Hill Running Tips with Trail Roots
Things to consider that will effect how you train on a hill.
How technical the trail is (rocky, rooted, gravely)
The length of the hill
How steep the hill is
How many reps
When considering these things remember that if you you are doing a shorter hill, you can burst 15, 20, or 30 seconds up that hill. That would be a hill stride. If the hill is 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile long you need to adapt your pace. Consider this a sustained challenging effort, but not an all out effort. If you are planning on a one rep max you can go harder, but make sure you are plenty warmed up before hand. If you are doing 6, 10, or more reps you want to modify your effort to be able to complete the workout. Start with a modest hill and work your way up to more technical ones as your comfort level increases.
Hill Technique
1) Keep a low center of gravity (especially on your way down)
2) Allow yourself to “fall” forward a bit and actually run the down hill
3) Keep your feet under your center of gravity ( not too far in front or you slip)
4) Use your arms. Take your hands out of your packets for damn sure and let your arms help distribute weight and pull on trees, get over boulders, etc. Also if you find yourself falling, having your hands available will be nice.
5) When the hill is so steep you cant run straight down, then you may turn side to side with little short hops in between to get down most efficiently.
6) Running uphill, stay as upright as possible and use your glutes more than your quads when you step up.
