Ok so I’ve just done my final R3 of W4 and it was a definite 50/50 adventure. Flat is my friend and hills are not. It’s not Mt. Everest but it’s uphill, long and dark and low and behold it’ll be slap bang in the middle of next weeks 8 min!!!
I think the vocal encouragement I was giving myself at the top of the slope scared a sauntering dog walker as I uttered , come on Jon, come on Jon... maybe best to internalise my comments next time.
Really feeling the difference with my new Brooks Calderas, like running on mini clouds. Slightly apprehensive of wk5 but hey ho, I’ll give it a go and onwards as ever...
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I thought I knew my local area pretty well until I started running, then I discovered hills where there were never hills before. I just try to think about how good I'm going to look in my jeans. 🤣
One thing to watch for is technique. When I started out, I tended to sink down into my hips and stretch out to grab the road in front of me when I was struggling with hills. Now I stay up tall (all 5 feet of me), keep my feet under my body and say, hills, what hills?
Exactly Speedy60, it’s not a huge hill more of a long slope but it’s my long slope!!! I’ve walked the dogs up it numerous times and not even noticed it but running seems to be a different issue. I’m following common sense, slowing down and concentrating on standing up and breathing deep... seems to be working!! Looking forward to going on different routes though, I’m hoping getting to 30 mins will unlock lots of local trails that I’ve walked for years but I’m beginning to look at them differently and wonder what they’d be like to run, maybe that makes me a runner? Wow!!!!
You sound a lot like I did when I started. I practiced hill avoidance; not easy when you live on the edge of the Highlands! Eighteen months on and I’m actively seeking out and really enjoying hill runs. Hope the programme works as well for you.
We used Etchrock for a charity running challenge (I didn’t take part) so I’m not sure whether it’s purely for tracking running. The results that were registered looked similar to yours. What do you use to record your runs?
I have a Fitbit for everyday use, have had one for years. Great bit of kit for getting you up off your backside. The picture was from Strava , I have it on my phone and my Fitbit syncs with it to give me extra stats. It’s great for runners and cyclists.
Are you mad?????? Hills are wonderful things. I guarantee one day you will learn to love them. Keep at it and if you're struggling check out YouTube for information on how to get to the top. When you graduate hills will strengthen your legs and improve your fitness massively. Then again I live in Sheffield so I have no choice, hills are everywhere......
Generally I love hills, I’m a forester in SWales around the Afan valley so have spent my whole life basically walking up and down but since I’ve started running 4-6 weeks ago I’ve realised what it is to run up them. I’m sure they’ll become just another feature and I’ve got no choice I’m surrounded by the damn things....
Take smaller strides, lift your knees and get powering up them. Take your time, eventually you won't even notice them. Good luck with the rest of the programme.....
I also am not a fan of hills so feel your ‘pain’! I have a few options (luckily) as the one hill on a cycle/walk/run path runs parallel to a main road so if I’m taking that route I prefer to run down it thereby avoiding ‘hell’ (steepness and fumes) on the way home, even then I still have a hill to tackle, but it’s more stepped and more like a country lane 🤗 x
My hill is on a road but when I’m out in the dark it’s fairly quiet but I’m looking forward to lighter nights and getting off road and into my local forests..
Sounds like from your reply (& reading about your work) you are in a nicer (less busy, more country) area than myself (quite built up and getting worse ☹️)
Afan Valley is quite a large area of forest/country isn’t it? (I too live in S Wales)
Me too. I’d rather step on an upturned plug than run up a hill.
Don’t internalise, shout it out. More encouragement and the general public tend to give you a wider berth. And I find the blue flashing lights that pop up behind me give me the boost I need to hammer it.
Slow down on them and imagine you’re changing gear, as you would if you were driving up a hill.
I also am stuck with a hilly route due to the area I live in - I can’t avoid them, the only thing I can control is how far into my run I have to tackle the uphill climb. In initial weeks I tried to time them so they were late in the run or just before a break and I found that really helped.
Being stuck with a hilly route gives you an extra challenge but it also means you can make additional gains in fitness - looking back those hills were worth it.
Best advice I ever got for running uphill was not just about slowing down but HOW to slow down. The best way is to keep your cadence (steps per minute) the SAME but shorten your stride. In other words shorter strides but NOT fewer strides. The other thing is planning ahead if you know a hill is coming: you don’t want to be already out of breath at the bottom of the hill so don’t be going flat out as you approach it.
I used to hate even the slightest of inclines. I started incorporating longer and tougher ones every now and again. Stormed up quite a steep one this morning. They’re definitely making me stronger. Stick with it. They get easier with practice- honest.
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