Hill Training

My run through the Mission Monday night convinced me to do a little more research on hill training in general. I found out that running hills might be the best thing possible for a distance runner - it seems that running hills works to strengthen muscles, improve fitness, improve form, and increase speed.

Because the runner must overcome gravity on an incline, hills work as resistance training, like lifting weights. This develops the muscles specific to running, namely the hamstrings, calves, quadriceps, and buttocks. It also helps develop the muscles around the ankles and knees, helping to prevent some of the most common running injuries.

In addition, the muscles used for hill work are the same muscles used for sprinting, so working hills improves speed, too. And because good hill running form requires an exagerated running motion - pumping the arms and lifting the knees high, form is improved along with both the length and frequency of your stride.

Since muscular fitness has been my main problem so far, it's clear that I would be well served by incorporating hills into my regular runs, mostly (at least at first) to develop the muscles that will prevent injury as I continue training.

Most of what I've read discourages speed work if you've recently suffered shin splints, so I plan to replace the speed work days on my training schedule with hill work. There are a few prominent hills in my neighborhood which I've so far taken care to avoid. Now I plan to take them head on.