Anyone use extended uphill runs or uphill tempos?

They are a great way to introduce tempo and intervals to your training. Key is to use them early season then progress to more specific (eg. flatter and faster) tempos and intervals as your goal race(s) approach.

Seriously mate? wrote:

They are a great way to introduce tempo and intervals to your training. Key is to use them early season then progress to more specific (eg. flatter and faster) tempos and intervals as your goal race(s) approach.

What if your goal race is all up hill?

Non competitive..... wrote:

Seriously mate? wrote:

They are a great way to introduce tempo and intervals to your training. Key is to use them early season then progress to more specific (eg. flatter and faster) tempos and intervals as your goal race(s) approach.

What if your goal race is all up hill?

He was correct to assume I was talking about regular flat racing. I'm not talking about Ultras, trail running etc. I meant in training for 5k-10k mostly, though really anything up to the marathon

Long uphill tempos are super useful. You can do two solid midweek workouts and add a 20-30 minute uphill run on the weekend without trashing getting yourself. You can even even include it inside a long run.

They're also useful for building tons of fitness without prematurely peaking.

I even like using them late in a marathon cycle. I'll do marathon pace, but uphill enough to make it a LT heart rate.

I think you'll find that a lot of good runners use them, but there may be a selection bias. An uphill treadmill run is no fun, and an outdoor uphill tempo takes a lot of planning and potentially a support vehicle. So people who do them are likely to be hardcore.

What do you do when you get to the top of the hill? Thumb a lift?

800m hill efforts with 90 seconds recovery will do the trick. Try 4 to start off with then progress to 6-8. When fitness improves do 2x800 then 1x400m run them at 7% grade take 90 seconds between 8's then 75 seconds before 400. Repeat the set but have 4 minutes slow. Classic workout from training with WC 1500m runner during XC season in the 80's. Good luck!

Paxman wrote:

What do you do when you get to the top of the hill? Thumb a lift?

When I get to the top of the hill I just keep going higher into Father Sky Spirit...to the Andromeda Galaxy...and then to infinity...and beyond...∞...∞...∞...^∞...^∞...^∞...

I do. 4 flat miles looping around, then 3 miles or so up 800 ft. Then 3-4 more rolling on top of a ridge. Run to the start to warm up. Jog down for a cooldown.

Also have a 5.75 mile climb of rolling/step-wise climbing, 1050', then a rolling loop around the top of the hill.

I use them often. Once a week when I am building a base. They are my first workouts before anything else. I run them hard, sometimes really attacking, because the hardest I can do them uphill isn't enough to wear me out long term. (As opposed to overcooking a flat 10 mile and being too banged up to hot the rest of the week well.) Quads are sore at first, but I start at 25 minutes. Then 35', 45' 55', and then at 65' I start trying to hit the last 20' or so, the top-of-hill miles. faster than the week before.

Some maintainane during the next phase. Depends on the goal though, if I'm training for a marathon or 5k. Sometimes I run these maintainance workouts moderately, 20" slower than before, saving the legs for the faster stuff but still touching that base just enough to maintain it for the next 16 weeks.

As for you, I have gone to Waterfall Glen to park, then warmed up out 91st to the bottom of the hills at Wolf. Head North and left on german Church road to start climbing. Left on Madison if you want to loop again, just try to finish on top of the hills. Same thing out by Palos. Park, warm up to the Canal somewhere. Start on a road next to the Canal, then wind your way up.

Not too steep. Not more than 4% average for several miles for example. I would avoid any 10%+ ramps for more than 100m in the middle too. Too steep to run fast. 7% for 600m? Suck it up and make that yours. 7% for 2k? Probably too much.

Just my perspective.

The problem is coming back down again, my legs can't handle it.

IMO, the key to a tempo is consistency throughout. This means that whether you go uphill, downhill, or flat, there should be minimal fluctuation in the conditions of the run. Personally, I do flat tempos because I don't use heartrate monitors and I need an accurate pace benchmark for my workouts. Also, tempos work the lactate clearing system, and doing the run uphill might tire out your leg muscles before you've had time to get the full benefit of lactate clearance.

Obviously, feel free to disregard anything I have said because it seemed to work for the Syracuse guys.

I sometimes do an out and back 8 miler and the 4 back is net 400ft climb back w the big hills at the very end. Easy out and hard back. I will def do more of these this fall/winter.

Thanks for the replies.

I think I may add some workouts like this during the winter for a couple months and see if it makes a difference. It is probably good to get different training stimuli when you can.