Hill Training

Tonight marks the beginning of my favorite least favorite part of training. It's a thin -- and steep -- line between love and hate when it comes to hill repeats. Why would someone torture herself by running up and down a hill, repeatedly, until she wants to collapse?

Let us count the ways:

• It builds strength in your major leg muscles in a way that normal endurance runs don't
• It increases aerobic capacity (like any interval workout)
• Hills will help make your stride more efficient and increase ankle flexion
• Runners who do hill training maintain fitness longer when taking time off
• And we should know by now to do as the Kenyans do.

It's the psychological warfare that makes these lumps of earth so intimidating. I get butterflies in anticipation of our hill workouts, yet it's never as bad as I think it's going to be. Sometimes it's even fun. It makes me feel stronger and victorious, a sort of "queen of the mountain" euphoria. And I feel the benefits in my subsequent runs almost immediately.

If you want tips on good form for hill training, this article offers a good overview. The main things to keep in mind: run light and upright, shorten your stride, slow down, and rest in between each hill repeat.

I know I'm not the only one who has this love-'em-hate-'em relationship. Do hills make you tremble with fear, too? How do you get over the hump?

(Photo by kmonojo)