This morning’s hill workout reminded me why I love hills – it’s the perfect combination of really hard and totally satisfying.  Hill training is tough – but it’s an important component to training, even if you aren’t planning to run a hilly race.  Hill training is hugely beneficial to runners, and enables the body to adapt to new levels. If you do it once/week, your body begins to adapt to the stresses.  In other words, you become a stronger and faster runner!

Stronger
Hills can be intimidating because they take more work than running on a flat surface.  When running up hill, your legs have to recruit more muscles fibers, which causes the muscles to fatigue faster.  However, if you incorporate weekly hill training into your program, your body adapts to the stresses – and becomes stronger.  Just like leg extensions increase fast twitch muscle fibers – hill training utilizes the same muscles, and make you stronger runner.     

Faster
Often called speed training in disguise, hill training can quickly increase your speed.  The muscles you recruit to run up a hill are the same ones used for sprinting, and over time, will build strength and speed.  When incorporated into your weekly training schedule, hill training will improve anaerobic fitness and develop maximum strength (to improve speed).         

source

It is important to remember that hill training, like speed or tempo training, should only be utilized once/week.  Living near the Custis and Washington & Old Dominion Trails, I am fortunate to have many hill options.  Below is my favorite hill workout – keeping in mind that this workout can be modified according to your training schedule & abilities.  

Sample Workout
1-2  mile warm-up

6-8 x 400m hill sprints; followed by 30 second recovery run (continue running through hill, if possible); turnaround and pick-up pace as your run downhill
15 seconds rest (at the bottom of the hill)
(Optional: 10 push-ups before next repeat)
Repeat

1 – 2 mile cool-down

Hit the Hills with perfect form*:
1. Drive hard with your arms
     Increase your armswing as if you’re pulling yourself quickly up a rope.
2. Press forward with your hips
     As you run up, think about pressing your hips into the hill to avoid bending at the waist.
3. Run with high knees 
     This will help increase your stride rate and further help you maintain good posture.
4. Spring up from your toes
     Push off your toes to create an upward lift that will help propel you forward.

 

Do you have a favorite hill workout?

 

*Adapted from Runner’s World Magazine

Last week, on National Running Day, Scott Jurek wore and ran in this shirt.  {ironic?! maybe}

Shortly after he posted this picture, I received texts, tweets, emails, and phone calls from blog followers & friends. 

Did Scott Jurek wear that shirt for you?
Have you seen Scott Jurek’s shirt? 
Did you know that Scott Jurek liked margaritas?

Super lucky for me, I was scheduled to meet Scott Jurek 2 days later.  I wondered if he would be willing to part with his {margaritas} shirt?  So, I did what any margarita-lover would do and asked him for it….

While Scott was running around NYC and Boston, promoting his new book, I thought about the {margaritas} shirt.  How cool would it be if Scott really did give me the {margaritas} shirt when we met?!  So, it’s all I thought about for 2 days.  (I know, I kinda sound like a loser, it’s all good)

 When Friday finally rolled around, I made one last ditch effort for the shirt, all in the name of {margaritas}.

Regardless of what happened, I was beyond excited to meet Scott….

The fun run started at The Nature Conservancy and ended at Pacers Running Store in Clarendon, with Q&A, book signing, and post-run snacks.  200+ people showed up, on a Friday night, to meet and run with Scott.  It was so cool to see everyone there - all levels, all abilities, some Vegans, some not, kids, adults, etc.  People really like Scott!

After the 3.5 mile run, everyone gathered at the store.  Scott spoke, he answered questions, talked about why he wrote Eat & Run, and started signing books. 

And, then, my life got way cooler…

Scott stopped signing books, stood up, and asked for {will run for margaritas}

Ummmm, that’s ME

Scott had something to give me.  And that something was his {margaritas} shirt!!!

Scott gave me his National Running Day ”I run…for Margaritas” shirt!  Do you realize that he wore (and ran in) this shirt, and it touched Desi Davila?!  Awe-some  

Scott, thank you for making my month (and my blog)!  Not only are you an amazing athlete, you are genuine and people love you.  Brooks is lucky to have an athlete like you represent the brand.  Thank you, thank you for the {margaritas} shirt – this is something I’ll never forget!  

 

Scott is on tour promoting his book through June.  Check out dates and locations here.

lululemon is celebrating 5 years in Clarendon, and they’re going {all out}

Join lululemon for their Tops of Tabata party on Sunday, June 10 at 9:30 am.  Meet at the store (2847 Clarendon Blvd.)  - and bring a mat, some water, and all of your friends.  It’s going to be a {blast} – and likely the best workout of your life. 

PS – remember when I blogged about Tabata (it’s a form of high intensity interval training) a couple of weeks ago?  If you live in the ‘hood, you do not want to miss this event.  Matt, lululemon ambassador and Tabata instructor, is awesome.  He is full of energy, and he teaches his class the same way.  I was sore (the best kind of sore) for 3 days after I took his class – and never felt better.  Don’t miss this unique (and free) opportunity to take a Tabata class taught by Matt!

Scott Jurek, world renowned ultramarathon champion, U.S. record holder, author, and amateur vegan chef, is on the road promoting his new memoir Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness. 

Lucky for me, he’s coming to Arlington. 

I might be slightly partial {he’s a Brooks athlete – and helped design my favorite trail shoe of all time} – but I think Scott is pretty cool.   I’m so excited that I finally get to meet and run with him.  {I get nervous just thinking about running with an ultramarathon champion!}

If you live in Northern Virginia, don’t miss the opportunity to run (and hang out) with Scott on Friday, June 8.

When: Friday, June 8, 2012.  6:30-9pm

Where: The Nature Conservancy
                4245 N. Fairfax Drive
                Arlington, VA 22203

What: Join Pacers and The Nature Conservancy for a fun run with Scott Jurek to celebrate the release of his new book, Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness.  The run will begin in the courtyard of The Nature Conservancy (located across the street from the Ballston Metro) at 6:30pm and end at Pacers Clarendon with a book signing, Q&A and food/drink. The run is open all paces and abilities and will be approximately 3 miles (or less).

Need another reason to come? Since Scott is a Brooks sponsored athlete, Pacers is offering a promotion on all Brooks product throughout the night.  10% off all Brooks Footwear; and 10%/15%/20% on all Brooks Apparel (10% off one item, 15% off two items, 20% off three or more items)

If you don’t live in Northern Virginia, fear not.  Scott is making plenty of stops along the way – check out a date/location near you:

June 5: NYC- NY Society for Ethical Culture
June 6: Boston- Harvard Bookstore event at Brattle Theatre
June 7: Chicago- Fleet Feet Piper’s Alley
June 8: DC- Pacers (Clarendon)
June 11: Portland- Powell’s/Fit Right
June 12: Seattle- Fleet Feet
June 13: San Francisco -Fleet Feet
June 14: Boulder- Boulder bookstore
June 15: LA- Fleet Feet Encino
June 16: San Diego- Moving Shoes
June 18: Austin- Luke’s Locker
June 19: Wayzata, MN – Gear West
June 20: East Lansing, MI -  Schuler’s (Okemos)
June 21: Grand Rapids, MI- Schuler’s
June 22: Seattle- Seattle Rock N Roll
June 24: Runner’s Roost with Tattered Cover

 

Are you planning to read Eat & Run?