byLarry Eder
Molly Huddle,
photo by PhotoRun.net
Hill workouts help you build both strength and speed. Many athletes have a phase that focuses on hills as they prepare for cross country and track and field. In junior college, we used three weeks of hill running to get our runners into racing shape. If you have little time, and are prone to injuries, hill running can get you into shape fast and with little injury issues.
Thursday: Warmup, 1 mile, hill repeat, 5 repeats, 200 yards, uphill, 200 yards, jog downhill, 1 mile easy, cooldown. At bottom of hill, try four times 150 yards, jog back to the start. Keep the strideouts relaxed.
On your hill runs, shorten your stride, pump your arms, look at your knees, do not look up. You will get to the top of the hill faster. Jog easy down the hills, and repeat.
