Running Hills More Effectively
Whether you are out running for fun or you are running a half marathon, most runners will agree that the worst part is running up hills.They can be brutal and downright exhausting. Your technique, posture, and foot strike play a key roll in your ability to conquer these bad boys. While you may never learn to completely love them, maybe you can at least learn to like them!
Here is some great advice from Run Addicts
Slow Your Pace
Beginning hill runners often try to force their body to maintain the same pace going up a hill that they maintained on flat land. This happens in races when a beginning runner comes up to a hill they did not train to tackle. They don’t want to slow their pace, give up time, or admit defeat. So, they push forward and try to maintain that same flat land pace. The problem is this fatigues the body and makes for very sore muscles later on.
Experienced hill runners know that they have to let their pace slow a bit going up the hill. The body will still be giving maximum effort, but it won’t be overexerting itself to get up the hill. This leaves your muscles better prepared to handle the rest of the race with ease.
Control Stride Length
You want to keep a steady rhythm when running hills, but you have to create this rhythm with shorter strides. If you stretch your legs out reaching for more ground with each step you will feel your heart rate pick up as you exert too much energy and burnout. It is more efficient to shorten the stride going up the hill then allow speed to build as you go down the hill. You should still keep the stride shorter until you have finished your descent.
This shorter stride will help build a steady rhythm and will help you slow the pace so the body doesn’t overwork itself and leave you exhausted. Shorter strides also help keep a sense of control with each step when going down a large hill.
Watch this video for some more great hill running tips.
Learn how to make running easier on your body:
- Running Drills
- Strength and Mobility Exercises
- Postural and Stability Exercises
- 6 and 12 Week Training Plans
- Step by Step Coaching
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