The easiest thing to do on any training run is avoid hitting those dreaded hills. However, adding some hills to your training runs in the month leading up to the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon IX will definitely prepare you for the “gentle slopes” of West Cork on 8th December.
Hill running will build your strength, can help increase your speed (when structured into your training programme) and improve your running form. On top of all of this, uphill running is also easier on your body too as there is less impact on your joints!
Doing specific hill sessions enables you to get some great work done in a relatively short period of time, which helps if you’re squeezing a session in on your lunch break or on these darker autumn/winter evenings!
You can start out by finding a (not too steep) hill of around 100m in length. After warming up and stretching, it’s time to attack that hill! Run at a comfortable speed before reaching the bottom of the hill, pump your arms and maintain your posture as you aim for the top. Keep your eyes fixed on the summit and maintain your tempo. Once you reach the top, turn and jog slowly back to your starting point at the bottom. Don’t burn yourself out on your first run! You should aim to complete a set of 6 hill runs to complete your session and still feel like you have enough energy for more. Once you feel like being challenged further, you can take a 5 minute rest and complete a second set!
Hill work can be tough but the physical and psychological benefits gained are enormous and you will reap the rewards no matter what your distance of choice for the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon IX!
Enjoy the next 5 weeks of your training!
The Clon Crew 🙂 🙂
You can sign up for our 10k, half or full marathon here: https://runclon.ie/register-2/