Hills: All Year Long
You can benefit from hills throughout the year
There is always a good time to run hills!
No matter the time of year or the phase of training you are in, running hills are really good for runners.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of hills. I run hills at all times of the year - from base training to peak season as I know how much I can benefit from doing them.
For runners looking to build endurance and stamina, hills are an excellent training tool. Hills may seem daunting at first, but they can be a great way to improve your running.
What I like most about hills is the effort-based training that takes place (as opposed to looking at pace and splits). You can also use hills to improve your speed, which is especially useful if you’re training for a race where the course has some elevation gain.
If you aren’t a fan of hills, let me give you some reasons why hill training should be a staple in your training toolbox.
Improved running form. From working on your running form to becoming as efficient as possible while getting up the hill, hill training is really useful if you want to maximize your effort.
Boosted cardiovascular system. If you’ve ever powered up a hill, you know how hard you have to work. The added stress on your heart and lungs makes you a better runner.
Stronger legs. Hill running improves your leg strength, for sure. If you’ve ever been sore the day after hills, you know what I’m talking about.
Simulated speed work. Running up hills and running fast 200s recruit the same type of muscles and the work required is very similar. So instead of always ripping up the track for your speed work, you can switch to the hills.
Increased aerobic capacity. When you work at higher effort levels, you are improving your VO2max, or your ability to withstand hard efforts for a prolonged period of time.
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Friday’s Action Plan
After a warmup, run hill sprints in place of a track workout at varying paces and distances.
What Has My Attention:
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