Hill reps is another one of our harder run sessions, where we work hard for a period of time going up a hill and recover on the way back down. Sounds hard but beneficial from a physiological, psychological and biomechanical standpoint.

Hill training is an essential component of a runner's training. It is an effective way to improve on all physiological bases: strength, speed, endurance and efficiency. Hills are also great for us technically! Driving uphill improves our form, stride length and cadence.

Short hills - these are performed on a gentle slope. It is a great workout to develop speed and strength for short distances. The focus is on speed and maximum effort. In other words, to make the most of short hill repeats - you should run uphill like a sprinter at full speed.

Long Hills - this workout doesn't focus on speed or power but instead on running economy and lactate threshold. It is a great workout for long distance runners or other sports that require high levels of endurance.

Hill bounds - this is a running drill for improving strength, power and speed. It is a type of plyometric workout targeting running muscles, which will help improve your running form and build strength without using weights.

Hills are not easy but that's running for you! There are lots of great things about hills: from improving our running technique to building speed and strengthening the glutes and leg muscles. Hill reps are done to time and effort rather than distance and pace so a great session for ignoring the metrics and just focusing on working hard!