I live where it is very flat. Hill training means using bridges or the treadmill for hill work. As an aside I have felt running 800s (like 8x or 10x) help mimic the strength gained from hills but still not the same stressor as the real deal.
What do you guys think is the best way to work on being a strong hill runner especially as relates to training for the Boston marathon course? Shorter reps on a steep hill, longer reps on less steep, etc? In the past I found a very steep hill of maybe 20m that I liked but due to other issues find it difficult to descend such a gradient. It really helped build leg strength.
I've been doing my long and some MP runs where I put a large bridge in my run for about 5 mi of steady inclines/declines. These are long gradients though, of nearly a mile and 1.5 mi. Otherwise I try to use the tmill for some work and I was wondering if going harder up/down steeper gradients would be better than longer times spent on less steep settings.