FITNESS Run for the hills

ONWARD UPWARD Hill running maintains fitness levels for longer during time-off from training.

Run for the hills


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

It’s every runner’s nightmare. You’re struggling to complete the final stages of your race or training run, turn a corner and it looms in front of you. Your spirits plunge, your body tenses and you see your Personal Best float away into the ether. It is, of course, a hill.
For lots of runners hills mean pain – energy-sapping, demoralising pain. It doesn’t have to be this way. Using hills in your training can make you a better runner. Among the many benefits associated with hill running are improved leg strength; increased oxygen in the blood and more enzymes in the leg muscles, helping you to run faster for longer; increased cardiovascular fitness; and improved running economy.
There is even evidence to suggest that hill running maintains fitness levels for longer during time-off from training. This is good news for those of us who feel frustrated by long lay-offs through injury. The bottom line is that running hills will help you become a faster, stronger runner.
Many competitive runners are aware of the importance of incorporating hills into weekly training sessions. Now you may be saying to yourself, ‘But I’m not a competitive runner, I only run for fun and to increase my exercise levels’. Fair enough, but wouldn’t you also like to improve your cardiovascular fitness and lower-body strength? Wouldn’t it be nice to get beyond that plateau you have been experiencing when running, when no sign of improvement is apparent?
A once-a-week hill training session can help turbo-charge your fitness levels. A hill session will also help develop stronger ligaments, tendons and muscles in your legs, making you a fitter and more injury-free runner on the flat. However, it’s important to note that you should have a solid base of cardiovascular fitness and have been running for at least six months before you begin hill training. Start sooner than this and you may not have developed sufficient strength in muscles, tendons and ligaments. The key, yet again, is to start small and gradually build up.
Here are a few pointers to help get you started on the up.

Tips for hills

• Always warm up with a 10-15 minute run on flat terrain and some dynamic stretching before attempting any hills.
• Focus on a shorter stride as you run uphill and try to maintain an upright posture to avoid excessive stress in the lower back.
• Focus on maintaining a consistent effort level. A lot of runners make the mistake of taking it too easy on hills. Though your pace should obviously slow, your effort level should remain consistent both up and down the hill.
• Try to avoid over-striding or braking when running downhill. Instead focus on ‘flowing’ downhill, using shorter strides.
• Always cool down with a slow 5-10 minute jog and stretch after each hill session. Do not complete more than one hill session each week and follow the session with an easy or rest day the following day.

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.