UKC

I've got a HM coming up, which is fairly flat, but there's a few short, steep inclines. They're approx. 20m up over 100m along. And I don't know what to do about them. I'm hoping to run at around 4:10/km for the course, but if I do that pace on those inclines it just sucks all the energy out of me. I have to drop to around 6/km to maintain a similar exertion, but that's a massive drop in speed.

Any suggestions about how to approach these? Any running techniques to deal with inclines? Any training suggestions? I don't think I'm slow on uphills, I've done well in vertical races. But, inclines just seem so disproportionately painful!

In reply to JuneBob:

The best advice I was given about what to do when you see a short, steep section ahead was from a bloke I ran with in Halifax Harriers a few years ago. He used to say "don't let it spank you." In other words, attack it, deal with the discomfort and have a bit of a breather to get back into your rhythm once you're at the top.

In reply to JuneBob:

I did one which was 4 laps and each had a similar slope up from the seafront to the town. I did it four times. The first three I attacked it like a hill sprint, the fourth one I just hung on. I was only about a min off pb pace so it seemed to work.

In reply to JuneBob: which half? With 20m climbs in 100 it's not flat. Id try to push it up the hills but you'd need not to overdo it so you can get right on race pace when you get on the flat again. Any compensating downhills? I ran my best half on a course with short steep ups but long draggy downhills you could run fast on

In reply to wbo:

Trondheim, new course, so it's Norway flat....

It's not my main goal this year, so I might just try the aggressive style and see what happens.

In reply to JuneBob:

Dunno so much about running, but in a bike race you'd hammer it. Hurts the calves though.

In reply to JuneBob:
I am definitely no super runner, but do run quite a lot of rolling hills. I would slow down a little each time and as the hill eases get back on pace – is 6 min/km that bad over 500m of a 21k race? You don't want to be in a situation where you can't pickup your pace. Also avoid the temptation to go mad before the incline to make up for the slow down – that finishes me and I badly made that mistake yesterday for instance. Strava's GAP pace helps me mentally reconcile the slow pace on hills. HTH.

In reply to JuneBob:
Unsure if question is serious or not? (no offense)

1) Add hills to your training

2) Add fartlek to your training

3) Go faster on the downhills to make up lost time

4) Slightly more technical, but maintain your cadence (i.e. number of steps per minute) when ascending. This will mean a shorter stride length, but try to keep the number of steps the same. Practise with a metronome prior to racing. Drop pace, maintain cadence (meronome should be consistent for level/uphill/downhill).

Again, no offense meant, but if you have to ask how to train for inclines, your present training plan must look quite odd. If you ran inclines often you wouldn't be asking what you asked, as you would know what was required.

In reply to JuneBob: I don't think it's a strange question at all - it's not the training that's the question, it's how to tackle them in races and run the best overall time, and that's not straightforward to answer. I remember having this discussion with someone (hammer the hills or hammer the downhills) before he went on to win the national cross country (fwiw he cruised the hills, hammered the flats and down)

In reply to JuneBob:

My inclination would be to try for an even effort over the course, which would involve going at a pace which would allow you to take the incline in your stride and move well off the top, rather than having to slow down to recover.

In reply to JuneBob:
JuneBob a more detailed answer is:

If inclines are difficult and the race is not too far away, you have insufficient time to allow for the physiological & metabolic adaptations necessary to develop stamina for the issue you mention.

Lists of gym & running-related exercises could be placed here for you, but doing so is relatively pointless.

Aside from the fourth point I mentioned (i.e. cadence awareness & development), you won't be able to make much difference to your running in a short space of time.

Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but the uncomfortable truth is better than a comfortable lie.

In reply to AyrshireRunner:
Should he hammer the hills of do as Clint suggests to get an optimum overall time?

In reply to AyrshireRunner:

I just go out running, I've never had any proper training, so I was just wondering if there were any magic tips out there for a more optimum strategy.

I like your cadence suggestion, thanks.

In reply to JuneBob:

The HM is just a race for fun in my prep for the Frankfurt marathon at the end of October, but that doesn't stop me wanting to set the fastest time I can.

In reply to JuneBob:

No worries JuneBob

Glad you didn't take offence. Just trying to help and get to the point to save you time.

Yes - take the same number of steps per minute (i.e. metronome bpm) irrespective of incline.

It's something you'll have to get used to, though!

Naturally the pace will drop on the uphills. For faster on downhills, just take a longer stride length.

The relationship between cadence and pace can become relatively complex, but the above should be enough as a starter for ten.

PS - again, not a criticism, but if running a distance expressed in imperial (i.e. HM), it is probably easier for the reader to grasp your pace etc if you also express in imperial (i.e. mpm).

Good luck with the half.

In reply to JuneBob:

I use a heart monitor and try to keep heart rate below a certain level (88%max hr) during a race except for last mile. This works for me and I ease back on hills and hammer the downs. Cadence is more a training thing so you start to do it automatically.

In reply to JuneBob:

Any running techniques to deal with inclines?

Shorten your stride length and raise your knees more.

Any training suggestions?

Just do it in training.

In reply to JuneBob:

Tonight's training run was along the half marathon loop, and included 9k at pace. Almost all of the incline is within 1 km. I tried to maintain cadence, but not too fast. That km sticks out. All the other 8k were about 4:00/km, but the incline km was 4:17. Next week I'll try to push a bit harder and see how it affects my pace after.

In reply to JuneBob: Well that's not bad. Have you considered starting some sort of interval training? They will make a big difference for you I think, especially given your background (aerobic king of skimo I recall)

In reply to wbo:

Yup, I've started doing track intervals once a week too. Skimo season starts after the marathon!

In reply to JuneBob:

I finally did the half marathon yesterday, it was a hot day for Trondheim. I finished in 1:25:53. There was around 330m of elevation, including the evil km on both laps which cost me about a minute in total I think. In the end I kept it slow on the inclines, and I think that was better as they aren't particularly long. But very little of the race is particularly flat, and as I get tired I really feel any incline, no matter how slight. A lot of competitors going for pbs found the course tough. As well as the inclines there's quite a few sharp corners, and there were roadworks across one of the bridges which didn't leave much room. Finally a couple of km is on cobble stones. On the plus side, a sunny day, and the route is very scenic - a great improvement on the old route.
Anyway, Frankfurt marathon at the end of October is next, goal is sub 3hr. I think I'm just about on target but my training sessions are feeling hard now. 4 weeks of 100km, then the taper.

In reply to JuneBob:

I don't envy you the cobblestones - must be really uncomfortable! Running through a field on holiday the other week (actually a wheat field, which caused much mirth, but it was a public footpath) I was surprised at how uncomfortable it was to run on hard furrowed earth