The upcoming fall fitness season will have a number of very hilly runs.
The hardest run in town is usually the TMC Saguaro National Park Labor Day 8-miler and 5K that traverses the demanding Saguaro East loop. The cult classic Bisbee Stair Climb on Oct. 16 climbs up and down thousands and thousands of stairs in historic Bisbee. The day after Bisbee is the inaugural Mount Lemmon Marathon, 26.2 miles up the Catalina Highway.
If you want to do these events, you need to practice hills.
Even if you don't want to do these events, hill workouts are a great way to get in shape. Hill workouts not only build strength, but also improve running form as well. Running uphill requires bringing the knees higher toward the waist and employing an earnest arm swing in order to compensate for work against gravity.
The hill workout, if done correctly, can increase strength, improve running form, and do so with less chance for injury. Gravity requires the runner to use more muscular and cardiovascular effort, so the uphill runner will run slower than on the flats, though with less impact. Though it seems defeating to run slower when trying to run hard, doing so puts less strain on the ligaments and tendons while demanding more exertion than is needed for easy bouts of exercise.
People are also reading…
Hill running is good for building cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength (particularly in the important calf, quadriceps, and hamstring muscles).
Try a modified "fartlek" workout that incorporates hills by finding a hilly route and running at a fast and sustained pace up all the hills, then relaxing back to conversation pace on the flats and down the hills. A total of 15 minutes of uphill running provides an excellent workout.
There are as many hill workouts as there are hills, and, with a little searching, an ideal hill can be found close to home. Most hill running should be done on a moderate grade. Too steep a hill will not help in adding strength and will lead to injury; too gentle a hill will not provide adequate overload. Whether for regular fitness or race-specific improvements, a few types of hill workouts are helpful.
Hill Circuits
Hill circuits involve three to five sets of five to 10 hills. For example, if the hill were 75 -200 meters, the runner should do five to 10 brisk runs up the hill with an easy jog down. After the first set, the runner should then rest for two to three minutes with an easy jog on a flat surface and return to the hill to perform two more sets. The entire hill workout should be done for 20 to 40 minutes plus a warmup and cool-down.
Half-mile or longer repetitions
Hill repeats are also appropriate for 400-800 meter hills. Run uphill fast, then run downhill slow. For example, try this: Start at the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center and run to the top of the first hill, then jog down to the bottom of the steep section on the other side, turn around and run fast up the steep section and then jog back to the beginning. Turn around and do it again. Depending on your fitness level, a single set or multiple sets will do wonders.
Hilly Loop or Out- and-Back Course
You may want to do hill training on a course that has many different hill grades and lengths- almost anyplace on the edges of the Tucson basin. After a 10-minute warm-up, begin the hill course, working comfortably hard on the uphills and recovering on the downhills. Do this for 20 to 30 minutes total with equal amounts of up and down running. Cool down by running easy for 10 to 15 minutes.
A note on safety: If you are training for the Mount Lemmon Marathon, please be safe. The roadway is a dangerous road in the first place, with bicycles, motorcycles, and cars all screaming down the narrow road, and runners can easily be a cause of disaster. Follow the rules of the road and stay far to the inside of the lane facing traffic. You should never wear headphones while running on Mount Lemmon Highway. Check with the Forest Service for rules.
This is part of an occasional series of columns by Randy Accetta focused on the events that help make Tucson a more healthy community. Accetta is a past president of the nonprofit Southern Arizona Roadrunners. With a personal best in the marathon of 2:19:25, Randy has also raced high-altitude mountain races in Mexico, Italy and Colorado.