Hills, Hills, Hills

If you're one of those runners who dreads running hills, it may be because you're not using the right hill running techniques. Follow these steps for proper hill running and you may actually look forward to inclines during your runs.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

1. Don't start thinking that you want to attack the hill. The key to running hills properly is to maintain your effort level (which translates into a slower pace on the uphill), so you don't waste energy and end up out of breath at the top of the hill (that's a common mistake among runners).
   
2. As you approach an uphill, make sure you have good running form. Your arms should be at a 90 degree angle and should be moving forward and back (rotating at the shoulder), not side to side.
   

   More: Video: Proper Running Form
   

3. Your back should be straight and erect. You can lean in very slightly from the hips, but make sure you're not hunched over.
   
4. Concentrate on swinging your arms lower and shorter. By keeping your arm swing lower and quicker, your legs will stay lower to the ground -- resulting in a short, quick stride.
   
5. As you reach the top of the hill, you can begin your normal stride again. If you ran the hill properly, you'll be able pass runners who wasted too much energy on the hill.
   
6. The best way to run downhill is to lean forward slightly and take short, quick strides. Don't lean back and try to brake yourself. Try to keep your shoulders just slightly in front of you and your hips under you. Although it's tempting to overstride, avoid taking huge leaping steps to reduce the pounding on your legs
   

Benefits of hill running

 

Some runners don't like hill running because it's, well, hard. But running hills provides a lot of benefits to runners, so don't shy away from them. Here are some of the ways you can benefit from hill running:

You'll build strength.

Running inclines, either on a hill outdoors or on a treadmill, is a form of resistance training that builds up the muscles in your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Hill running strengthens those areas more than running on flat ground. You'll also strengthen your hip flexors and Achilles tendons.

You'll get faster.

The muscles you'll use to run up hills are the same ones used for sprinting, so the strength you build will improve your speed.

You won't get bored.

If you're used to running in mostly flat courses, adding hills to your routines can help prevent boredom.

You'll reduce your risk of injuries.

As you strengthen your leg muscles through hill running, you considerably reduce the risk of suffering from running-

related injuries.

If you're bored running on the treadmill and want to improve your strength and speed, you can try using the incline feature on your treadmill and doing some hill workouts. Running hills on the treadmill is safer than running hills outdoors, because it decreases the impact on your knees and hips.

 

Hill Workout Interval	How to Run
Warm up	Slowly jog for 5 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 4% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 5% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 6% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 7% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 6% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 5% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 4% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Cool down	Slowly jog for 5 minutes.