Hill Running!

Sharon Howard

So, we recently moved and our new house is up on a hill. That means, no matter where I run, I have a HUGE uphill or downhill at the end. It’s great, but some days I miss my semi-flat runs. The major upside is the view. It is amazing right here by the mountains!

  • My view this morning!

All this hill running has me focused on the muscles that need to be strong to run on hills. The #1 muscle is your quadriceps. It plays a huge role in controlling you on the downhill and propelling you on the uphill. Also important are the glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles (fun idea: if you want to really work your calf muscles, try running hill repeats backwards- I learned that the day after a crazy whim in high school!)

Here are 3 great strengthening exercises to include in your training program to get yourself ready for hills:

Basic lunge works quadriceps and glutes. From a standing position, step forward into lunge, then return to starting position. Work up to 30 reps on each leg.

Ball Wall Squats: Keeping your feet in front of your body, lean into a ball placed between you and the wall. lower down into a squat position, making sure your knees do not pass your toes. Work up to 30 reps. You can also try this one with 1 leg at a time for a more advanced exercise.
Single leg touch down: Standing on one leg, keep your back flat (don’t let it hunch down), reach toward your foot with a soft knee as far as you can, then slowly return to standing. Work up to 30 reps on each side.

Now get out there and run some hills!

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