Hills & Half Marathon Training

maria74

Just looking for some advice from all the seasoned runners out there.:)

Am doing Connemara Half and before christmas/snow/sickness had done some hill work and also got my LSR up to 9.6 miles. My knee has been a bit sore over last few weeks and I think it may be related to the hill work.

Just wondering what do people think is the best way forward over next few weeks... Spend next few weeks getting LSR up to 10/11 miles and then concentrate on building in some hill work?
I don't think my knees will allow me to do both at the moment (1 x LSR of 10 miles and then short hill runs during week)

I was thinking of following one of the half marathon plans but the hills in Connemara are forever in my mind!

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Blueskye

Be careful with your knee. I had knee issues this time last year training for Connemarathon and had to pull out in the end. Make sure you're doing some decent strength work like squats, lunges and maybe get a foam roller. ITBand issues very common in runners who start increasing hill work. Don't ignore the knee pain!

ecoli

Blueskye wrote: »

Be careful with your knee. I had knee issues this time last year training for Connemarathon and had to pull out in the end. Make sure you're doing some decent strength work like squats, lunges and maybe get a foam roller. ITBand issues very common in runners who start increasing hill work. Don't ignore the knee pain!

+1

pain is an indicator that something is not right better to get it checked out now than be forced to take time off later coming up to the Half when you cant afford to miss training

maria74

Thanks guys, I had it in the summer also and rested also and it was pretty much the same again this time. Rested completly for a week and it went. If it appears again I will be going to physio. I think the pounding on the paths doesn't help either so I am trying to do some training on grass when I can. Not near to the Pheonix park unfortunatly but have some good parks nearby that I can try to get to more often.

Krusty_Clown

When your knees are all better, it's a good idea to simulate a similar environment to the Connemara half. Try to start your run with a climb of approximately 100m, run 8-10 miles and finish your run wit another 100m climb. Then on the day itself you won't even notice the hills. But fix that knee first!

griffin100

Don't get too caught up in the hills thing. The hills on the Conn Half aren't that bad. There is a big one out of Lenanne at the start that you won't even notice due to the adrenalin of the start, and them there's the biggie at 11 miles or so that is a bit more difficult. Like the others say concentrate on getting the knee right and don't worry about hill work. Do your runs on an undulating course (not flat) and you'll be fine on the day.

maria74

griffin100 wrote: »

Don't get too caught up in the hills thing. The hills on the Conn Half aren't that bad. There is a big one out of Lenanne at the start that you won't even notice due to the adrenalin of the start, and them there's the biggie at 11 miles or so that is a bit more difficult. Like the others say concentrate on getting the knee right and don't worry about hill work. Do your runs on an undulating course (not flat) and you'll be fine on the day.

Really? That is reasurring, I was having nightmares of hills that I won't even be able to walk up!

griffin100

Really? That is reasurring, I was having nightmares of hills that I won't even be able to walk up!

I can only speak from my one and only Conn Half but apart from the last hill I found it ok. I tend to train on an undulating course and it was very similar to my training runs. That said if you're aiming for a sub 1.30hrs then I'm not the best person to ask for advice:)

Krusty_Clown

Having encountered those hills on the half, full and ultra, I would suggest that while they are relatively tame, to neglect to include some hills in your long runs will leave you in a world of pain on race day. To best prepare for race day (and reduce the potential pain) look at the elevation profile, and try to put together a shorter training route that is not dissimilar in terms of profile to the Connemara course.

Find a hill with a climb of approx 100m, and start your run there. Include the same hill towards the end of your run. Then on race day, as others struggle on the 'Hell of the West', smile and think back fondly on how you prepared for exactly this eventuality. The important thing is to make sure that your knees have recovered first.

maria74

griffin100 wrote: »

That said if you're aiming for a sub 1.30hrs then I'm not the best person to ask for advice:)

:D Ha ha...no not really....my aim is to finish (oh and not die!!!)

Nules10

Hi Maria74
I was in the same situation as you in september. I decided to do the cliffs of moher half as my first half. every time i looked at the elevation it sent shivers down my spine. I think the first 6 miles were uphill and the rest all down hill.
How i prepared for it was i went up to Ardgillian found a quiet corner (way over the opposite side to the playground) marked out 100m uphill. ran up that and jogged very easy back down. Think i did maybe 6/7 reps or what i could do without dying. Its on grass too so will be good for your knees. I am no way experienced and maybe some of the more experienced runners can correct me on that. But its what was recommend that i do. I went and did the half anyway and it was fine. Hills were grand... don't get worked up about them... i know i did. But on the day i took them easy and i enjoyed the scenery you will do great.

maria74

Nules10 wrote: »

Hi Maria74
I was in the same situation as you in september. I decided to do the cliffs of moher half as my first half. every time i looked at the elevation it sent shivers down my spine. I think the first 6 miles were uphill and the rest all down hill.
How i prepared for it was i went up to Ardgillian found a quiet corner (way over the opposite side to the playground) marked out 100m uphill. ran up that and jogged very easy back down. Think i did maybe 6/7 reps or what i could do without dying. Its on grass too so will be good for your knees. I am no way experienced and maybe some of the more experienced runners can correct me on that. But its what was recommend that i do. I went and did the half anyway and it was fine. Hills were grand... don't get worked up about them... i know i did. But on the day i took them easy and i enjoyed the scenery you will do great.

Thanks for that, it's great to hear from others who have gone through this before. I live near Ardgillan so I will definatly be doing that in a few weeks.

ecoli

Personally the way i tried to approach hill work during my half marathon training was alternate each week between hills reps and my LSR over a hilly course. one week i did things like 5 x 2 min on hills and the LSR on a flat route then the following week i was doing track work instead of the hill reps and did my LSR on a hilly route.
Think the key to training other than consistency is variety. Do loads of of short hill reps and guess what? you are gonna get very good at doing short hill reps. Mix it up and keep the body guessing to allow yourself get maximum benefits from the training

But just to re iterate this advice is only to be taken once you have got the knee checked out;)