Last week a reader posted a question to the Runner’s World magazine’s online forum asking about how long hill repeats should be. Since this reader was using my book, I thought we’d answer her question. But first, thanks for trying Smart Marathon Training!
Hill running is a key workout in the training plans found in my book, but the distance of the hills depends on how steep their inclines are and how accustomed you are to running hills. I generally recommend hills that are 50m to 150m long.
On a treadmill, depending on the setting, that would translate to about one to three minutes of running. Your recovery should be relatively short — one or two minutes.
If you are new to hill running, do only two or three repeats to start; you’ll quickly be able to double and triple that number.
Good luck, and have fun!
For more on smart, effective workouts, please check out my book Smart Marathon Training.
So to clarify some more… when the program asks for say, HWx6, You mean 6 repeats of a 150m long hill.. correct? And each repeat consist of running up the hill and then jogging down. Is that correct?
Thanks for your message. And that’s basically right about the hillwork; repeated efforts on the same hill, with an easy recovery on the run down. You don’t have to be exact on the distance; it can be roughly 100-150 meters (or, depending on where you live, a half or whole city block). To gauge improvement, though, the repeats should be done on the same hill(s), so you have a point of comparison over time.