Run-Down Forums

[Shaun Fox]

does hill work make you faster?

[Dan]

It can make you faster or slower, depending on several factors such as length and steepness of hills, pace, and pace relative to racing speed. For long distance races, it is difficult to differentiate between stronger (endurance, i.e. ability to maintain) and faster, in which case hills will almost always make you faster.

Dan

[Shaun Fox]

how can doing hills make you slower?

[Dan]

Any time you run slower than your race pace, it can make you slower. That's a very simplified picture, but it applies to most things in life.

Dan
- "doing average is what keeps the average down"

[Shaun Fox]

yes but although your running slower uphill it still makes you stronger which in turn makes you faster. I was told that running uphill is beneficial no matter what pace you run.

[Dan]

I strongly disagree, although we do need to define what distance preparation we're talking about here. For a 10k to marathon runner, you're probably right. For anything under 5k, long, slow hills can easily make you slower. Stronger does not correlate to faster for all events.

To see this, simply look at the ends of the event spectrum. All the endurance (strength) in the world will not make for a good 100m runner, just as all the speed in the world will make a poor ultra runner. Gradually move up in distance from that 100m training, and you will eventually find the spot where slow hill running becomes beneficial for that event and athlete. Anything below that results in someone fit and slow, just like true speed work for a marathoner would result in a fast but un-fit endurance athlete.

Dan

[Shaun Fox]

I see what you are saying but running uphill builds up lactic acid quicker and works your body harder, so when it comes to running on flatter surfaces like track it is very beneficial.

[Dan]

It may make running on level terrain easier, but not necessarily faster. Of course, an indirect result may be efficiency, which could assist in getting to the goal of being faster.

I've seen firsthand how a very talented (and physically mature) cross country team that does extensive hill training can be very fit but incredibly sluggish come race day.

Dan

[Shaun Fox]

mmmmm yes hills do make you tired but if you leave a big enough gap between your last hill session and a race say a week to 10 days you will not be sluggish.

[Dan]

Being sluggish is more than just being tired. It's a cumulative training effect that tends to last an entire season.

Interval training can leave you tired and sluggish, too, but it is much easier to control quantity and pace to avoid such pitfalls.

Dan

[Leech Boy]

Weren't a couple of pro football players known for sprinting up a hill in their off season? Doing up hill repeats is good for anything longer than a 5K as Dan said.

It builds a lot of strength. Just watch out on the downhills. Your legs can take a lot of pounding. A good idea is to try to find a soft surface to run the downhills - short grass or dirt is best.

Down hill repeats could be good for increasing turnover. You don't want to do them too often though because of the pounding and, again, make sure you do them on a soft surface.

[Dan]

I've read in the past that a lot of Florida high school football players (arguably the best talent pool in the country) do short hill sprints. That relates pretty closely to what I said about hills being beneficial as long as they are done at, or faster than, race pace.

Dan