Workout of the Day: 24 Miles Steady Uphill
24 Miles Steady Uphill
Intensity — 85% Marathon Pace effort
Recovery — n/a
Exertion — 9/10
Context & Details
When I was coaching at Portland State University I had a sign in my office which read: Hills = Toughness.
Running uphills hardens a runner in ways other types of running can’t.
Even though the pace uphill is slower than on flat roads, hills have a major impact on running-specific strength as well as whole-body strength, overall fitness, and neuromuscular coordination.
Running up longer hills create a very high physiological demand by skyrocketing heart and oxygen consumptions rates, because of the sustained, difficult nature of the effort. Also, uphill running promotes greater power development in the calf muscles because of the increased amount of work per step.
Steady uphill running provides powerful upgrades to running economy, lactate-threshold speed, VO2 Max, vVO2 Max, and fatigue resistance. It’s also an effective method to mentally callous a runner.
Hill running can reduce injury risk. Compared to flat-ground, running up-hill increases ankle dorsiflexion, which enhances eccentric strength of calf muscles. Over time, this improves ankle and foot stability in the stance phase of the gait, reducing the risk of lower leg injuries.
Kenyan marathoners have long used steady uphill runs as a staple of their training regimes. Two examples are the Fluorspar climb, a slope of 5% for 21km and the Menengei crater ascent, a climb of 12km at around a 7% grade.
Renato Canova referenced today’s WOTD, 24 miles steady uphill, as a session both Wilson Kipsang and Eliud Kipchoge have included in their marathon preparations at times. Canova says he has his marathoners do this session about 6-8 weeks before their target marathon. He says the time it takes for his athletes to complete this run, is about the time they will run on marathon race day, provided conditions are favorable.
Here’s the video where Canova makes that reference.
With so many powerful benefits to hill training, it’s easy to see why many Kenyan runners run hills early and often in training.