BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - Embrace the hills

Hello runner friends! 

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series 

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog. Now let's get started by talking about hills. Some runners like them, others love them and then you have the haters who try to avoid hills at all costs - which is virtually impossible for those of us living in the Ozarks. 

So here’s the deal. Whether or not you like hills, learning (and that's by repeated actions) to embrace them so you will purposefully incorporate them into your training program will make you a better runner in more ways than one. It will also help you gain the grit every runner needs to conquer the hills of Dogwood Canyon and to make it through the tough times in life with a smile on their face. 

So to entice you to at least try adding hills a few times a week into your workout regime, check out some of the benefits of running hills...

* Training on hills improves leg-muscle strength, quickens your stride, expands stride length, develops your cardiovascular system, enhances your running economy and can even protect your leg muscles against soreness. In short, hill running will make you a stronger, faster and healthier runner. What’s more, the benefits are relatively quick to take effect. In as little as six weeks of regular hill training you can expect a significant improvement in your muscle power and speed.

* It strengthens tendons and ligaments, reduces the risk of injury and improves overall running form. The problem is that most runners tend to do the majority of their strength-specific work in the gym, through squats, leg extensions or arm and shoulder presses. While these exercises do increase strength and muscular power, they do it in isolation of your running, focusing on individual joints and small sets of muscles.

* Hill sessions, in contrast, force the muscles in your hips, legs, ankles and feet to contract in a coordinated fashion while supporting your full body weight, just as they have to during normal running. In addition, on uphill sections your muscles contract more powerfully than usual because they are forced to overcome gravity to move you up the hill. The result is more power, which in turn leads to longer, faster running strides.

Still not convinced? Check out some of the science that supports the claim that hills make you a better runner...

Much of the science supporting hill training was carried out in Sweden, initially at the Karolinska Institute. One major study carried out on marathon runners discovered that after 12 weeks of twice-weekly hill sessions, the athletes’ running economy had improved by three per cent. Although the subjects were trained runners, that improvement would still have helped them clip as much as two minutes off a 10-mile time or six minutes off a marathon.

Other research, carried out by Dr Bengt Saltin, discovered that runners who trained on hills have much higher concentrations of aerobic enzymes – the chemicals which allow your muscles to function at high intensity for long periods without fatigue – in their quadriceps muscles than those who did all their running on flat terrain. Heightened aerobic power in your quads gives you improved knee lift while running and also accelerates each leg forward more quickly as you run, which improves your speed.

Those who run on hills have also been shown to be less likely to lose fitness when they take time off from training. And many scientists believe that hill training can improve the elasticity of muscles, tendons and ligaments, allowing these tissues to carry out more work with less effort and fatigue.

Now that we've checked out the reasons running hills can benefit our running, let's check out what some local runners had to say when they were asked these three questions. Do you like, love, or hate running hills? Do you prefer going up or going down? Why? 

But first let's start with Rebecca Ito from St. Robert, MO. She was actually the person who inspired the idea to write about hills! Rebecca signed up for the Dogwood Canyon trail run although she hates hills. Crazy right? So as I caught up to her before the biggest hill on our group training run Saturday, I shared the secret to getting better at climbing hills and enjoying them... tell yourself that you love running hills over and over and over and over. So to demonstrate what this looks like, I said, "Okay Rebecca, repeat after me... I love hills." "I love hills she said," forcing a smile. And then, at my incessant prodding, she repeated her new-found mantra over and over again until she reached the top. And although her mind will have to learn to adopt this new way of thinking through repeated action, I have a feeling she will view hills differently in a few weeks. Meanwhile this is what she said in response to my three questions... 

1. Hate
2. Down
3. I have always become extremely short of breath when going up hills. I know why and if I keep at it this should get better. However, I have a mind block now that has nothing to do with logic. When going downhill, recovery happens pretty quickly. - Rebecca Ito

And here were the rest of the responses...

Love - Hate relationship! Uphill especially on gravel. They make me stronger. Uphill makes me feel like a gladiator! Down hill is like flying! - Debra Sampson Herzog

Love and hate hills! Love hills because they of the challenge and view from the top. Hate because, well they are hard, but that makes me love them also uphill because downhill hurts my knees and I feel like it causes more pounding. - Samantha Boeh

Love. Up. Just cant beat hill work...I believe it translates to a lot of areas. I do like and think downhill work is necessary, it's just a hard pounding on the body, and I love the mental fortitude grinding up an incline requires. - Mike Wells

Enjoy. Up. Tightens the buttocks, builds muscle and not to mention gives me a sense of accomplishment! - Lisa Marie McCall

Hate. Downhill. I can open up my stride going downhill. Uphill just focus a little ahead, small objectives, one step in front of the other; keep moving forward. - Andrew Reichart

The only hill I like is the one behind my home because it is the entry path to my deer stands. - Jade Miller

I have a rule to walk the uphill and save my energy and I absolutely love trail running. Downhill is easier for me. Both are necessary in our sport. - Sherry Wilson

Love hills for the challenge. I like that my mindset has to change. I try to attack them but am willing to walk if I have to. Currently prefer going up but getting to love running down them. - Jimmy Brooks

I love the strength you gain by running up hills. But I LOVE bombing the downhill sections.....so fun. - Jeff Wehling

Hills are better than speed work. I feel like they do the same as far as results go but it's honestly just a preference for me. I'd rather struggle up all the hills than push myself on a track. Maybe it's the circles of a track that make me dislike speed work. Running up makes me hurt less. - Ashley Hopkins

I love hills because they make me stronger. Going up hills I prefer because again they make me stronger and I feel I have really conquered something. - Kesta Smith

Love them. Going up. It’s just you against the hill. And they can always be conquered if you don’t quit. - Charlie Hungerford

I love to hate hills - I can't seem to engage my glutes to power up them! Plus, they make me out of breath. Going down - because I can breathe. - Alicia Adamson

It's a love/hate relationship. - Gina Rendon

Like, sometimes love. Up. I like them because they make me feel like I've accomplished something and makes running on the flat seem so much easier. Going downhill seems tougher on the knees to me. - Kimberly Fuhr

I love hills, it reminds me of desert hills we used to do in El Paso and I remember when I was young I hated them so much but now I remember every single conversation, joke, struggle I had when I started running and those memories are priceless. I prefer going up because I feel less damage is being done to my knees. - Jenni Sherman

Love hills, prefer going up because you dig deep, gut it out and see what you’re made of. - Sara Ochs

My answer is based on my mood. If I am having a really challenging day and just need to relax I like downhill. I feel free and can just let go. If I need to get out frustrations or need to gain control of something, I like a gradual slope because you have to have the mental control and body control to make it to the top. I do not search for hills and I try to avoid them at all costs! - Melissa Fritchey Whittle

I love the up and hills during buildup its to build bones and muscles to get strong and open the chest breathing but during speedwork or after you have to go easy run i use to avoid hills in fact hills also is a challenge make mental strong during or when you compete tough hill race. - Mark Rono

LOVE HILLS! Up is always a challenge-love to be challenged and down feels like a speedy vacation! - April Leonard

Like, both, variety and challenge. - Jason Crockett

I prefer some hills over too much flat, same muscles getting hammered over and over. I'm better at climbing tho, my descending game is not so great lol. - Stephanie Lane

I love hills! I always look at them as a challenge and relish the feeling of accomplishment after having run one long one (Pike's Peak or Mt. Washington) or multiple repeats. If you can get through that you feel like you can do anything. - Tiffany Reed

I like running up hills and I run faster, I hate running down hills and I run slower. - Erin Heady

I freaking LOVE hills, running or cycling up them. I pretend I'm playing the childhood game King of the Hill and each time I make it to the top, I WIN. Plus they make me stronger and I find I run the flats way faster. - Christine Lorenz Cornelius

I love bombing down hills, it makes me feel like I'm young and running effortlessly! - Kris Bossert

1) Do you like, love or hate hills? Hills are a necessary evil. 2) Do you prefer going up or going down? Up! 3) Why to both. My knees say bad words to me when I go down steep hills. I tend to zig zag to take some of the stress off my joints. Plus I’m afraid of falling. Soooo - Jackson Stigenbauer

I know hills are necessary to make me a stronger runner. I honestly love the feeling of the downhill though, as I feel like I could just keep going forever and ever......my analogy....uphills are the storm and it makes me rely totally on Christ and His strength....downhills are the calm that reminds me that He carries me through it all. - Linda Smith

I love hills. Running uphill now is better, although I used to be a good downhill runner before my knees got old. I discovered early in my competitive racing life that I was good at this, more then a flat surface grind.- Allen Cibert

1.Hate up hill, until I get to the top! 2. Adore downhill! 3. Because I am crazy! - Sharon Weidelman

Definitely a love/hate relationship, but nothing makes me feel stronger or faster. That burn going up is awful, but once you’ve conquered it and made it to the top you feel unstoppable! - Jaunine Marie

Since speed is no longer personally important, I've grown to like hills. Each one is different. As my knees age, I've taken a preference to running uphill; in fact, I've always felt I'd rather run uphill than against the wind. - Lynn Cline

1. I like the challenge of a hill. Not always thrilled about how much they can slow me down.
2. Mostly prefer downhill running but.... see #3
3. Love to feel like I’m flying, so down- especially on trails is SO MUCH FUN, but if it's too steep- it becomes too jarring and risky. So, with super steep hills, I'd pick the uphill for the challenge of it.- Rosie Laughlin

I call hills “mounds of opportunity “ - Shelly Skeins Stout

Indeed hills ARE mounds of opportunity! Opportunities to get stronger physically, mentally, and spiritually; because each and every time you force yourself to conquer something most people choose to go around - whether it be hills, mountains, spiritual battles, hurts, trials, or the hurdles of life - you will find out that you are capable of so much more than you ever thought. And guess what? By adopting this mindset, you will soon find that the hills you thought were once huge are now small. And if you keep seeking larger hills to climb and conquer throughout your lifetime, you will continue to grow as a runner and as a person who is unwilling to let life keep you down... no matter how hard the climb or the time and sacrifice it takes to get to the top.

 

And so on a final note, I hope this has inspired you to become a hill seeker today, in running and in life. Because as a person who absolutely loves hills with a passion that can't be explained (especially going up),  I will say that hills have most definitely made me better. They have caused me to appreciate the mountaintop moments in life more and to be thankful in the valleys that I'm not walking them alone. Hills cause me to remember where my strength comes from and to be grateful for each step I am allowed to take... no matter how hard that step might be. So embrace those hills friends! They are the place where true runners - the ones who keep doing it over a lifetime - are made. 😊

Happy Running!!!

Hills and Valleys

Psalm 121:1-2