How to Handle Running Up Hills

Running Up Hill Today.

The hill. It’s one of the most daunting challenges for any avid runner – or workout fanatic, for that matter – and can quickly make mincemeat of your muscles. You really know the kind of shape you’re in if you can run up a hill for an extended period of time: gravity doesn’t lie. But what if you haven’t even begun this exercise challenge? What if you’ve heard about the enormous benefits of hill running, except you haven’t felt them yourself? It’s time to learn how to handle the hill.

First, it’s important to understand that the mental challenge of running hills will be more important than the physical challenge. That’s not to say that you won’t physically feel exhausted and sore, but having the persistence to keep going to the bottom of that hill a few times a week is what will eventually win you the kind of body you want. Remember that it’s more important to win the mental battle than the physical one.

And what is that mental battle? That’s the battle that takes place before you go on your hill run. You know you want to run on the hill in order to improve your strength and speed and get in better shape, but part of you is busy coming up with rationalizations and excuses. “After all, you can simply go tomorrow and you wouldn’t lose the muscles you have now.” That battle is lost when you decide against your better judgment and procrastinate. Don’t lose that mental battle.

Second, be realistic about running up hills. Even professional athletes will huff and puff the first time they hill run, as if they’ve never worked out a time in their life. If you thought you were in good shape but still struggle with the hill, don’t think you’re the first one. It’s great that you’re huffing and puffing – that’s what will create the growth inside your body and improve the kind of shape you’re in.

Being realistic also means that you shouldn’t push yourself. Running on an incline is serious exercise, and you don’t want to over-exert yourself to the point of absolute exhaustion. Be reasonable in your demands on yourself, even if you are a bit fanatical. That’s how you can stay in shape without breaking your body down beyond where it was meant to go.

Photo Credits: OldOnliner

Originally posted 2009-09-02 03:49:53.

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