This week saw the Fit Club runners continuing to focus on their training and, in the case of the spring marathon runners, upping the mileage. We did have a couple of Fit Clubbers running though with Lynn and Anne both taking part in the London Landmarks half marathon. This is a new race which takes in, as the name suggests, some of London's historic landmarks. Both posted superb times, with Lynn running a massive 10 minute PB!! Congratulations ladies. It must have been a good race because half the Fit Club runners seemed to immediately pre-register for next years! Must've been the "it's fast and flat" selling point!!
Looking forward to this week; with the clocks going forward we will now have light sessions for the first time since September so Thursdays will see us visiting different places in the city!! In addition on Monday the 2nd April we will be back at the Bar End track for another Monday Madness session.
In addition to the weekly Fit Club session write-us I thought I would write a bit about the types of training that we do on a Thursday night and this week we will cover hill training!
Looking forward to this week; with the clocks going forward we will now have light sessions for the first time since September so Thursdays will see us visiting different places in the city!! In addition on Monday the 2nd April we will be back at the Bar End track for another Monday Madness session.
In addition to the weekly Fit Club session write-us I thought I would write a bit about the types of training that we do on a Thursday night and this week we will cover hill training!
Hill Training
Nothing builds running strength better than hills. Benefits include:
- Development of power and muscle elasticity
- Improvement of stride frequency and length
- Development of co-ordination – encouraging the proper use of arm action during the driving phase and feet in the support phase
- Development of control and stabilisation as well as improved speed (downhill running)
- Promotion of strength endurance
- Development of maximum speed and strength (short hills)
- Improvement of lactate tolerance (mixed hills)
Despite the benefits, many newcomers (and old-timers, too) avoid hills – after all, defying gravity can be tough, both physically and mentally. But simple form adjustments and a gradual approach can reduce the challenges and boost your fitness.
Add hill work to your training by following these four steps.
Start Easy
For your first hill workout, jog for 10 minutes to warm up, then walk for two minutes. From the bottom of a gentle incline, run up at an easy pace for five seconds, then walk back to the starting point. Run up again for seven seconds. Walk down. Run for 10 seconds, then walk down. If you’re feeling strong, repeat. Cool down with a 15-minute jog.
Progress Slowly
Do your initial workout several times, then ramp it up. Perform two lots of 10 seconds: run up the hill for 10 seconds, then walk down and repeat. Then do two lots of 15 seconds, followed by two lots of 20. On your next hill workout, repeat this sequence twice before rounding the session off with a 30-second run.
Stick With It
Schedule a hill run every seven to 14 days. As you get stronger, add time to your segments and/or add an extra rep until you’re running a total of 10 inclines. If you’re training for a hilly race, try to mimic in your workouts the types of hills you’ll encounter in your race. If your motivation dries up, run hills with a friend and take turns leading the upward charge.
Maintain Good Form
As you ascend, shorten your stride and keep your feet low to the ground. Try to keep your head, chest and hips perpendicular to an imaginary horizontal line. On descents, take short, quick, light steps, and keep your centre of gravity over your legs.
Top Tips
Once you are used to running hills here are some points to help you get the most from your sessions:
- Be prepared to attack the hill before you reach it, so you’ve picked up pace as you reach the bottom.
- As you run up the hill pump your arms and shorten the length of your strides, but take faster strides to keep up the pace.
- At the end of your hill running workout, you should feel like you’ve worked hard, but you could manage one more hill if you had to.
- Get plenty of practice, it’s the only way to get better at hill running and improve your technique.
Race Calendar
Mike suggested that it may be of help to start a race calendar. Listing out local races and races that Fit Clubbers are participating in. If you have any others that you wish to add, please let me know!
The General – April 14th
Brighton Marathon – 15th April
Southampton Marathon, Half and 10km – 22nd April
London Marathon – 22nd April
Fleet Half – April 29th
Harewood Forest 10km and 5km – 7th May (Bank Holiday Monday)
Race for Life – Winchester – 3rd June
Eastleigh 10km – 17th June
Arlesford 10km – 17th June
Baccus Marathon and Half – 9th September
The Lake Run, Andover 10km and 5km – 16th Septembver
Winchester Half Marathon – 23rd September
Clarendon Marathon, Half and relay – 7th October
http://www.clarendon-marathon.
Great South Run - 21st October
http://www.greatrun.org/great-south-run
As ever, if you have any submissions for the next blog then please send them through to WFCrunners@gmail.com
Happy running everyone!!
Coach James
Great South Run - 21st October
http://www.greatrun.org/great-south-run
As ever, if you have any submissions for the next blog then please send them through to WFCrunners@gmail.com
Happy running everyone!!
Coach James
Great article James! Thank you
ReplyDelete