Training: More on Hills

Hills are not just a Clydesdale thing - distance runners all over Britain are into them as a valuable way of training. (Read Arthur Lydiard's "Run to the Top" for instance). Frank Horwill, founder of the British Milers Club, used to have his athletes run up a wee hill at Crystal Palace before training sessions and as the winter progressed just added to the total done. Stan Long at Gateshead Harriers who coached Brendan Foster, used a long hill and started with the athletes doing about 100 metres reps and as the winter went on, increased the distance up the hill by 50 metres at a time. Our version was to use Mountblow Road and start with 10 x 3 lampposts from the Sow's Back, go to 10 x 4 lampposts and so on. Dave Fryer, whose daughter Paula was a GB International 800 metres runner with several sub 2 minutes times to her credit, used to have a very long hill and do 'one lamp post fast, one easy, one fast, one easy and so on; then progress it by doing 2 fast, one easy, then three fast, two easy.....' Whichever way you do it, there has to be a logical progression. Remember Frank Horwill "He who trains the same, remains the same."

Peter Coe used to use a shallow hill of about 120 yards with Sebastian because it was nearer the racing action. Our version was to use the Thomson Street hill until about February then move either to Hawthorn Street or to the Boule running up the hill to the West Highway Hotel for a distance of three lamp posts.

Coming back to Peter Coe, whom I knew and liked a lot, he used to take Seb out on a road run when he was a boy and let him run up hills but put him in the car on the downhills. His theory was that the youngster's knees and ankles had not yet settled and the stress of down hill running would cause injuries. Contrast this with the Scottish coach I knew (not a Clydesdale Harrier) who let the children walk up the hill on condition they ran down the other side fast! When you think that when running downhill you land with four to ten times your body weight (depending on the gradient and the speed you are running) on your joints, I'd go with Peter! Even Senior athletes should be careful about downhill running if they have dodgy joints. The final thing is that I would be very wary of doing hill reps with children. Apart from the probably injury to joints, their heart and lung system is not ready for really short recovery work and could cause them some distress.

Here probably endeth today's lesson.