Hi everyone,
With spring in the air and the summer races (virtual or otherwise) just round the corner, take this opportunity to work on your strength and technique with a hill session.
Warmup: Providing you can tolerate the bemused glances from passers-by, skipping is great preparation for a hill session. Pay attention to how a strong backwards arm drive helps to drive your knee forward, and look to recognise this feel during the session itself.
Session:
- On your 'favourite' hill (moderate gradient is best), pick a section that will take you around 1 min to run up. On your recce, pick your start and finish markers
- Complete the uphill reps in Zone 3 (aka 5k effort) with a very easy jog down recovery. Don't make the mistake of working on the downhill
- Run this circuit continuously for 12 mins, take a 2 min rest, then repeat
- Time your reps and aim for consistency in times and running form
Technical points:
- Run up hill with a slight forward lean that comes from the ankles, not the hips
- To help with this, focus your eyes on a point a few metres ahead rather than straight down at the ground
- Use your 'spring' to help propel you up the hill and reduce the load on the muscles. Each time your foot strikes the ground, try to recognise the feeling of a spring coiling, and then releasing.
- Keep to a pace that allows you to maintain control of your breathing
Coach James
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