Anyway, this post isn't about him. Well sort of. I've been training the past six weeks for a March 7th half-marathon. I asked my dad this week if he was still on for March 7th so we could get registered and plane tickets, and he dropped the bomb- we were going to have to do another day because my brother's state basketball tournament is that weekend. Hopefully they'll be in it, and if not, they won't know until the week of. And the search for the perfect half began again.
I did my typical search on marathonguide.com for any half-marathons in April (since we've got the cruise the other two weekends in March) that were "flat and fast," and found a couple of options. I also came across a few that just sounded like fun (country music marathon in Nashville being one of those) and sent them to my dad to pick out.
Of course he picked the Nashville one, which according to the reviews has some nice hills. Forget the fact that I only run on flat roads, we're running Nashville.
Which is what this post is really about. I've never trained for hills. I've never run on hills. And I'm not excited about running hills but I'm going to have to. So the question is how do you train for hills? I currently do one day of interval/speed training, one day of tempo training, and one long run. I'm planning on adding in one more day of running for hill training but have no idea where to start.
Please help.
My next set of half-training (since the date has been pushed back) starts tomorrow and runs for 12 weeks. Any advice on running/training for hills will help in the cause of keeping me alive when I run on April 25.
10 comments:
Is there anyway that you can use a treadmill and set the incline higher?
Running hills really isn't that bad at all, I think a lot of it just has to do with your overall shape and being confident!
I hope this helped! Best of luck!
the hills at nashville, from what i've heard, are baby hills and nothing to worry about.
i would do intervals on a treadmill increasing the incline for say 2-5 minutes, lowering it for one and do that for one of your short runs (30-45 minutes) - check runnersworld.com they should also have some good suggestions. When i trained for Hartford I added in some hills over at the capitol, i would run up (it's about .25 miles) about 6 times and then back down. It would be close to four miles as i'm about a mile from the capitol as it is. You could look into a place like that for runs too. There are parts of the Mt. Vernon trail that are slightly hilly - try sprinting up them even if they're small - it's these kind of workouts that increase your endurance even if you only do say 25 second sprints. Thats what will make the hills during your race that much easier :)
Nashville is supposed to be an incredible race - i had wanted to do that one but since i'm traveling to VT a month later, i couldn't justify traveling for two races before the wedding. Have fun with it though!
Good luck!
I'm guessing they probably aren't anything you need to worry about. If you can find Any route that just has a little incline here and there, you'll be fiiiine. :)
where do you run in DC?? I've thought about coming down for the day just to run the Mall, because I get bored over here. It'd be nice to switch it up, as long as I'm willing to be nice and sweaty on the Metro. haha
Nashville should be a BLAST. I've always wanted to do that one, but will have to save up (aka have a real Job, not internship) before that happens!
Well, I don't know that I can make any recommendations other than to just train on hills ... BUT ...
I lived in Nashville for several years and know the route well and have had plenty of friends (including first-time marathoners) that have done the CMM. The hills have gradual inclines ... you'll feel them, but they're not awful. But there's plenty of flatness to the route too. I think you'll find that the bands at every mile marker and getting to finish in the Tennessee Titans' stadium and just the scenery will make it well worth it.
You can do whatever you put your mind to. It sounds like people have given you the same advice that I would.
The first mile that leaves my house is a straight incline. I like it because it gets the hill out of the way in my run and makes me feel good.
The only other advice that I have is try to set a good pace and don't try to run the hills too fast, you'll need your energy to finish the race!
You're going to be amazing. I can just feel it!
I love that your dad
just picked Nashville...
and just like that you're
going to fly there to
compete in the marathon.
So cool.
No advice...just support.
Because come on, girl.
You know you're going
to be awesome!
Ok, here's my two cents:
Try to incorporate the hills into your long run, if you can. Might take some planning- but it's really important that you train like the race.
Towards the end of your training program- like 4 weeks till race day change the interval running to hill running. Drive to a big hill if you have to and GO FOR BROKE on that hill 4 times and increase the reps to 8 within the four weeks.
On your xtraining days, I would add some leg lunges, squats an lateral lunges with weights. Get your strength up, girl!!
google 'fartliks' (sp?) and itll give you some helpful hints. thats what they are called. its a type a speed/interval training, and it helped me with hills tremendously. dont stress about it-youve been training a while now, so your cardiovascular stability is good. youll feel winded, but youll be able to do it, no problem. do some fartliks in your next couple runs, and itll help. :)
You've gotten some good advice, especially Rachel's. I couldn't resist since training is/was my thing (until I got too busy, aka, fat and lazy). While you're doing the hills, don't forget to concentrate on your running form, it makes all the difference. Its best to use shorter steps for hills, without slowing your pace. Drive with your arms and let your legs folow; drive your knees high. Most people have a tendancy to take either longer strides or take tiny, dragging steps, but these both take more effort and energy. The steeper the incline, the shorter the steps, but keep your legs moving at the same pace as you would on flats, maybe even a bit quicker. From what it sounds like, the hills you'll face won't be that steep, but for future reference...
p.s. are you better yet so you can come see the baby?
i almost thought this post was about The Hills the show. then i would have been able to help. but running? alas i am useless. sorry. :)
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