Keeping Momentum Running Up Hills & Beyond

Alot of my runs are on hills around the neighborhood. Sometimes, I can keep up my flat ground pace going up the various hills and beyond with no problems. Other times, I reach the top of the hill with a good pace going and then feel like doing a John Candy imitation from "Splash"(the scene where he & Tom Hanks have been playing raquetball for 5 min and Candy needs a break, sits down on his cooler and pops open a nice, cold, frosty beverage:).

So, how does one keep your going up hill pace & after hill pace equivalent to your before hill pace??

Lisa Childress

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on June 25, 2009 at 8:07pm: The short answer is you run lots of hills. If you miss the John Candy feeling then you just run up the hill faster than your normal pace.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lisa A. Childress on June 30, 2009 at 7:58pm: I was hoping that running more hills wouldn't be the answer:). I'll save the long hill climb right before home for my John Candy feeling. I'll be closer to the cooler with the ice cold frosty beverages:); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Louis LaFratta on June 25, 2009 at 8:24pm: Lisa -

Try to focus on your form and use your arms. Make sure your feet are pushing up the hill rather than pulling you up. You will waste alot of energy when running hills with bad form.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lisa A. Childress on June 30, 2009 at 8:07pm: Louis:

Thanks for the advice:). I had been trying to focus on my form more when going uphill. I read also that you should keep your gaze straight ahead and focus on a point past the top of the climb. I sometimes get impatient when running on a climb because I feel that I am going so slow and then I just want to get to the top as quickly as possible. Of course, when I get to the top, the heartrate has gone beserk and I'm sucking wind like no tomorrow:). Guess I need to find a balance on the big climbs:).

Lisa; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maymont Amy on June 26, 2009 at 9:31am: I usually try to keep up my same effort, or increase it somewhat, when going up a hill on a run, rather than keeping up my pace. I feel good just to keep running sometimes! I am curious whether more experienced runners generally try to keep the same pace going uphill or if they are content to slow a bit given the terrain, knowing they'll make it up on a downhill?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeff Frankart on June 30, 2009 at 9:27pm: Practice good form - think about pulling your knees up rather than pushing off from your trailing foot.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Run Happy on July 5, 2009 at 2:33pm: I've always been told the key to running up hills is to keep the same effort, not pace. If you try to keep the same pace then you will be expending a lot of energy that in a race can mean the difference between bonking and a strong finish.

Form - Per a guest speaker at the Grandfather Mountain Marathon (happened to have been one of Bill Rogers coaches...)

1. Lean slightly forward ( ie relaxed center) (ie fall up the hill)
2. shorten stride
3. slightly higher knees (due to shorter stride)
4. pump arms
5. engage glutes (otherwise you over work your hamstrings)
6. key, effort vs pace

the guy said that if you run correctly up hill, you will actually have a short "recovery" phase in each stride....; ▶ Reply to This