I'd really like to do this, it's the first ever 10K race around my village in Cordes, and takes place the day before my C25K one year anniversary! The problem is, it's very hilly around here, the elavation ranges from 171MTs to 295MTs from the lowest to the highest point. How can I possibly manage that? Any advice on hill training in a very short period of time (5 weeks)? The bottom right pic shows just how hilly it is..I'd have to run up and down it twice. HEEELLLPP!
Here's the FaceBook link to photos of the killer route.
Hi Curly, that looks an awesome race. There are a heck of a lot of hills but, as long as you're not planning on trying to come in first place, then you should be ok. MissW or Rignold are the ones for hill running advice I guess, since Miles_Yonder stopped posting. So far as I remember, you take smaller strides but maintain the same cadence; focus on the road about 10-20 metres ahead, rather than looking up at the summit; use your arms to help power you along, and set yourself targets to run to- the next tree, the next gate, the next rock, whatever catches your eye, to break the hill down into smaller chunks.
Very best of luck Curly, keep posting your progress.
You've got to do it!!!! It looks amazing!!! Train for 5 weeks but if you have to walk up them and run down them on the day you'll still be doing grand Good luck
Wow Curly, that looks fab, do it, do it, do it! Walk if you need to, can you test the route? I've got my first 10k tomorrow 😳, at Cambourne, think I'm looking forward to it, collected race number and chip this morning, so no backing out now......will report back afterwards......
Thanks OG, see you've got one booked as well, there must be a group of us C25K something's 'graduating' to 10k. I'm quite happy to wobble along at the back, some one has to be tail end Charlie! Good luck to you too, I hope to post a picture of the bling....(that's all I want really, some one to give this old bird a prize just for making it round! 😄)
Yes, I'm planning on trying some bits of it first, not the whole route, it's too hard to see where it goes. That's what I'm most scared of, getting lost!
That's fab about your 10K you must be very excited! I haven't been here much, still haven't got reliable internet..but I will definitely coke back and look for your post run post.. best of luck, give it some welly for me!
I forgot to mention it's so steep that there is a shuttle bus for tourists - nobody but nobody ever walks up the top (except me and Baldy sometimes, the locals think we're bonkers..
Omg!!!! Looks amazing. Just think how fantastic you would feel when youve finished. You have to try. So what if you have to walk a bit. Doesn't matter. Go on!!! You can do it!!! Xx
Hill interval training. It's very tiring as it's such hard work, so tackle the hill by degrees. Walk if needs be til you get uour breath back. I am not very good at hills at all but i keep trying. Great for burning calories
i would deffo enter it. No hesitation. It will be fun and hopefully will be well supported
A 120m climb in two 60m chunks..... Wow. This morning I did my local Parkrun. The 5k cross country course climbs just over 60m and I find it very (expletive deleted) tough! Your task is to do my Parkrun twice.... Now, It was the second time I've run it and I was 1minute and 20seconds faster this time. I put this down to a series of things:
1. A really fast (although quite flat) 10k last Sunday
2. A hilly 8k jog that I was pleased to get out of the way on Tuesday
3. A 17k run on Thursday with a mixed profile but a decent time.
4. Use of an energy gel just before I started each one
On their own, I think none of them were a direct contributor, but each one added a degree of confidence. I didn't train for a hill climb specifically, but at no point did I walk this morning - several others did. It was a case of grinding away at the hills with a shorter stride length knowing that I had put in some decent runs this week meaning that I really should be able to do it. There was no doubt.
I'm not suggesting that my series of runs are the best or even a good way of preparing physically, but mentally, I was in a very good place. Don't underestimate the mental side of your challenge and I have to say that anyone taking on this event has my respect straight away! It's a corker! They better be handing out some decent bling at the end!
Oh, and I have no idea about the usefulness of the energy gel, by the way, I just think it works for me, so therefore it does. It's quite possible that a lucky rabbits foot would have been equally useful.....
I am by no means an expert on hills, but I have to deal with them from time to time when i visit my home in the alps (there is no flat route there, it is just going up till the top and then back again). For me the best way to run there is the speed C25K+ podcast, I make very light small steps for the first 5 min run and then during the 1min interval I run as fast as I can manage (you know I always tell myself, for one minute I can do almost everything) and then I turn back and walk downhill for the recovery section and then up again for the 1 min run. After the 6 intervals I walk home. I learned in these interval sections that the arm movement is a very important part of uphill running, and that I should not run downhills (or I need two weeks of recovery). After a few of those sections (in the end I could walk uphill in the recovery sections) the first five minute run felt so much easier that I tried an uphill section without intervals. So I planned a 30 min run and I managed it - well, I had a short moment when my body tried to convince me that its a smart idea to run small circles on the turn of the path because it was flat there, but I did it and made about 350 m elevation in the 30 min. So the intervals really helped me to learn to run uphill in a rather short time. But honestly, I wouldn't have done it if there was a flat route nearby, because it was really hard work.
But one has to be aware that uphill running is very strenuous on your body and you need enough rest days between the sessions. And the other thing is if the path is really steep you will be definitely faster walking uphill than running (on mountain track races the experts walk the steep bits uphill, because of the speed). And finally - at least for me- if I run downhill my body will protest afterwards for at least a week,
So if it was me, I would only train once a week on the hill (without running downhill), train to run a flat 10 km (or better more) without too much effort and leave the downhill running for the race day. But maybe your body is fitter than mine and it can cope better with hills.
But it will be a great race and I am looking forward to your race report!
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