Can anyone offer suggestions for how to recreate the Newton hills on a treadmill. I'll be stuck on a treadmill for the next couple of months. From what I've read, the Newton hills are from around mile 16 until mile 20/21. Can anyone tell me an appropriate incline and duration for these hills on a treadmill? Thanks.
Sorry I cannot help with the exact incline but the two longest, steepest sections are roughly a half mile. Off the top of my head:
Mile 17 (I-95 to Newton-Wellsley Hospital) is about half mile, steady moderate climb
Mile 18 (Firehouse to Chestnut) this is roughly a half mile and not quite as steep as the first
Mile 20 (Town Hall to Cedar) this might be the steepest and it is probably half mile but tapers off near the top
Mile 21 (Centre St? to Hammond St?) another moderate climb of half mile and you start coming up on the mile 21 mark at BC.
In between these are flat or down hill. Heartbreak is really those last 2 climbs but it is very flat between them, at least half a mile or so to recover before the last.
Honestly, I would not do any crazy hill prep for this race, the real killer is that it is mostly down hill. First 15 and last 4 are quad burners, so consider that. Not sure how to train for that. I don't think it is a hill runner's race, it is a race for people who have self-control.
Here is an elevation chart, you can do the math to figure out the inclines, I do not feel like doing that for you.
the down low wrote:
http://www.marathonguide.com/coursemaps/elevationchart.cfm?MIDD=15030421Here is an elevation chart, you can do the math to figure out the inclines, I do not feel like doing that for you.
What a lazy slacker!
Notable elevation change when running out of Hopkinton to Copley Square with a bunch of friends on Partiots Day:
Location, change & distance [gain/loss] avg grade% (note)
Mile 0.0, Downhill .6 [-143] -4.5%
Mile .6, Uphill .14 [+36] 4.9%
Mile .7, Downhill 3.0 [-187] -1.2% (very long section)
Mile 7.6, Uphill .13 [+31] 4.5%
Mile 7.8, Downhill .18 [-30] -3.2%
Mile 15.3, Downhill .6 [-118] -3.7%
Mile 16, Uphill .6 [+75] 2.4%
Mile 17.6, Uphill .3 [+74] 4.7%
Mile 19.2, Uphill .4 [+63] 3.0%
Mile 20.3, Uphill .4 [+97] 4.6% (Heartbreak)
Mile 21.0, Downhill .5 [-87] -3.3%
Mile 22.0, Downhill .5 [-57] -2.2%
Mile 23.1, Downhill 1.0 [-95] -1.8%
As suggested above, it's the downhill sections that can get one in trouble.
Right now I have access to treadmills that will actually DECLINE. I have only seen a few treadmills in gyms that do this in my lifetime. I do not usually run on treadmills but like the OP, my current situation is forcing me to run quite a few miles on the TM. Hopefully the OP can access a treadmill like this to train on downhills as well as uphills.
just do what Kip Litton does, run evenly throughout the race!!!
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1995/bostonprofilekip.jpg
wahteva floats ya boat wrote:
just do what Kip Litton does, run evenly throughout the race!!!
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1995/bostonprofilekip.jpg
YES SIR!
