Jay-Z’s song “Girls, Girls, Girls” was stuck in my head, but I kept hearing, “I love Hills, Hills, Hills…Hills I do adoreeee”. Okay really, no judging. Well, today is the day that my running group tackles Hump Day Hills. I really have this love/hate thing going on, but I keep going back. It’s one of those necessary, insanely rewarding parts of being a runner. They make you stronger and will make you go Further, Faster, Forever! Hills are also an important part of training because they create great challenge that will benefit every runner/walker, especially as you increase mileage.
Can I be honest? Hill training is so hard! I guess if it wasn’t, everybody would be doing it. My first time out, I was breathing like someone was chasing me! *serious face* I was curious to see the elevation so this was from my first hill training. This hill location sits on high elevation. Yikes! For my first training, I walked the entire thing. Oh, don’t think you’re just going to sprint up those monsters on your first time out, because after 30 seconds you’ll see why. You really get a great workout whether you walk OR run. I even thought about getting a weighted pack or vest to help add resistance. But yeah, that will be a minute!
Hal Higdon on Finding the Perfect Hill:
For my hill training, I always choose long and steeper. Did I say, somewhat steeper? The hill is approximately 400 meters long. It is not so steep so as to prevent me from maintaining a good rhythm. A typical “hill training” workout for me toward the end of a training cycle might be 6 x Hill, running the hill up fast, then jogging back down easy. When training for Boston or other hilly marathons, I sometimes would insert a fast downhill repeat or two.
Effort would be about the same as if I had done an interval training workout on the track: 6 x 400 meters. Times might be slightly different, but times don’t matter in hill training. Steepness of the hill doesn’t matter. Length of the hill doesn’t matter. You adapt to your surroundings, whatever hill is convenient.
You can read the rest here.
After we finish Hump Day Hills, it’s so necessary to take a group selfie! Yes, we are smiling because we conquered those hills!
They don’t get easier, I get stronger! Today, I will embrace that which makes me stronger.
Hills are rough for sure! In cross country we used to have run sprints up the hill at the snowboarding park. (No snow, it was summer) It’s rough but it makes you so much stronger on flat ground! Keep it up, girl!
I sure hope it does! Thank you, Alex!!! :)
Yes I love those hills…even though they are beast! I’ve notice my body changing, my mind changing and my speed increasing. I can’t wait to see you today at the hills.
Thank you, Temeka!!! Girl you beast those hills! I can’t wait to go back.
Oh my goodness.. We have hills in my neighborhood and I tackled them and felt like I was dying and I was even walking! I did it for 5 days straight and it got easier but it was still hard! BTW… You have Jay Z’s song in your head.. I have Motley Crue’s .. Girls Girls Girls stuck in my head ;-0
Aimee, just walking them alone is hard! When I started running them in intervals I didn’t think I was going to make it—but I did! That’s awesome that you did it for 5 days straight. And btw…now you have me listening to Motley’s Girls…lol
I’m so not a fan of hills! It’s really pretty flat here, so there isn’t a lot of need to hill train…altho I know I should. My CF coach gives me plenty of squats, deadlifts, and lunges which gets the glutes firing. I believe this to be my hill training… :p
Wendy, that can absolutely count as hill training! I hate hills! Lol If it is as hot as it is now during Spring…I’ll be doing squats, deadlifts, and lunges too!