Just for the hill of it. (American Running Association).

For most of us, hills inspire simultaneous love/hate feelings, at best. The harder the hill, the more intense those feelings. You know it's good for you, but the reality can be a miserable confidence crusher. You call yourself a runner until halfway up a killer hill, you feel like your grandma or grandpa. Hills hurt and demoralize but the one absolutely effective antidote is to train on them. Hill training develops your aerobic and anaerobic systems, builds muscular strength and power, and gives you mental toughness and discipline. These benefits will get you up the hills you encounter with your dignity still intact, and improve your running performance on all grades.

Hill Basics

Hill training can take three basic forms--a series of grade changes that you encounter in most road races, long hill repeats, and repetitions up short, steeper hills. The downhill recovery intervals allow your cardiovascular system to recover and clear the lactic acid that accumulates during the intense climbs, but you must beware of the potential for the eccentric demands of the downhill segments to cause injury due to increased impact. Hips and knees can take a real beating if you aren't careful. Hill training is associated with injuries such as iliotibial band tendinitis, and anterior compartment leg tendinitis (shin splints), and can aggravate patellofemoral syndrome (runner's knee). If you already have hip or knee problems, hill training isn't for you.

Always warm up with an easy mile or two on the flats, cool down with another easy mile or more, and stretch thoroughly. If you are new to hills or other speed work, add these intense workouts to your schedule very gradually and allow adequate recovery. Never do back to back hill training or speed work. Monitor your body carefully for wear and tear. Lay off hills and other speed work if you develop any sign of a brewing injury. When you start back again, cut back the intensity so that you can build hills into your schedule gradually enough to avoid injury.

Hill-Fire Workouts

Training on a hilly course--Hill training is different from hill running. In ordinary daily runs your goal is to get up hills as economically as possible, minimizing your effort. During hill training you run the hills at a harder effort, recovering on the downhills and flats. You exaggerate form and effort to improve efficiency and speed. Ease into hill training by running over hilly courses a couple of times a week, increasing the intensity slightly on the uphills. This will also help you to get ready for hill repeats, which are more intense.

Short hill repeats--Short hill repeats can be run intensely with a downhill recovery that makes these workouts predominantly anaerobic. Pick a 50- to 200-yard hill at about a 15% or nine-degree grade. Run the first repeat at a slower intensity, building up to a level of intensity that you can maintain for the workout. Don't sprint like mad; instead, run fast and under control, aiming for a heart rate of 90% to 95% maximum. Novices should do four to five repeats with competitive runners building to eight to 10. If your pace slows dramatically or form and breathing become ragged, reassess the intensity. Relax and run back down gently.

Long hill repeats--Find a hill that is about one-quarter to a half mile with a moderate grade (five to eight percent or three to four degrees), steep enough to challenge your legs and long enough to challenge your mind. It should take you about two to five minutes to run up at your race pace effort or slightly faster. If the hill is too long, the recovery coming back down will be too long. Aim for a heart rate of 85% to 90% of maximum. Beginners should shoot for three to four repeats and competitive runners can aim for eight to 10.

(Adapted from The Competitive Runner's Handbook, by Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn-Florence Glover, 1999, Penguin Books, 672 pp. $17.95)

RELATED ARTICLE: Treadhill Training

Terrific hill training can be accomplished on a treadmill, which provides a great opportunity for uphill work, at a variety of grades, without the downhill beating in between uphill work bouts. Set your treadmill for whatever grade you want, and hop off for a rest at the appropriate intervals. Remember, however, that your legs will need some practice with the real thing if you plan to race or run on hilly terrain. Otherwise, the eccentric forces imposed on the downhill stretches will cause severe delayed onset muscle soreness and can injure unaccustomed joints.

(Jack Daniels, Ph.D.)