So you’d like to take up running, but you live on a mountain.
Or maybe you already jog in a nice flat place, but want to tackle sometrailsor a hilly race.
Here’s how to train your mind and your legs to power up even the steepest slopes.
Go out for that hilly run, but when you get to a hill, just walk it.
Does this seem like cheating?
Anything that helps you run longer, farther, or more often is a training tool.
Trail runners and ultramarathoners oftenplan to walkas part of their strategy for long races and steep hills.
As you get better at hills, keep this strategy in your back pocket for occasional use.
Maybe it’s possible for you to run up half the hill and walk the rest.
Maybe you’ll execute the first nine hills and walk the tenth.
Better than staying home to protect your pride, right?
(Don’t totally lose that vision, thoughimagining yourself meeting challenges with strengthis a powerful tool.)
Here are the important points:
Take tiny steps.
Pick up your knees.
Focusing on high knees helps you keep strong form.
Don’t bend over, and don’t look down.
(Switch sides every now and then).
With good form, hills become more of a doable chore than an insurmountable obstacle.
The more you run hills, the more comfortable you’ll feel on them.
Many runners dedicate a workout to hills every week, or at least a couple times a month.
(you’ve got the option to also do longer repeats; see thechart herefor suggested times.)
Add a repeat every workout until you’re running 8 or more.
Try them at the end of an easy run.
Pick a hill, the steeper the better, and sprint up at top speed for 8-10 seconds.
Take a minute to walk and recover, then do it again.
Two of those are enough for your first day.
Remember about standing tall and picking up your knees?
The muscles that help you do that on the hills are also valuable for overall running form.
It also, of course, helps on hills in real life.
Thanks to my hill repeats, I’d barely noticed it.
Photos byNick,Matt Brown,Robin McConnell,Stanislav Sedov.
