Julia's Do's and Don'ts for Hill Repeats
- Don't run hill repeats when the heat index is 109 degrees
- Do pick a hill that is at least quarter to half a mile long. If you need to run seven miles of hill repeats, you probably don't want to be running up and down the same hill 42 times.
- Don't expect to run hill repeats at your 5k pace, take it slow-this isn't a work up to build speed, it's about strength
- Do take water
- Don't be afraid to walk, even if it's just downhill
- Don't pick a hill with heavy construction, traffic and newly laid tar-you'll likely induce an environmental asthma attack with a SUV full of frat boys watching
- Do pick a decent grade of hill, but not one that you need ropes and pulleys to climb
- Don't think people watching are even remotely keyed in to what you're doing, so when you stop at the bottom to turn around and go back up don't worry about if anyone saw you and thought "What a slacker, they just stopped their run"
- Do trick someone into doing this workout with you
- Don't expect to run 5 miles of hill repeats on your first time
- Do invest in a foam roller, and take extra good care of your muscles after
- Don't pay any mind to your pace, or overall time
3 comments:
I love this post! And look at all you have learned from your hills workout. I can't believe I've lived so long without my foam roller. It is the best thing ever.
I am a new runner and just found out that my first 5K is going to be all hills (already signed up for it) so these tips are great!! I do have one question though, what is a foam roller??
Cass, a foam roller is a big piece of foam that is shaped like a cylinder. You use it to deep massage your muscles, and it gets rid of lactic acid build up. It will loosen up your muscles, and prevent you from getting really tight.
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