HILL WORKOUTS
Hills are great for increasing performance.
This workout will help with muscular fitness and is great both aaerobically and anaerobically because it is resistance training.
Prior to starting a hill workout, make sure you have warmed-up by running at least 2 miles.
First let's define "hill"....
1/4 to 1/2 mile at >4 degrees if you are doing long workouts,
and about 100 to 200 yards at >8 degrees for short workouts.
Long hills are good for endurance and short hills are good for speed.
To train on a short hill, run them at the same pace you do speed workouts on a track. DO NOT SPRINT UP THE HILL. Start with 4 or 5 repeats and work up to 12. Slow jog downhill for recovery.
For long hills, run uphill at your current 5K pace or a bit faster. Start with 3 repeats and work up to 10 repeats.
What to watch for to let you know you are running too fast uphill:
1. Your pace slows noticeably near the top of the hill.
2. You are out of breath near the top of the hill.
3. Your running motion and form have broken-down at the top of the hill.
4. You stop....a definite sign of running too fast.
For a change off pace, try using the downhill for training. On your regular runs, run downhill increasing the frequency of your steps while keeping your normal stride. Most people who run downhill increase their stride. Studies have shown that an increase in pace frequency will actually make you faster not increasing your stride..