Hill Repeats

    I am kinda loving Hill Repeats. You may ask, "what the hell is that? Sounds painful."  Hill Repeats are a fast paced, intensive addition to a running regimen. Find a short, decently steep hill and sprint up, jog down. Repeat. Simple enough. Do a warm up mile, making sure your legs are ready for the punishment, find your hill and go for it. Yes, that is a very simplified explanation, but I am not here to coach, I am here to relate my own endeavors. Last night I was short on time but really wanted/needed to get in a decent run. And my wonky knees really do mean that I can't spend hour after hour pounding the pavement, nor do I really have the time for that anyway (or the stamina, at this point, really). So I have been researching alternatives to spending endless hours on the road or treadmill. I have incorporated Fartlek/speedplay into my runs lately, and like the intensity that it adds. But, as is my nature, I am always looking for a bit more. A few weeks ago the weather and my schedule allowed me to get outside and run before a morning swim, and I added some hill repeats to that run, and really felt the burn. Last night, I opted for a focused Hill Repeat run. With the very short days of winter upon us, there is no way I can get home from work and head out on a run. It is dark when I get home, and in my neck of the woods there is a dearth of street lights, no sidewalks and about 3 inches of shoulder on the roads. This does add up to a great formula to become roadkill. So, I opted to bring gear to work and run the industrial neighborhood that is home to our warehouses. I had already selected the perfect hill: one short, city block with a nice incline. I warmed up with an easy one mile run that brought me to the foot of my chosen opponent. I paused for a brief moment, then charged uphill at a very good clip. Wow, talk about a good burn! And in only about 75 paces. I jogged back down, walked about 10 quick paces, then charged uphill again. I repeated this performance 7 times. The last 2 times I pushed myself harder and faster than I thought possible, and far harder and faster than I could have done even a few months ago. Then I decided to call it a night, just to see how my legs would be feeling in the next 48 hours or so. I ran back to the office, an easy, loping half mile. Back at my pickup, I stretched, loving the feeling of fatigued muscles. I didn't run for much more than 30 minutes, quick and easy. Down and dirty. My knees didn't complain too bitterly either, which is a huge bonus. Today I am feeling the exertion in places I hadn't quite expected, especially my inner thigh. Overall, I am a little sore, but not overly so, and it is a nicely dispersed soreness incorporating all of my leg muscles, letting me know that it was a well rounded workout.
    Many running coaches use Hill Repeats in place of some aspects of strength training. It gives the legs a similar workout as squats, lunges and leg presses, but with a more explosive quality. It works all the leg muscles, adding strength, speed and stamina. I plan on adding at least one hard Hill Repeat run per week, likely starting it straight from work so I can take advantage of what little natural light there is. Hill Repeats get an A Plus in my book.