What’s the Best Way to Run Hills?

Coach Dan is training for the Cape to Cabot 20km, and there are virtually no flat sections! This got him thinking... What's the best strategy for a hilly race course?

[budrunner]

Downhill has always been my favorite. Let gravity do the work!

[Mercury]

Great video! I absolutely love hills. I started trail running in 2018 while living in the hills of the east Bay Area California. Now living in the foothills of the sierras in Cali I’m still loving all the hills, and you’re right I don’t have any other choice! Haha. I just have to sometimes slow myself down cause I’m 41! Seeing this was such a good confirmation that my methods aren’t just because I’m old, but that power hiking up the steep parts is ok and doesn’t mean I suck!

[millemaolchannel]

Great advice! Going to use it tomorrow

[S.F.Martin]

Dan buddy, nice one!! Up hills do suck much but there’s a weird satisfaction when you get to the top. Down hills are fast for me but I worry I may twist something (and I have) on the way down. Keep your eyes open at all times!!

[eddiegaul]

Good advice - especially on running uphill. My ego gets in the way a lot of the time when running uphill and I use a lot of energy to get up them when I could've power hiked / walked and more or less gotten the same result. Love the scenery and good luck on your upcoming race.

[lisafelder]

I can’t help but laugh when I read 41 is old when I think 75 is young and still can walk and run the uphill. Do like me don’t bother to run uphill run through them. You’ll find the hills to be a lot easier.

[GTE_Channel]

I live in Holland, my hilltraining is walking over speedbumps.

[jonh]

Thanks for this, got a race tomorrow which has 2 particularly short steep hills and they are too much for me to run up. I'll power hike them instead and enjoy the downhill as you suggested.

[speeddeacon]

This past weekend I experienced the ego hill running mistake in a local trail race where I refused to let someone pass me going up a 350 foot climb over a half mile distance. While the individual never passed me at any point during the race as I increased my pace and left him far behind, my overall time and finishing position suffered terribly because my legs were dead the rest of the race. I should have let him go and simply glided up the hill to run him (and probably some others) down further down the trail!

[richardedward]

Kate Bush, she's so talented. Love that song. And great video. Thanks coach. 💜💜💜

[taylorlayton]

Fun video. LOLed my butt off at the "we don't like to say walking - so we call it power hiking"

I'm 100% on board. Just ran my first 100k 1 week ago, 4000m+ climbing. 3000m of the climbing was in the first half, and I knew I had to just take it super easy for all those or I would suffer - lots of hiking. The other thing I would add: Train on the same hills and gradients, and get used to the perceived effort you can sustain that won't sap you for the rest of your run. I passed almost 1/4 the field from about 30 k to 40 k where there was a big, 1000m climb and descent -- people had gone out too hard and weren't trained for the mountains - either the ups or the downs. .
I kept it easy through 50k, then started pushing. Had an amazing race, ran the last 1/2 marathon in like 2 hrs 10 and ended up with 4th =D. Cheers.

[BartoszFalkowski]

I love trail running since I started 2018 but I leave in a flat area and I have just one small hill near (yet need to drive there). So, uphills are challange, downhills are pleasure. Howver, I watched recently few such videos to improve my form and technique for uphill runs and... it's easier now :-) Great video.
As for the ego - I never race with others only with a time - I set my goals and I chase them so I don't mind (that much :-) ) if somene passes me by. I also always try to be aware what's happening behind me and whenever I see someone faster than me I just let him go (sometimes stopping and moving aside the path) - why spoil others run? Also I really hate when someone slower is persistantly not giving you a way - may be an ego thing or just are too tired to notice what's going on around them :-) In such cases sometimes I put extra effort to overcome such person but there are situations when overcoming would cost such amount of energy that it's better to lose some time hanging behind such person :-)

[RealStrategyGamingClassics]

i walked at 19 min a mile on the alleghany mountains/hills and that was hard at 1 point when i should be going 10 min per mile faster.

[tishtash]

Coach Dan do you offer private coaching?? I am a new trail runner!

[ellerydown]

I can’t find the app you referenced in the video… can you help me please?