Workout of the Day: 10 x 60" hills + 2 Miles Steady + 10 x 60" hills
10 x 60" hills + 2 Miles Steady + 10 x 60" hills
Intensity — 3,000m pace on hills, 15K - 10K pace on 2 Miles
Recovery — Jog downhill recovery on hills, 5 - 8 minutes jog between sets
Exertion — 8/10
Context & Details
“Hills are speed work in disguise.” — Frank Shorter
This is one of my favorite early season workouts for the 1/2 marathon runner.
Here’s why it works: Hill training enhances running economy, lifts lactate-threshold velocity, improves resistance to fatigue, increases maximal running speed, increases absolute VO2 Max and vVO2 Max, and prepares runners to compete on hilly courses.
Hills promote greater power development in the leg muscles which increases propulsive force, meaning runners can go farther between steps and increase running speed significantly.
Short hills are 60” or less in my book. These types of hills are linked with higher neural outputs and greater motor-unit recruitment, both of which advance power and overall running speeds.
Mixing short hills with a mild steady run is a sure fire way to get a half-marathoner in shape. This is once-a-week session in early to mid season preparations. You can eventually replace it with more race and/or 10K specific work as the target half marathon draws near.