Decent at running, terrible at hills - advice?

alp_19

I love to run and my favorite routes are long ones. Admittedly I'm not very fast, but I've gotten good at sticking with a decent pace and pushing myself when I get tired. Last summer I ran a half-marathon and right now I think I could run around 7/8 miles without stopping on a relatively flat course (small rolling hills are fine).

My biggest downfall is big hills. I always mentally gear myself up and decide that I'm going to push through the pain, but the majority of the time the hills completely burn me out. I end up stopping to walk a lot of times or my pace is basically a walk with jogging form. I do strength training semi-regularly but for some reason running up the hills still kills my legs. And forget about my breathing, I end up gasping.

Does this say something about me as a runner? Is it just mental toughness that I need to work on? If it sheds any more light, I'm around 5'2" and I have shorter legs relative to the rest of my body. Would that make a difference? I know part of it is just practice but does anybody have any tips (mental or physical)?

ThickMcRunFast

Man I feel you. I love logging downhill miles, but always sound like wounded cattle going uphill. There are a few tips, but mostly its just practice. And mentally, I just don't let myself stop.

So the tips:
Lean into the hill slightly from your hips. Shorten your stride and increase your turnover. I do a mixture of short hill repeats and long sustained climbs in training.

This has some good advice, its tailored to trail running but the same applies for roads:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mastering-Uphills---Downhills-Like-a-Pro.html?soid=1011153733037&aid=BnPeWGkjEZ4

furmickc

At the risk of sounding sarcastic, you have to run hills to get good at running hills. I've heard the saying that "hill work is speed work in disguise." You can slow down on hills, and still get a benefit. I think it all comes down to practice. I do most of my hill work on trails, which is more enjoyable to me. I'm 5'0" and LOVE hills. I often pass people on hills during races, so I don't think height is to blame.

mbaker566

running more hills begets good running at hills. it sucks but it must be done. i did that yesterday. ran from hill to hill

Bluepegasus

I've got pretty good at hill running, though I wasn't when I started running. There's some pretty steep hills around me, so all I did was keep practising running up them each time trying to get further up before I had to stop. Keep your steps short, pump your arms and control your breathing. Don't look at the hill in front either, I don't like to remind myself of the challenge ahead so I keep my head down!

BrianSharpe

If hills give you trouble run more hills, it's specificity. If all you ever run is fairly flat terrain hills will remain your nemesis.

Having said that, if you have the choice start off with smaller hills and do one or two slow repeats, gradually increase the number of repeats. Then find a bigger hill and repeat the process.

If hills are not easily accessible for you consider stairs (apartment bldg / office bldg), bleachers at local track etc.

msf74

Pretty much what everyone has said. Run more hills.

That said I carried a few tricks over from cycling when I started running.

If the hill is steep but short then I will attack it and try and sprint up it. That way I don't psyche myself out and by the time I feel like I am going to diiiiiiiiie I have crested it and am recovering.

With longer hills and a shallower gradient I will pick a spot and try and reach it before walking. The next time I will pick a further spot and repeat the process over multiple times until I can run the whole thing without stopping. Then I will try and run up it a little quicker and so on.

I also split hills into thirds. The first third I try and get into a comfortable pace, the middle third is spent telling my mind to shut up, and the final third I try and attack. Doesn't always work though

Djproulx

Bluepegasus wrote: »

Keep your steps short, pump your arms and control your breathing.

Exactly.

Use your arms to help your legs. Arms bent 90 degrees at elbows, short powerful pumping motions. Make your legs follow your arm motions.

When leaning into the hill, don't bend forward at the waist - use your core muscles to stay upright. Bowing makes it harder to get air. Keep your chest upright and focus on your breathing as you ascend the hill. This takes practice, but you'll get better. Good luck.

ThickMcRunFast

Djproulx wrote: »

Bluepegasus wrote: »

Keep your steps short, pump your arms and control your breathing.

Exactly.

Use your arms to help your legs. Arms bent 90 degrees at elbows, short powerful pumping motions. Make your legs follow your arm motions.

When leaning into the hill, don't bend forward at the waist - use your core muscles to stay upright. Bowing makes it harder to get air. Keep your chest upright and focus on your breathing as you ascend the hill. This takes practice, but you'll get better. Good luck.

oops! I just realized I forgot the 'don't' in front of that statement. Thanks! I missed my window to edit.

jemhh

I go slower on hills and just slog through. I know how many driveways are on each hill. When I'm at the bottom of one I'll think eight driveways until this is over and then I count them down as I go past them.

girlwithcurls2

furmickc wrote: »

At the risk of sounding sarcastic, you have to run hills to get good at running hills. I've heard the saying that "hill work is speed work in disguise." You can slow down on hills, and still get a benefit. I think it all comes down to practice. I do most of my hill work on trails, which is more enjoyable to me. I'm 5'0" and LOVE hills. I often pass people on hills during races, so I don't think height is to blame.

This.
One thing I used to do on this monster hill near my house was to run as far up as I could. That was my benchmark. Gradually, I tried to run closer and closer to the top. Eventually, I got there. Now, when I run hills, especially during an event, I get to a hill and can mentally tell myself, "I run hills. Big hills. I got this!" and it works. Also, figure out what's your mental struggle: lungs, heart, legs... Talk to your body, get into a rhythm and tell yourself what you need. You can do this!!

mom3over40

Please correct me if I am wrong - I think squats help too. There was a time when I did squats more regularly and running uphill seems like less of a chore for my legs...

blues4miles

BrianSharpe wrote: »

If hills give you trouble run more hills, it's specificity. If all you ever run is fairly flat terrain hills will remain your nemesis.

Having said that, if you have the choice start off with smaller hills and do one or two slow repeats, gradually increase the number of repeats. Then find a bigger hill and repeat the process.

If hills are not easily accessible for you consider stairs (apartment bldg / office bldg), bleachers at local track etc.

This!

I think it's mental and physical. What helped me was to think about how much stronger each hill was making me and look on each hill as a challenge. But it's hard to do when you are new and just running a few miles can feel like a challenge. Running more and more will help also.

lporter229

A mental trick that helps me get up long hills is to pick landmarks along the way and just envision myself running to them. Run to that tree, then to that mailbox, then to that light post. Take your focus away from the top of the hill and before you know it, you are up the hill.

CrabNebula

I do a mixed terrain training program on the treadmill about 1-2 miles a day, 4-5 days a week. My god it sucks most of the time, but I run most hills without a huge problem now (incline is rarely the up to 9% I practice on the treadmill) and it has helped so much with my hiking endurance and speed.

alp_19

Thank you all so so much for your feedback! It was just the kick in the butt that I needed. Sometimes it helps a lot to be reminded that I need to just do it and put the work in to improve in the way that I want. Tomorrow I'm going to try again on the big hill that I failed at today this time I'll try the strategies you all shared with me and also watch how far I can get to measure my progress. Thank you again!

RUN_LIFT_EAT

Simple... incorporate several short hill repeats into your weekly mileage. Not too steep though, as REALLY steep hills don't provide much benefit.

When I run trails around the mountains, if I know there's a short climb coming up (100-200 yards), I'll race up that section, and then slow back down to my easy pace.

_EPIC_

faster cadence, faster breathing, look up, find X, don't stop until you get to X. (find next X before you get to current X).

RUN_LIFT_EAT

_EPIC_ wrote: »

faster cadence, faster breathing, look up, find X, don't stop until you get to X. (find next X before you get to current X).

That damn X keeps moving on me! LOL

litsy3

What everyone already said about leaning from the hips (but not too much) and not hunching over. Also look ahead of you and not down. And also... sometimes when I am running uphill I like to pretend I am a squirrel. Then I can just scamper up instead of running: way less effort.

drachfit

The advice to run hills more is sensible, and should be followed. Specificity and technique is all well and good, But consider that this is a simple problem of lack of aerobic fitness.

Running up hills simply requires more work than flat ground. Right now, your aerobic engine is powerful enough to run on flat ground comfortably, but it's only strong enough to propel you uphill at a walking pace.

The solution is simple. Work on building your aerobic fitness: run longer and more often at an easy pace. Work on increasing the pace of your shorter runs. And make sure to include more hills in your routes.

Do you have a plan to systematically increase the distance, duration, or pace of your runs? Or do you just go out and run? Try putting a plan in place, this will force you to stay with your goal pace through tougher terrain and when you might feel tired, and it is this struggle and pushing beyond your limits that forces your body to get fitter.

As you get fitter you will be able to maintain a running pace uphill without your heart rate skyrocketing.