What the heck is a hill repeat?

So a few people have mentioned to me that they have no idea what I am talking about sometimes in regards to running and that I should provide a Running for Dummies guide in my blog when I mention new concepts. Yesterday I talked about how my failed attempt at actually going for a run in Montreal resulted in a last resort workout with Dan of 6 hill repeats. One person was particularly vocal (Roni - famous again! - you can check out her awesome year 2000 website here.) about that she didn't understand what that meant.

Hill repeats are an essential part of any half or full marathon training program but are especially critical for Boston. Technically Boston is on the easy side of marathon courses if you were just to look at the elevation net drop (450 ft lower at the finish) throughout the race.


While it is true that downhill running is easier, this much downhill can destroy the best runner if they aren't prepared. To make things more difficult, Boston has 3 climbs/hills between miles 15 and 20, culminating in the last hill known as Heartbreak Hill. So what's a hill repeat? Basically, you should warm up with 10-20 minutes of light-medium intensity running and then find a hill with a grade between 6-12% , long enough that you can run for 1-2 minutes without finishing the hill. Once at the hill, you should run up the incline at ~ race pace or slightly slower, until you reach the top (~320-400m of distance) and then slowly jog/walk down to the bottom to repeat the process again. Rinse/repeat 5-12 times, depending on how masochistic you are/where you are at in your training. Once the hill repeats are complete, do a cool down run for 10-15 minutes and bask in the glory that you completed the hills.

While most people only do uphill repeats most people recommend some downhill repeats, since the first 15 miles of Boston is largely downhill. I still haven't attempted that and I probably should because I am a miserable downhill runner.

Other posts will explain what a rumble roller is exactly as well as other running workouts including tempo runs, interval training and other assorted runner issues.

No run yesterday since it was an off day but hoping to pick up 10-12miles tonight to catch up for my short Monday and Tuesday.

I'll leave you with this image which was in my facebook feed, which is funny as a Canadian but even better as a Habs fan!