Training
Taking on the Hills By Ray Orchison
Looking for that one sure-fire session that ’ s going to help you run that elusive PB ? Then make sure you include hill work in your training programme , as it will boost your strength , endurance and speed .
Hill training is a session that includes a number of short repetitions run up or down a specific hill or section of a hill . A typical hill session would start with an easy 15 to 20-minute warm-up jog , followed by running 100 metres up the hill at a fast pace before turning around and jogging very slowly back to your starting position , and then repeating a number of times . Your session would end with an easy cooldown run . It ’ s hard work , but a fairly simple concept , and you will reap the running benefits .
1 . Strength : Hill training develops strength and power , which are the foundation for developing speed . For strength training , the length of the hill should be kept short ( a maximum of 180m ). Longer than this and you ’ re no longer achieving the purpose of the strength session , so look for a steeper hill instead of a longer hill . An example would be sprinting up the hill 15 to 20 times for 20 seconds , focused on a high knee-lift , with a slow jog or walk back to the bottom .
2 . Endurance : Hill training also builds endurance , and this type of session would typically be done on a gradual or a moderately steep hill , with the length of the repeat between 300m and 600m . In most cases , 300m is more than adequate for building your form . However , for someone training for a 100km mountain trail run , a few sessions consisting of 600m hill repeats might better meet their needs .
An example of an endurance hill session would be two sets of five repeats of 300m with three to five minutes ’ rest between sets . The speed at which you run the hill should be somewhere between 5km and 10km race pace , and your focus should be on maintaining correct form by leaning into the hill from your ankles , letting the hill come to you and allowing you to land on the forefoot and under your centre of gravity , head looking forward and shoulders relaxed , with arms moving comfortably with each stride . Keep a good rhythm , control your breathing , and keep the pace constant .
3 . Eccentric and speed development : To build eccentric strength – when the muscle is lengthening and contracting at the same time – find a gradual downhill ,
one so gentle that if you were running up this hill during a race you wouldn ’ t even consider it a real climb , then run fast down the hill , concentrating on leaning forward from the ankles and shortening your stride to ensure that you land on the forefoot . You need to make sure that you ’ re not leaning backwards and landing on the heel , as is our tendency . A typical session would be three to six repeats of 300m to 600m .
The Hills are Calling
When training for an upcoming hilly race , include a few endurance sets and one or two eccentric hill sessions , and for races where you want to push times and go for that PB , include some strength hill sessions . Also , if you ’ re looking to get faster by introducing track workouts to your programme , first start by including one hill session per week for six weeks , to develop the necessary base strength and speed for the track . Just make sure you don ’ t do too many hill sessions , thus risking injury , with downhill repetitions being especially tough on the body .
Ray Orchison is a South African-born running coach and therapist . He has completed the Comrades Marathon eight times , with a best of 7:08:52 , and also boasts personal bests of 33:55 for 10km , 1:14:17 for 21.1km and 2:48:00 for the marathon . He has completed USATF and NAASFP coaching courses , and provides personalised training programmes to his clients . Now based in Perth , Australia , you can find him at https :// runetics . com . au .
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