Uphill Running Tips

By: Magi Scallion

Mercifully, there are not many real hills in the urban marathons and 10 kms that most of us participate in.  Even many of the introductory trail races are on undulating terrain, so we don’t have many opportunities to experience real hills.  That said, you should be well prepared to run hills – so you can enjoy them in training and slay them in the occasional race where it counts!

Here are some tips to help you summit hills successfully:

• Lean slightly forward, from the hips, and keep your chest open.  Leaning forward will help maintain your momentum while keeping our chest open will let you breathe easily.  Try not to hunch over and impede your ability to breathe.
• Take small steps and land on the balls of your feet.  It’s like keeping your bicycle in an easy gear – you want to be “spinning” – saving as much energy as you can.  This will be easier with a forward body lean.
• Regulate your breathing – try to stay relaxed.  This is a good way to monitor your effort and to make sure you’re not expending too much.  You will certainly be working harder on uphills – but you should not be working too hard at the bottom of the hill!
• Start slow – don’t accelerate into a hill – try to maintain your pace.  Then, as you get closer to the top, and over it, accelerate.  If you start too hard at the bottom of the hill you might not have enough energy to accelerate at the top, where it counts.
• Accelerate over the top of the hill.  This is where you can really make a difference in a race.  Don’t think about the flat or descent after the hill as a place to “rest”, think of it as a place to accelerate.  When I’m training I try not to stop at the crest of a hill for a break, rather at the bottom or somewhere on a flat stretch: that means I rarely stop to rest as I’m not usually tired at those places!  Similarly, if I’m doing uphill repeats, I make the end of the hill be 20-40 m past the top or on the downhill thereafter.
• Choose your path.  If you’re on a trail, try to make the hill as easy as possible by choose firm ground.  Look for solid footing with no loose gravel (etc) and stay away from boggy or soggy, soft ground.  These things will suck your energy and make the hill just that much more difficult.
• Smile… how many times have we heard this advice in yoga when our abs are screaming and we’re trying not to collapse out of boat pose!  Well, there is some truth to it.  If you smile it will help your body relax and keep your minds off the pain or discomfort you’re experiencing.  Not to mention it will psych out your competitors!

If you’re still “busting a gut” and just can’t run another step – walk!  There is no shame in walking.  On some hills, very steep ones, walking is actually faster than running because it actually uses less energy and on a steep incline you’re able to cover ground at the same rate.  If you choose to walk, use quick, long strides and swing your arms strongly at your sides.  This will lower your rate of breathing while maintaining your heart rate.  It is more difficult to get back into a running rhythm after a walk break so use this trick sparingly and only on the steepest hills.

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Born in Nova Scotia and emigrating to British Columbia via Ontario and Alberta, Magi has been running the entire way. Primarily defined as a cross country ski racer, Magi has competed nationally and internationally in that sport. The highlight of her career was competing in the World University Games and the World Cup races in Canada in 2007. Cross country skiers rely heavily on running for cross training and Magi has become an accomplished trail and mountain runner, representing Canada at the World Mountain Running Championships in 2005 and the winning numerous national championships medals.

Today Magi runs for fun… and it’s a lot of fun! Epic mountain runs, city cruises with friends, and more keep her happy and occupied outside of work and school.