I went out to do some intervals using the C25K W1R1. See there is still a place for it even when you are long past graduation. I ran easy to the walk parts and legged it a wee bit faster on the run parts. I had planned to run about 4-5 miles, so when it came to the cool down part of the C25K, I just kept going and upped the tempo a bit to something a bit nearer a threshold run, but still not flat out. I felt pretty good at the end and definitely happier than on my Sunday run.
To tackle Glebe Avenue, which is quite a steep hill several hundred yards long, I first warm up by doing about a mile down a road towards it, which has a shallow downwards gradient so I've got plenty of breath when I hit the bottom of the hill. I aim to get up the hill and walk/jog down again at least four times. Then I loop back to home a different route. If I do this with four times up and down the hill it comes to more than four miles.
To get up the hill; the best advice I can give is to start doing some belly breathing (Google runners belly breathing when you get a minute) just before I get to the hill. This helps your lungs get more oxygen in before you need it. Then, when you start the hill, the aim is to maintain the effort not the pace. So slow the pace down if you need to, to maintain your breathing as it is. If you exhaust yourself you'll give up and start walking. Pump your arms to help yourself up the hill.
When you get to the top of the hill, don't stop! Carry on running till you're over the brow, then turn around and walk or jog back down. Repeat as many times as you are able to.
Don't do hill training more than once a week; it's hard on the body but great for the glutes. Try to do one more hill repeat each time you do it. Eventually you will be faster going up hills and even faster on the flat.
Hope that helps - I'm going to tame Glebe Avenue tomorrow!
Well done Carol focused again and flying by the look of your stats. Do you know for someone who avoided hills like the plague when I first started running I now quite like doing a session, I get a real sense of achievement and having worked hard when I'm finished and its proven to build strength and stamina too. Enjoy
I never really had a hate relationship with hills Oldgirl, basically because there are so many of them around here, it's hard to avoid them and so I had to learn, if not to love them, at least to like them, and to accept that they are a GOOD THING to have on my usual route. For "proper" hill training, there are several real leg killers around that I can use if I need to. Glebe Avenue is a bit of a so and so, as is some of the ones that I had to run for the half marathon I did in May.
This is inspiring to me, CaroleC. Like AnnaDJ I live in an impossibly hilly place, very difficult to avoid them. I have started doing long slow gradual inclines but will need to move onto more steep ones soon as you can't run for more than about 2 1/2 miles without encountering something daunting! So I might go with your suggestion of doing one hill training session a week! Good luck with your big hill! X
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Running for the first time tonight
Woohoo! Good run tonight!
Lovely long slow run tonight
Week 4 Run 3 - Much better
A philosophical run tonight thinking of my poor cat.
