Efforts session for week commencing 8th February.
This week’s hill speed session is inspired by World, European and Commonwealth Medal holder Jo Pavey.
What are the benefits?
According to Jo nothing builds running strength better than hills.
Running on inclines forces your muscles to work harder with each step; as you grow stronger, your stride becomes more efficient and your speed improves. ‘Speed requires good running technique and to run uphill effectively you must use your muscles in a very coordinated way.
Why complete speed hills?
This session is great for building speed as it develops leg strength and power in a dynamic way.
A 2015 study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance had a group of runners perform six weeks of high-intensity uphill running intervals; not only did their running economy improve, but they were also on average, two per cent faster in 5K time-trial performances.
How to complete the session:
Find a long hill that takes up to three minutes (or longer) to run up.
Run from home to your chosen hill at a steady pace (5-10 mins) to make sure you are well warmed up.
The Main Session:
Don’t blast off too fast, you should be looking to complete each rep within each phase at a consistent pace.
As each phase shortens in duration aim to increase pace slightly.
Phase 1:
- Complete 5 x 1-min uphill reps, with a jog-down recovery between each.
- Once all 5 reps are complete recover for three mins.
Phase 2:
- Complete 5 x 45-sec uphill reps, with jog-down recovery.
- Once all 5 reps are complete recover for three mins.
Phase 3:
- Complete 3 x 30-sec uphill reps, with jog-down recovery.
- Once all 3 reps are complete recover for three mins.
Phase 4:
- Finally, run up the full length of the hill, accelerating through the last 50/75metres to your maximum effort.
Post session:
Take a gentle 5-10 jog/walk home to cool down and ensure you complete a full set of stretches.
If you’re unsure what stretches you should be doing check out this weeks News Report from Ellie which contains a great reminder of what to do…
Let us know how you get on via Facebook or WhatsApp.
Hope you enjoy, Kevin.