Hills

I’ve had some chats with my buddies Alex and Nick about varsity running. They both have loads of experience – and had loads of success on the Canadian university scene in their times. There are lots of OUA, AUS, and CIS medals between them – Alex with Windsor and Nick with Dal – so they’re an invaluable resource for me… as well as great folks to run with and hang out with.

I’ve been asking them what it’s like to run varsity. Turns out, it’s not for the faint of heart. For example, three workouts a week is standard – or two workouts and a race. That sounds like an awful lot of intense work to me… I can feel my legs cringe at the thought of it. But if that’s what it takes, well, then, that’s what it takes.

My plan is to introduce the three-workout week into my routine – Tuesday, Thursday, and then Saturday or Sunday (depending on the state of my legs and my responsibilities to family and friends). But I need to do it in a way that I don’t break apart in week one. So I’m going to try reducing my overall weekly mileage and reducing the volume of workouts until I feel comfortable with the new 3-a-week schedule. I’ll build mileage and volume as I adapt (hopefully!).

Oh boy! Up we go!

I’m not sure what mix of workouts I’ll do each week, but I know hills are going to be important – especially because the traditional Dal route through Point Pleasant Park has lots of gut busters. So I’m thinking I’ll fold a hill workout into the mix most weeks. And that’s what I did today: 6 repeats of a hill route in Shubie that’s about 700-800m long. It’s not all hill – it’s got a sharp up, then a wee down, then a bit of flat, then three ups to the finish. The ever-changing terrain is great on my heart. It’s a tough workout, but I know it’s going to pay dividends.

With each interval, I try to remember what Alex taught me about hill running: RELAX. Everything from the waist up has to be absolutely relaxed – shoulders down, arms moving lightly, oxygen moving freely. And you lean into the work, not from the waist but from the ankles, and the pelvis stays forward. The knees need to come up nice and high too. As he puts it, you just lean and lift your knees and keep your breathing steady and up you go.

It works. I’m running hills way better than I used to. I’m still slow on them, and I still hurt and struggle. But it’s easier when I just relax and lean into it… it’s amazing what better form will do!