If your usual palette of running or walking routes is dominated by flat paths, there are several reasons why it makes sense to include some hill work in your regular rotation. Similarly, if your favorite loops include plenty of hills, there should be lots of motivation to savor the opportunity to get out there and plug away up the slopes. Even if your workouts are generally confined to a treadmill, raising the incline can also provide a taste of hills
In the past, we have detailed some basic tips for getting up and down hills efficiently. Even if you remember these tips, it is always good to periodically remind yourself of the basics which may have been neglected when other concerns become priorities while out for a run or walk.
Assuming you are moving efficiently and in a way that will help prevent injury, there are a number of good reasons to stick with this type of terrain, even if it is outside of your comfort zone.
1. Hills help you learn how to manage challenges without stressing out
Races (and even training) can often include unanticipated hurdles to clear, or rough patches. Adding some terrain where the pace may be slightly more difficult to come by or where your rhythm is disrupted can help remind you to move with efficient form. Hills encourage you to focus on slower, rhythmic breathing, which can also help even as the hill is crested. In short, hills help remove distractions and increase concentration on the task at hand. That can help, even if the going is currently a bit more tough.
2. Hills can turn a fear into a strength
Avoiding hills intentionally or unintentionally because they are difficult might be a way to avoid some more challenging workouts, but they also might obscure an opportunity to develop a new strength. Consider whether you want to approach a hilly section of your goal race with the attitude of dread or one where you tell yourself, “This is my time.” Practice on hills and you might find that you can cover that type of terrain better than others in your typical pace group. Rarely does it make sense to truly charge up a hill in the midst of your half or full marathon effort, but approaching the base of a climb with confidence that you are at least or even better prepared for the challenge than your fellow racers is an extremely positive feeling to have. You can even have a significant impact on your training partners with that positive attitude and help their confidence as well.
3. Hills can raise your heart rate without the pounding
When your schedule calls for efforts over a certain amount of time with qualitative descriptions for the paces, such as “uptempo,” an uphill path can achieve the desired effort with less gravitational pressure than would be required on a flat or downhill route. If impact related injuries are a concern or even if extended periods of time on hard surfaces are a concern, an uphill route can mitigate some of those stresses while not compromising the desired effort level. You may not be traveling that exact same speed as a flat path, but your cardiovascular system will be similarly stimulated.
4. Hills are strength work for key muscles
Running or walking up hills places an increased demand on your glutes, and calves, not to mention your quads, which are pushed both on the uphill as well as the downhill portions of your workout. These muscles are key for any goal race where serious fatigue can set in. Including hills sensibly in your weekly routine can help challenge these muscles and prepare them to handle the extraordinary requirements of a lengthy effort over an unforgiving pavement course.
Running or walking hills can be great for these or other specific benefits, but they also can just be a fun new challenge. Embrace what they offer and get the most of your time on the hills. Even if you don’t enjoy the process 100% of the time, it is usually time well spent toward the achievement of your goals. You may not enjoy them at the moment, but you will likely be glad for them when on the victorious side of the finish line.
Written by Dena Evans
Updated by Cally Macumber
Summer is one of the best seasons to be a runner. Enjoy it to the fullest by taking care of these basics.
Winter weather often requires the use of treadmills and other indoor facilities, but summer’s heat or thunderstorms may also force you to the air-conditioned sanctuary of the gym. Here are a few helpful things to remember about how to adjust when running indoors.
Highlights:If running indoors may not be an option, but running outdoors is not either, you may be in a spot where cross training is in order to maintain fitness. What cross training activity makes the most sense? Compare and contrast the vast array of currently available options available in gyms today.
Heading out on some adventurous runs or driving trips that might include a bunch of miles? Consider this list of things you might not consider, but can be VERY helpful for runners who are spending a lot of time in the car.
All that humidity might leave you a bit sweaty. Before you deal with the after effects of some serious chafing, read our quick Q&A with a dermatologist about chafing and how to avoid it.
While one of the most obvious topics for summer running, hydration is always worth keeping in mind, particularly if your average fluid consumption consists primarily of coffee or diet coke! Use the summer to build some good habits and read about the “art of hydration” here.
Updated by Cally on July 15, 2023
For some of us, inside running is a regular strategy. Work routine, location, time crunch, tough weather, safety precautions, rehabbing an injury, are all reasons to choose to the "Mill". Wheter you are a regular or a newbie, here are a few thoughts on how to make the most of your time on a treadmill.
Treadmill Tips
Any first timer on a treadmill can attest that the ride is slightly different than the ground in a variety of ways. To account for these variances, we generally recommend some slight adjustments. Without the wind resistance encountered when moving forward outside, the pace might feel a bit easier on a treadmill than on your normal run. To approximate an equivalent demand, adjust the incline of the treadmill 1%-2%.
The second important consideration when running on a treadmill is attentiveness to your form. With the ground traveling underneath and often a softer landing than most outdoor running surfaces, the body can easily tilt into various, slightly unfamiliar positions. If possible, run on a machine where you can gauge your posture in a mirror or reflecting window. Try to keep yourself tall, with your weight over your feet. The only thing worse than grumbling about running on a treadmill is grumbling about being injured because you were running strangely on a treadmill. Attention to your form might even help you when you go outside again and have a clear, fresh picture of what your good form looks and feels like.
Because of the weather and the limitations of running indoors, you may have to adjust your workout a bit.
> Increase the incline between 4 to 8%. The tougher grade can yield the raised heart rate you were looking for with your speed workout.
> Adjust your pace based on machine. If you are on an older treadmill don't try to run full speed. Instead make your interval longer by 1:00.
> If you are doing a tempo on the treadmill, start off 5-7 seconds slower. The belt can make you feel like you're moving your legs faster than normal. This will prevent you from pulling a hammy!
Runcoach Coach and Elite Marathoner, Coach Hiruni reports that treadmill workouts have definitely made an impact for her in the past years. “One of the reasons I love the treadmill is that it is the best pacer in the industry. I live at altitude in a very hilly area. I can pace myself and stay on the target best when I use a treadmill. It keeps me honest and focued".
To adjust your prescribed runcoach workout to a treadmill setting by manipulating the grade and pace, try using a treadmill pace conversion chart such as this one from HillRunner.com. No two treadmills are exactly alike, so keep in mind you may have to make some slight adjustments with your machine.
Bad Weather and No Treadmill?
Occasionally, drastic situations may call for creative solutions. If you are unable to run outside due to conditions and a treadmill isn’t available, all may not be lost. If you are in an urban setting with a series of connected indoor walkways between office buildings, or within a long shopping mall, you may be able to just duck your head at curious onlookers and get at least a few easy miles in indoors. Convention centers and long hotel hallways can even provide a last ditch opportunity on occasion. Nike headquarters actually has a hallway where their athletes can run long strides and do so on a regular basis. Tell that to anyone who questions you!
The key is your safety above all. Make sure to be aware of variables like traffic, light, bacl ice, etc.. None of these options are ideal, but typically conditions which prevent the completion of a workout are temporary and a bridging solution might end up being better than nothing.
Updated by Cally on July 15, 2023
Written By Dena Evans
Updated By Coach Hiruni
Many of us set running goals that culminate in a large race event with thousands of people. Even if you are not completing your goal race at the ING New York City Marathon (more than 45,000 starters) or the Zazzle Bay to Breakers (more than 50,000 starters in 2011), your race day experience will likely not resemble your typical “roll out of bed and head out the door” long run. How do you manage to find your normal, confident, well-trained self in the midst of a completely abnormal situation? Try these tricks for race day success.
Weeks or at least days before your race, take advantage of all the available information on the race website. If your race requires transportation to the start or transportation from the finish, examine your options and discuss the best choices with any friends or family members meeting you. Closely examine the course map, particularly if the race offers an elevation chart. Knowing exactly when you can expect hills, and how often hydration, gel, porta potties, and other key items are offered can help ease your stress by eliminating some of the unknowns of a big race.
If you have a web confirmation of your entry, double check you have the correct corral or wave start time, and exactly what tasks you will need to accomplish at the expo (shoe chip confirmation, etc). One of the key reasons to do this well before you race is to be able to contact the race organization in a relaxed way if you have any questions or discover any discrepancies. Usually, the organization is scrambling on race weekend and is off site at the expo so get on it early.
One key way in which many large races will differ from your typical workout is the length of time you will be required to stand at the start and the amount of walking you may be required to do to get to the starting area. Again, read through the race materials well in advance and have a sense of what this will entail. If it worries you, remember that everyone who is racing will also go through the same process, and that all the racers in prior years made it the same way.
To help condition yourself for this and to remind yourself that you will be ok, practice by walking a half mile or a mile before starting a few of your long runs, and then walking that same distance home when you are done. Plan to wear a last layer of clothing that you would be ok with discarding (pick from your Goodwill/ Salvation Army pile at home). This will leave you with a bit more warmth in the wait at the start, and less of a dilemma than if you had worn your favorite and most expensive outerwear to the line. A $3 plastic parka or a trash bag with head and arm holes punched through can also provide a cheap alternative to hold in a bit of warmth. $1 drug store knit gloves (or multiple layers of the same) can also be handy.
Even the most experienced racers have the butterflies on race day. Sometimes this means extra trips to the restroom, particularly if you are well-hydrated. The amount of facilities available at a particular race can vary widely, and it is likely you will need to wait in line, sometimes for quite a while. In addition to being very deliberate about using the facilities at the last comfortable and private location you will have before you head out, consider going right when you arrive at the staging area. If there is a line, you will have allowed yourself time afterwards to grab a drink or sit and relax a bit, and you won’t be as stressed as if you have left it to the last minute and are now faced with a full bladder, a huge line, and 10 minutes until you need to be at the start. A travel pack of baby wipes or Kleenex (accompanied by a small bottle of Purell) in your gear bag can also be invaluable in case improvisational measures are required, or if race management hasn’t managed to keep pace with the usage of toilet paper in the facilities available.
Finally, all of the machinations required to get tens of thousands of people in place to start a huge race require several hours of organizing the people involved. You may need to leave hours before your race and rise at a very early hour. It is worthwhile taking at least a time or two to get up earlier than normal before your run in the weeks leading up to the race to prepare yourself for what that will feel like on the big day. It is difficult to suddenly go to sleep at 8pm on the night before, so don’t expect yourself to be able to get a perfect and luxurious night of sleep from an artificially early hour. Instead, just do your best to have an evenly paced evening so your food is digested, your stress levels are low, and your body can wind down as quickly as it naturally can.
Many experienced athletes have different strategies for managing the above challenges. 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials Fourth Place finisher and our May 2011 Pro’s Perspective interviewee, Amy Hastings, reported that she plans by making Post-It note lists of all the things she will need to do on race morning between waking and beginning the race. Others may have great ideas – if a particular issue continues to trouble you, don’t hesitate to reach out to your fellow runners or to us (write us on the Forum or tweet us at @focusnfly). We’re athletes ourselves and have been there. Now that you have done the hard work of training, we’d love to help you enjoy and excel on race day!
Breathing on the Run
Originally written by Dena Evans
Updated by Coach Cally
This is a popular question from our athletes - "How do I breathe while running?
Breathing is important because we feel awful when it is ragged and shallow. Conversly, we feel better when we are running easily enough that we hardly notice it at all.
The faster you run, the quicker you will reach a point where you will have to concentrate on breathing to continue at that pace. That is because the additional strain of the pace over time has caused your muscles to demand more oxygen on a quicker schedule.
So how do you breathe better?
1) Relax
Breathing is an art. Stay as relaxed as possible in your upper body. Drop your shoulder, extend your torso and neck, and drop your mouth.
During hard efforts, your body craves oxygen. So, you will need both your nose and mouth to intake oxygen.
2) Focus on Form
Running posture often falls apart when we get tired – the shoulders hunch over, arms get tense, neck and jaw almost lock.
Remind yourself to draw your shoulders away from your ears and straighten up nice and tall. This allows for your lungs to have the maximum room to pack in more air and may be able to help ease symptoms of a side stitch by stretching out the afflicted area.
3) Breathe deeply
You can practice breathing properly even when not running. Start by sitting in a chair or lie down on a yoga mat. Place you hand over your belly.
Inhale with your nose and feel your stomach/ diaphragm fill with air. You should feel the hand on your belly button rising. Exhale through the mouth. A deeper breath is like sticking your water bottle directly under the faucet stream vs panting is like splashing it with droplets of water. Fill up those lungs so they can do what they do best – get air to your screaming muscles!
4) Find a rhythm
Start by doing this on easy runs/ walks. Count your footsteps. Your breathing pattern may be 2-2 or 3-3, that is, it takes two footfalls (one landing of either foot) to inhale and two footfalls to exhale, etc.
However, when you are tired and air is at a premium, try to spend a bit more time on each inhale than you do on each exhale, for what might end up as a 3-2 rhythm or a 4-3 rhythm. The most important thing you can do is to fill your lungs with each inhale. Take your time, try to relax yourself generally by the almost meditative counting of your breathing rhythm, and / or let a favorite song guide your brain through the pattern. All of a sudden, you’ll be at the next mile marker or water station.
Breathing is different for everyone. All of us from novice to experienced runners, need to practice techniques in low stress situations before taking them to the streets in the big race. Listen to your breathing on easy runs to find out what your natural patterns are. Try to maintain a tall posture and open your chest when the running is easy before forcing yourself to find that position when the running is tough. Test out a 3-2 pattern or a 4-3 pattern on your next interval or tough workout and see what feels right.
