hill training

[shelleymcb]

I want to do a hill training session once a week but find hills are still hard work & the one I am using I walk down then run back up it again. my question is "will I still get the same benefits as I would if I were to jog down instead of walking?"

I am trying to build strength to make my long runs easier. Im also doing a speed/interval run so would walking effect the benefits of a speed run?

[CaroleC Graduate]

Hi shelley,

I am pretty sure it is fine to walk down the hill, it def makes it easier on the knees! I do hill training every couple of weeks and take it very easy going down. A few weeks of running up that hill and you will soon notice a difference; I would recommend not more than once a fortnight though to begin with - hills are hard on the body!

CaroleC

[shelleymcb Graduate in reply to CaroleC]

thanks carole. should have just messaged you first! hope you are well. wont be too hard on myself if I have to walk down to get my breath back. & will take your recommendation of only doing this every other week

I went on my long run this week (4miles ~ nowhere near your long runs yet) & did a really big steep hill right at the beginning, rewarding myself knowing that the rest of the run was very slight incline followed by downward slope ~ nice

so what about the speed then. is it ok to walk in-between or am I running at too fast a pace if I have to slow down to walk? what do you think?

& have you recovered nicely after your half marathon length run? bet you didnt do what the books say & take at least a week off !

[CaroleC Graduate]

Hi Shelley,

Jeff Galloway, (running/writing guru, Google him) doing your long runs as run walks; in fact my OH, who used to run, is always telling me I should do my long runs as run walks. The ratio being about nine or ten mins running, then one minute walking.

Of course after the first time, which to be fair, worked well, I paid not a blind bit of notice and do all my long runs as runs. It wasn't that I came in with a much slower time, in fact, timewise it was pretty much similar, the walking parts helping you to run faster in the run parts; it was the fact that once I slowed to walk, I found it VERY hard to motor up into a run again, especially in the last couple of miles of a ten miler!

However, if you are running continuously and feel you absolutely HAVE to slow down to a walk, then you probably are going too fast.

I actually ran on the Wednesday after my half marathon distance; which went ok, 5.5 miles; my right calf was hurting and cramping a bit but it went away as I ran. I also ran on the Friday but my calf hurt again, worse, and this time didn't go away while I was out, and this time only managed to run 4.5 miles and much slower than the Wed.

I should have run long again this Sunday but that calf was still twinging just walking normally so I ACTUALLY GAVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO TAKE A DAY OFF!! Yes I know!!! I smacked myself upside the head and said "Better a day off now than a month later with this slight injury which I'm going to make worse if I go out today." I did do the fitness suite at school yesterday though, but no treadmill.

Rest day today and I'm hoping to get out on Wednesday - but it all depends on that wee niggle!

Enjoy your hill runs - I promise it will make a difference to your speed, just not instantly!

CaroleC