Running uphill

Pectinbean
Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is there a special trick to it? I can power up hills on my bike, mostly cause I hate them and can't wait to get to the joy of the downhill on the other side. Why is running uphill so hard? How do I manage this or is it just a man up / mind over matter thing? I'm doing a half marathon in a few months with a beast of a hill at the start and I don't want it ending me!

Replies

  • ddixon503
    ddixon503 Posts: 119 Member
    Personally, I shorten my stride uphill and 'coast' downhill (but I'm SO not a runner).
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    I learned from my sister who is a VERY experienced runner to take short strides uphill and take them on the balls of your feet. Once I started doing that, I never struggled with hills anymore.

    She also recommend your first few strides at the top of a particularly challenging hill to try to let your legs loosen up a bit and almost take a few longer strides to get them back going again. This really really helps to kinda get that dragging feeling out of them and just keep plowing along!
  • ReneeDawalga5100
    ReneeDawalga5100 Posts: 177 Member
    Bump
  • vmclach
    vmclach Posts: 670 Member
    Hills suck!!
  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    I learned from my sister who is a VERY experienced runner to take short strides uphill and take them on the balls of your feet. Once I started doing that, I never struggled with hills anymore.

    She also recommend your first few strides at the top of a particularly challenging hill to try to let your legs loosen up a bit and almost take a few longer strides to get them back going again. This really really helps to kinda get that dragging feeling out of them and just keep plowing along!

    Ah, this may be where I'm going wrong. I've long legs and try to bound up them in massive leaps. It does not end well. I was told to avoid running on the balls of my feet (to avoid calf pain) so would this just be for the uphill part? I'll gie it a bash. I need to progress with hill training and at the moment I'm avoiding it.
  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    Personally, I shorten my stride uphill and 'coast' downhill (but I'm SO not a runner).

    Sounds like you know what you're doing! :-)
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Short, quick, strides ... engage your glutes.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/side
    http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/how-form-changes-when-you-run-uphill

    On the down hill take care not to over stride. Form helps with both speed and injury prevention.
  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    Short, quick, strides ... engage your glutes.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/side
    http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/how-form-changes-when-you-run-uphill

    On the down hill take care not to over stride. Form helps with both speed and injury prevention.

    This is great, thanks!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    On top of the stride thing, keep your head up. A lot of people tend to look down which will restrict your breathing. Keep upright. I've been told to focus on the crest of the hill.

    Those, and practice. The more hill work you do, the better you will get at them. Our track club does a Tuesday track and we rotate between the track and nearby hills for repeats (we also do a nearby trail but that is essentially hillwork as well).
  • _funrungirl
    _funrungirl Posts: 145 Member
    Shorter strides and keep head and chest up.

    My old coach told me to pretend there is a rope attached to the middle of my chest pulling me up hill. I try to remember that when I find myself slouching up a hill.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Short, quick, strides ... engage your glutes.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/side
    http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/how-form-changes-when-you-run-uphill

    On the down hill take care not to over stride. Form helps with both speed and injury prevention.

    This is great, thanks!

    Part of it is learning to embrace the suck knowing that hills make running the flats easier. Maintaining perceived exertion is more important than keeping a steady pace. Downhill is rough on the quads as they play their role in absorbing the impacts. Plan your recovery accordingly.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    lot of good advice here. shorten your stride, land on the balls of your feet, keep pumping your arms, and lean a bit forward. don't try and power up them. i read an article recently that you shouldn't increase your effort more than 5-10% when going up a hill, so that you could take advantage of the "free speed" on the downhill.
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    I learned from my sister who is a VERY experienced runner to take short strides uphill and take them on the balls of your feet. Once I started doing that, I never struggled with hills anymore.

    She also recommend your first few strides at the top of a particularly challenging hill to try to let your legs loosen up a bit and almost take a few longer strides to get them back going again. This really really helps to kinda get that dragging feeling out of them and just keep plowing along!

    Ah, this may be where I'm going wrong. I've long legs and try to bound up them in massive leaps. It does not end well. I was told to avoid running on the balls of my feet (to avoid calf pain) so would this just be for the uphill part? I'll gie it a bash. I need to progress with hill training and at the moment I'm avoiding it.

    Yeah - only the balls of your feet for the uphill. You don't want to land on the balls of your feet your whole run! And someone else mentioend keeping your head up - you should maintain good upright form while going uphill. Makes it a lot easier. On really tough hills I also try NOT to look at the top of the hill but anything else I can to distract myself
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    I have knee issues, and I've found that taking smaller steps with faster leg turnover makes hills far more manageable. I also lean into it a bit and consciously tighten my abs to power through.

    But hills suck even when you have tips and tricks to make them easier. The only way to get them to suck less is to do them over and over again :)
  • runfastmom
    runfastmom Posts: 18 Member
    Take shorter strides and slow it down a little. I call it low gear. Plus I talk to myself the whole time up. There is a time and place for running up hills fast and it really helps improve your running. But during a normal run, this is how I would attack it.
  • mamahannick
    mamahannick Posts: 322 Member
    Definitely shorter strides, slower pace, on the balls of your feet. Then enjoy the downhill afterwards. :)
  • jillshav
    jillshav Posts: 1 Member
    I don't think there is a trick to it. Lean into the hill a bit and use those legs. The only thing that will make it easier is to practice. I am doing my trail run today which has a very large uphill section - it is tough. I also run stairs, do lunges and squats to help strengthen my legs. Good luck!! :bigsmile:
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    The trick is finding a smaller hill...

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