Red Hill Repeats
You can pretty much guess why these are called red hills--because that is the zone you'll be in: hard! This workout is the exact opposite of the green workout, and it simulates an interval workout in that you follow a hard and easy flow and use the hill as a source of resistance to build strength and power.
The Mission: To run hard uphill and recover downhill to build strength and power.
- Warm up walking, then run easy for 10 minutes.
- Find a hill (or treadmill) where it takes you 30-60 seconds to run up.
- Run hard up the hill focusing on keeping your stride short, torso tall, looking to the crest of the hill, and driving those elbows back. This is a dynamic interval in that you're powering up the hill, so starting with a shorter climb (30 seconds) and less time is best for newbies.
- When you reach the top, walk it out to catch your breath and then jog back down and repeat again. Like intervals, the recovery is just as important as the hill climb so make sure to invest in walking to catch your breath. Otherwise you will sacrifice form, defeating the purpose of the workout.
- Newbies start out with 10-15 minutes of hill repeats (up and down); seasoned hill runners can run longer (20-25 minutes), but keep in mind that less can be more, especially when you're pushing hard.
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Mt. Rainier Hill Repeats
These are longer, more moderate hill climbs that build strength and endurance and are as good as tempo runs in raising your red-line threshold.
The Mission: To run at a comfortably hard effort level up longer hill climbs of three to five minutes.
- Warm up walking, then run easy for 10 minutes.
- Find a hill (or treadmill) where it takes you three to five minutes to run up.
- Run long hill repeats for 15-20 minutes (newbies) or 20-30 minutes (seasoned hill climbers), and cool down running 10 minutes at an easy effort.
- Run every long hill repeat at your tempo effort, where you can hear your breath but you're not gasping for air. It's somwhere in between hard and easy, and at an effort just outside your comfort zone.
- When you reach the top, walk it out to catch your breath and run down at an easy effort. Repeat again.
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