recently posted…LANDED: ALASKA
Had I not just run ZOOMA Annapolis, I might not realize how steep a bridge can be! I don’t remember Richmond being a particularly hilly course, but if you train on extremely flat roads and trails, adding in repeats on a bridge sounds like a great idea. Happy training!
That Zooma course is pretty hilly! I used to do hill repeats but haven’t in a while. I have a hilly tri race in August so I guess I need to get my butt out there and do them!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Red, White & Blueberry Kale Salad
You’ll thank yourself on race day if you add those hill repeats into your training now. 😀
I first incorporated hill repeats last summer while training for the Richmond marathon and loved it, but am having a hard time finding the motivation this go-around in preparation for MCM. I think it’s because I have to drive 20 minutes up the road before the sun comes up to get it done.
briana recently posted…Team SETC Rocked Challenge Williamsburg
That early nasty hill in Arlington on the MCM course will seem a lot easier if you train on hills now. Go for it!
Great tips! My training group does hill repeats and they are brutal – but you’re right, the drive home is awesome! I’m hoping to do more of these to prepare for fall running!
Kristen recently posted…Her Tern Half Training: Week 7
Go get’em, Kristen! 🙂
I do have some hilly area to train in, and I have a cul-de -sac that’s good when I feel up to it to run multiple times. I admit, lately in the heat I feel so labored I am going way slow up the hills, and sometimes I put my head down to just get it over with, it feels eternal if I look ahead lol
karen recently posted…Keeping It Real & A Giveaway
I know exactly how you feel about fighting to keep your gaze ahead. My hill workouts will resume again in another week, so I’ll be suffering right there with you!
This is a great post, Deb! Inspired to run some hills tonight. Is there a rough guideline what constitutes a short hill? 50 yards? 100 yards? I understand effort/pace will change with the grade.
Jennifer recently posted…RBX Active Review – Digital Camo Leggings
Cool – did you run hill repeats on Wednesday evening? Short hill repeats are usually around a quarter to a third of a mile, and long repeats are usually a half mile to a mile.
I used to get a lot of hill training in naturally when I ran on the roads around our house. But I got tired of dealing with loose, unfriendly dogs and cars so I quit running on the roads – and my running strength has definitely suffered. There’s a good hill on the trail in town, though, and I need to just incorporate hill repeats on it once a week! When I was younger we would run hill repeats at soccer practice up this big hill next to the field and I loved it. I loved pushing myself to sprint up the hill. I need to find that love again!
Meagan recently posted…Ragnar Trail Appalachians – Getting There
Like I said, I love finishing my hill repeat workout, and running the downhills is a close second. Bill and I always say that if we trained on the roads near where I grew up, we’d be in top racing shape. 🙂
[…] which types of speed work you want to do – consider hill repeats early during training for strengthening and consider tempo runs or track repeats later in your […]
[…] conversations pace, except for your speed and strength work (tempo runs, track workouts, fartleks, hill repeats, etc.). Think of your conversation pace runs as an opportunity to reward your body after its […]