Runners: Hill work where there are no hills?

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JTick
JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How do you add hill work in with no hills?

It is FLAT where I live. Super flat. I ran 8 miles last week with an elevation change of maybe 10 feet.

I am training for a half marathon, and I am expecting a few hills. Is cranking the incline on a treadmill an okay substitute for running hills?

PS I am using Jeff Galloway's training plan...so 1 long run and 2 (30 min) short runs each week. My intentions are to move one of my 30 min runs inside to the treadmill to add hills.

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  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    When Pam Smith trained for the Western States 100, she would do hill repeats on the treadmill (5x1200m at 10% grade). If it worked for 100 miles and 18,000ft of climbing, it should be fine for a few hills :laugh:
  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
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    Stair well or stadium steps?
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    When Pam Smith trained for the Western States 100, she would do hill repeats on the treadmill (5x1200m at 10% grade). If it worked for 100 miles and 18,000ft of climbing, it should be fine for a few hills :laugh:

    Fab! I was getting a bit concerned because short of driving into the city where the half/full marathons held, I was short out of luck! I wasn't sure if the dreadmill would translate to pavement though.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Stair well or stadium steps?

    I'm not aware of a good place around that would have adequate stairs, but I'll have to check. Stupid little podunk towns with their single story buildings....:grumble:
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    Are there any large bridges nearby? If so you can do bridge repeats
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    Stair well or stadium steps?

    I'm not aware of a good place around that would have adequate stairs, but I'll have to check. Stupid little podunk towns with their single story buildings....:grumble:

    Even a high school with a football field would be ok, if you can run up and down the bleachers.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Multi level parking garages work nicely as hills. Just go early and watch out for cars! Stay sage and leave your headphones at home.

    Bridges and freeway overpasses will do the trick as well.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    There are no bridges or parking garages nearby that I know of. I'm 45 mins from the nearest significant city that would have parking garages.

    There are a couple of hotels that are reasonably close, I suppose I could call and see if I could run their stair wells. I'll check into that.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    How about a bicycle? You can set it to a gear where you have to push hard to pedal. It requires more strength from your legs, the way a hill does, but you can do it longer than plodding up a few stairs of the high school bleachers, so it is more like a hill might be; that is, where you cannot stop.
    Or, run sprints? It makes you breathe heavy and deep, the way running a hill does, helping to expand your lung capacity.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Bump for curiosity.

    I have no knowledge of life without hills. I've never seen a flat road.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Bump for curiosity.

    I have no knowledge of life without hills. I've never seen a flat road.

    :laugh: I should take a pic when I run some day...there are places you can literally pick out trees miles ahead it's so flat.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Dreadmill on a high incline will help. You can also crank up the incline on the elliptical.

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