Here’s why every runner should embrace hills

Hills can be daunting to tackle, but incorporating them into your regular schedule will make you a stronger runner. Even if your goal race is fairly flat, you’ll benefit from taking some of your speedwork to the hills. Author, coach and ultrarunner Jason Koop says he schedules about 80 per cent of his athlete’s intervals uphill. Here’s why he does that, and how you can benefit from heading to the hills.

Uphill running is an immediate cardiovascular boost

The oxygen demand from your muscles is higher when you run uphill, so your heart rate naturally rises and you have to breathe deeper and faster than when you run on flat roads.  Hill workouts strengthen your heart and lungs, and are a great way to tap into that hard-effort zone without having to run extremely fast. After a few months of consistently adding hill training into my own previously flat running schedule, I noticed remarkable improvements, even if I felt sluggish while trying to propel myself quickly uphill.

Taking hard intervals uphill reduces the chance of injury

Regular running uphill can help reduce injury risk. The improvements in strength from hill running reduce the chance of injury in the same way that building structural tolerance through run-specific strength training does. Hill running also reduces the load on your joints compared to running on the flat. While it’s now known that running is good for your joints, reducing the load during your fast, hard workouts means you decrease the chance of an overuse injury.

Running hill intervals can be useful in overcoming low motivation

If you have a fast speedwork session scheduled and you aren’t looking forward to it, you aren’t alone. Maximum-intensity intervals can be tough to mentally push through, even if your body is prepared to run hard. Taking your intervals to a hill can add a visible challenge and resistance, making it simple for athletes to push through a tough workout effectively.

To easily transfer some of your speedwork to the hills, either simply run some of your regularly harder training on hilly terrain (short, fast sprints are the easiest to switch for most runners) or try changing out a flat speedwork session for a bread-and-butter hill workout, like this one. Make sure to take an easy running or recovery day after a speed session, and stay consistent with hills even if you find them hard at first. The rewards are worth it, and the hills will eventually feel easier.