Hills!

would do during a 10k race), with recovery time at least as long as each repeat takes (until your heart rate gets back down below a normal long run number - say 65% of max), on a moderate grade (3-5%), with a total workout time of an hour or so.

Do the workouts for 6-8 weeks, one hill session per week. Add one or two repeats per week, and look for hills slightly steeper as you go along. You should notice a difference after this period of several weeks.

The purpose of running the hills is to:

increase leg muscle power

learn pacing uphill (so you don't blow up during a race)

practice mixing in powerwalking with running on ups or going to just powerwalking for steeper climbs.

quicken leg turnover (when doing whooshes) work on your agility to run rough trails by running faster than normal.

For more info on hill training, check out the April issue of Runners World. Be careful of lower leg connective tissue and musculature (such as achilles tendons and calf muscles), as this area takes a lot of force on the uphills. Have fun on the hills, and enjoy the view at the top ! You will have earned it.

Shawn (a.k.a. Spunky)

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