Hill repeats - love them or hate them?

[Jools2020]

So, I did my original couch to 5K in the fens and since I moved, I have done everything humanly possible to avoid running up hills! That wasn’t easy in Bucks when I was living with my Dad and brother. And not easy where I live now. I have to have some sort of hill on long runs, in fact on one of my 5K routes, I did try very hard with a hill that I nicknamed the Demon Hill.

Now I’m doing an online training plan that has started to incorporate some speed work. I noticed with alarm that my speed work last week was uphill. Uphill! Hill Reps! Those words struck terror into my very soul! At running club, there is a fun night involving hill reps. Fun? I don’t thinK so! (I’ve never been …..)

So last Thursday - not being able to think of any believable reason to avoid this run - I set off for the warmup. I had previously found a fairly gentle incline (maybe my coach wouldn’t notice how gentle it was 🤣). My warmup was 5 minutes in effort zone 1 followed by 5 minutes slightly faster in effort zone 2. Now I knew I was being a girly wuss about this! The sprints were only for 30 seconds, but I’d never done hill reps before. I had to do 6 repeats at maximum effort with a 90 second recovery. I started to flag on the 5th repeat, but told myself ‘Only one more’ and got through it. My times were between 5:27 and 6:08 mins/km and I was pleased. As a 🐌 runner it was much, much faster than I’m used to. The 1st repeat was the fastest and the 5th was the slowest (not the last!)

Today I had to do the same workout, but 8 repeats instead of 6. I thought ‘where on earth am I going to get the energy for that extra 2 !?!’ I was SO done last time after 6! The warm up was as before and I ran in the same place so I could compare the 2 sessions. It was raining! The time had arrived and I started the repeats. It seemed to be going well but I was seriously flagging by the 5th and actually considered stopping after 6. I knew I would be so disappointed with myself if I did. I also figured that my coach would want me to at least attempt the last 2 so she could see how done I was! So I decided to carry on, even though the results would be slower.

I started number 7. It was tough and I was breathing hard. Heartrate was probably high but I didn’t have the energy to look! I was so relieved when 30 seconds was up and I could turn and walk down the slope. I had a few seconds to catch my breath at the bottom and to dig deep for any possible morsels of remaining energy for the last one. Off I went! I managed to keep going until my watch buzzed, but I was counting. If I’m struggling with a run, I count my steps for distraction.

I did all 8. It goes to show how wrong you can be, though - the last was the fastest of both sessions at 5:08. The slowest (in both sessions ) was the 5th. Today 6:01. In the session that I did today, every repeat was faster than last week’s.

So - I was happy with both sessions. Your legs know they’ve done a workout! Maybe I’ll get to like running uphill in time! 😊👍🏃‍♀️

[Zev1963]

Very well done for confronting your demons I think hill work is very good for improving endurance. I also tried to mostly avoid hills until this year. Now I try to include a hill somewhere in most runs. The hill on my way home used to be part of my cool down walk, now I incorporate it into the end of my run

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Zev1963]

If I have to incorporate a hill, I try and plan it so I’m running up it at the beginning and down it at the end 🤣

I’m thankful for this training plan. It’s forced me to confront my demons! I was getting a bit lazy with my running, wanting to improve but not really willing to put the work in. Now I’m being monitored it’s all changed.

[Alan996]

Absolutely brilliant Jools. Well done 👏 I can recall doing those hill repeats before and oh my! They filled me with terror before I started.

Also, local dog walkers must have thought I was the local nutcase running backwards and forwards 🤪

Felt great afterwards when I walked hone with wobbly legs though 🤣

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Alan996]

My hill is in a residential area, so I got a lot of curious looks from people setting off for work 🤣.

I was definitely overthinking them before the first set last week, but not so much this morning. I think next week I’m back to just 6 and I know I can manage that now.

Yes, my legs were a bit wobbly but it was more that I was out of breath! Think I reached my limit this morning 🥵

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

I encounter steepish hills on my long runs. You can’t avoid them here on the edge of the North Yorks Moors. When I am building up distance again, I get to a point (probably about 6/7k) where first one steep hill, and then a second (at about 8k) come into play. The first is a mid run short sharp shock, ending with steep steps, the other is a really long gradual increase (about 3k I think), ending with a bump on top as a final “finish you off” hurdle! They push up my AHR substantially and limit my pace.

I did try some hill intervals last year, but found that my hamstrings got very tight very quickly (they needed a couple of physio sessions) so ever since I have wimped out and limited my intervals to efforts to increase my pace over flatter ground, leaving the hills to sort themselves out over a longer period. The flattish intervals I am doing now (as part of the NRC Half Marathon Plan) are really helping in terms of pace and average heart rate, so I will stick with them for now. But …..I do need to work on those hills. Really there is no rush to burst beyond 10 miles, so I may as well take the time to confront my demons sometime….soon!. Thanks for the nudge! ⛰️🏔️ 🥵 !

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Beachcomber66]

That route you describe sounds very challenging!

I’ve avoided hills for too long. I’ve got one more hill repeat session next week - then a break for a while to do more flat intervals. When I have to do more HR, I’ll find a slightly steeper hill. (Maybe! 🤣).

It’s something I know has been missing from my training so happy to be remedying that now and to be giving you nudge, too! 😊

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10 in reply to Jools2020]

The two hill route is 107m total ascent ….I don’t know whether that counts as steep or not. Probably nothing to mountain goat hill runners!

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Beachcomber66]

Sounds pretty darn steep to me!!!

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10 in reply to Jools2020]

🙂 I thought it was just my age!

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Beachcomber66]

🤣

[Annieapple]

🍏🤩👏I so admire your digging deep when your mind was screaming STOP 🛑 Moving out of our comfort zones produces endurance and strength both physically and mentally! You have certainly proved this!! Well done Jools!! 👍

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Annieapple]

Thanks! I think the barrier was mental - because I’d done 6 repeats the week before and I worked hard. Yes, I did have to dig deep 😊

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

What good runs Jools, I found I loved hill repeats and enjoyed the fast effort, but I've only done them a few times, need to do more soon, walked a hill with granddaughter this evening, back out there next week

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

That’s good to hear!

I do find them hard but you feel so good afterwards! 😊

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Jools2020]

Yes you do 😄

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Well done Jools - hill repeats will definitely help your running. I have done them in the past and like you…sort of loved them and hated them at the same time!

Sadly, the injury I am currently recovering from was sustained running up the same hill, on what I knew felt like very tired legs!😱 That said, I hope to be running up it again some day…when my physio gives me the go ahead! 🙂

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Sandraj39]

Oh dear, Sandra! I know you’ve been on the injury couch for a good while. I have worked up to this gradually and have been doing strength training too on this plan. The hill isn’t very steep. In fact it’s more of an incline 😊 but I do have to run up it using maximum effort. I hope you’ll be off that couch soon.

[JeremiahObadiah]

sounds like a triumph to me! 😁

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to JeremiahObadiah]

Yes, definitely. I don’t want to continue to be afraid of hills while on a run! I want to think “Oh good - a lovely hill for me to run up!”

[Getfitordietrying Graduate10]

Absolutely get where you are coming from. I live in the High Peak (clue in the name)! No such thing as a flat run from my house😬. So feel your pain😂. Don’t think I will ever get to actually like running up hills though.

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Getfitordietrying]

I was hoping that if I keep doing it, then it will become easier, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal! Just part of a run.

I dream about going back to the fens. High Peak? Oh dear 🤣

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

I quite enjoy hill repeats Jools. It’s the thought of doing them that puts me off, but I always feel proud as punch when they’re over. 😂

Mine are on my local common. Varying steepnesses, but I have my favourite. You sound a heck of a lot faster than me I can tell you though! I too count my strides; it really helps!

I need to get back out and do some of those hill repeats actually. One of these days ….

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Yes, I’m with you - thinking about them is actually worse than doing them. Once I start, I’m up for the challenge! I can do ‘faster’, but only in very short bursts as my coach is about to find out 🤣. She might have to modify my plan.

In the past, I would only do speedwork like this occasionally, and never uphill. This programme has me doing more than I’m used to, although there is still a lot of slow running. I think basically I’m a bit of a lazy runner. I want to get fitter, faster, longer - but I haven’t really committed to the work. I just want to go out there and have a little pootle round the block - and then I wonder why I’m not improving. But I’m so desperate to get involved in events, which is why I’m doing this. I have to do the workouts and the strength training, because I’m being monitored.

Yes, get out there and do some hill repeats - you know you want to! 😊

[Birdlady64 Graduate10]

Shows you what you can achieve when you put your mind to it! Well done on conquering those gremlins screaming "Enough!" at you.Hills are still my nemesis. I only ever did hill reps a few times. They scared me to death at the time but I really enjoyed them - strange looks from people notwithstanding

I want to include them in my workouts when I start running again but will need to give myself a good talking too first.

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Birdlady64]

Thanks! I’ve peeped at next week’s workout - more hill repeats 😊

Funny how once you’re actually doing them, they’re really not too bad. When do you think you’ll be able to run again?

[Birdlady64 Graduate10 in reply to Jools2020]

Well there doesn't seem to be a definite answer to that. Maybe towards the end of next week

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Birdlady64]

Haven't they told you? My booklet they gave me says 2 weeks for running , 4 weeks swimming

[Birdlady64 Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

There's just some generic blurb in mine. The only thing it specifically mentions is reducing your weights and reps if you work out, and recommends not to swim or garden until after your follow up appointment

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Birdlady64]

Ah, mine has a specific lists of do's and don'ts but I guess they are all slightly different, swimming and gardening is 4 weeks so I sat on the grass today and planted 50 daffodils, I decided as it wasn't bending and digging I'd be ok, today is the first day I had energy again. When's your appointment? Mines 9 November

[Birdlady64 Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

I'm going to have a dead heading session at the weekend.I can crouch down rather than bend over

My follow up is November 14th. They offered me the 10th but I couldn't do it then