Running Hills 101

How do you run a hill? Do you take it slow? Or do you attack it?!?!

• You should attack the hill!
•  Feel each step powerful from your mid foot dorsiflex step through your extended glute muscle.
• A hill creates a natural forward tilt so keep your chest up so you don’t hunch.
• Now is the time to DRIVE your knees. Elongate your step—but still land with each step under your body.
• Keep up this stride up as long as you can, bit remember to keep your cadence up. As you near the crest of the hill speed up your cadence.
•  Accelerate through the crest. There is often a downhill at the top of a crest. Use the downhill to recover—(then as soon as you’ve recovered use it to fly!).
•  If the crest of the hill is flat STILL accelerate through. You’ll be shocked how quickly you can recover. Go back to your power breaths keep your feet under your body, don’t over-stride, keep the turn over as quick as possible.
• As soon as those legs feel a little lighter again remember to pick up those knees again. They will feel heavy following a hill, but remember that’s why we trained so we can attack those hills while others walk!

Kara Goucher says, “‘Chip’ your way up hills….CHP, which stands for chest, hips, push.  That is, when running uphill, keep your chest up (don’t hunch), hips forward, and push it strongly through each foot!”