by GRP Runner Jessica Scheriff

For distance runners, the focus is often on logging miles and building endurance. However, to bring your training to the next level, it’s essential to incorporate elements that enhance both power and speed. Two highly effective tools for achieving this are short hill sprints and strides. These simple yet powerful exercises can significantly elevate your training by helping you build strength, improve running economy, and enhance overall performance. By integrating both into your routine 1-2 times a week, you can unlock a new level of efficiency, resilience, and speed.

The Power of Short Hill Sprints

Hill sprints are an effective addition to any distance runner’s training regimen. These brief, intense bursts of uphill running offer numerous benefits that go beyond building strength. Best done on easy training days, hill sprints should be performed on a medium-grade hill, focusing on short bursts of speed with full recovery between each effort. These are strengthening drills, so allow ample recovery and aim for quality over quantity. Here are a few reasons hill sprints should be in your running toolkit: 

• Strengthening Key Muscles: Running uphill demands more force with each stride, effectively turning hill sprints into a form of resistance training. This increased effort strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves - muscles critical for running. Over time, these stronger muscles not only enhance your ability to maintain pace over long distances but also reduce the risk of injury by supporting better form and absorbing impact more efficiently.

• Enhancing Running Economy: Running economy, or how efficiently your body uses oxygen at a given pace, is vital for distance runners. Hill sprints improve running economy by teaching your body to recruit muscle fibers more effectively. The incline forces you to lift your knees higher, engage your core, and drive your arms more powerfully, all of which contribute to a more efficient stride on flat terrain.

• Boosting Speed and Power: Hill sprints are an excellent way to train your fast-twitch muscle fibers, responsible for explosive movements. By regularly incorporating these sprints, you develop greater leg power, translating to increased speed on flat ground. This boost in speed is particularly beneficial during race finishes or when navigating challenging sections of a course.

• Building Mental Toughness: Pushing yourself to sprint up a hill, even for a short distance, requires mental grit. The mental toughness gained from hill sprints will serve you well in all aspects of your running, making you more resilient when faced with challenges, both in training and on race day.

• Improving Running Form: The incline naturally encourages proper running form, requiring you to lean slightly forward, engage your core, and drive your knees upward. Practicing good form during hill sprints can lead to more efficient movement and reduced injury risk during your flat-ground running.

Unlocking Speed with Post-Run Strides

While hill sprints build power and strength, strides are the perfect complement, focusing on speed, efficiency, and form on flat ground. Strides are short, controlled sprints, typically lasting 20 to 30 seconds, that help you improve your form, efficiency, and speed. Here’s why they should be part of your post-run ritual:

• Reinforcing Good Running Form: In a different way than hill sprints, strides provide an opportunity to reset and reinforce proper running mechanics after the steady miles of an easy run. By focusing on quick foot turnover, relaxed shoulders, and a strong, upright posture during strides, you engrain good habits that carry over to your next workout or race.

• Transitioning to Speed Work: Strides are a gentle introduction to faster running without the intensity of full sprints. By gradually increasing your speed during a stride, you prepare your muscles and nervous system for the demands of interval training and races. This practice allows you to maintain the recovery benefits of an easy run while adding a dynamic element to your training.

• Increasing Leg Turnover: Leg turnover, or cadence, is a key factor in running faster. Strides help you focus on increasing your cadence in a controlled manner, which can translate to more efficient running at all distances, from the mile to the marathon.

• Enhancing Recovery: Surprisingly, strides can also aid in recovery. By gently stretching and contracting your muscles at a faster pace, they help flush out any lingering lactic acid from your workout, promoting better circulation and reducing soreness.

• Mental Boost: Ending a run on a high note with a few quick, smooth strides can leave you feeling energized and confident. It’s a mental boost that reminds you of your potential and prepares you for the next challenge.

How to Perform Hill Sprints and Strides

Incorporating hill sprints and strides into your training routine doesn’t require much time but can deliver substantial benefits if you do them effectively.

Hill Sprints:

Location: Find a hill with a medium-grade incline, around 6% to 10%. The hill should be about 40 to 80 meters long, which will allow for sprints lasting 10 to 20 seconds.

Warm-Up: Start with a 10-15 minute easy run followed by dynamic stretches.

Execution: From a standing start, sprint up the hill at near-maximal effort (90-95% of your top speed) for 10-20 seconds. Focus on maintaining good form: slight forward lean, high knee lift, strong arm drive, and quick turnover.

Recovery: Walk or jog slowly back down the hill to recover fully before starting the next sprint. Complete 4-6 sprints, and as you build strength, gradually increase to 8-10 sprints.

Frequency: Incorporate hill sprints 1-2 times per week, typically after an easy run. 

Example: If you’re doing a 40-minute easy run, finish the run at the base of your chosen hill. After your run, perform 6 hill sprints, taking about 2 minutes of full recovery between each. As you progress, aim to increase the number of sprints while maintaining quality.

Strides:

Location: Strides should be done on flat ground, ideally on a track, smooth road, or grass.

Execution: After completing your run, perform strides by accelerating smoothly to around 85-95% of your maximum effort, holding that speed for 20-30 seconds, and then decelerating gradually. Focus on quick foot turnover, relaxed shoulders, and strong posture.

Recovery: Take a slow jog or walk for 1-2 minutes between each stride to ensure you’re ready to go again with good form.

Frequency: Add strides to your routine 1-2 times per week, usually at the end of an easy run. 

Example: After a 50-minute easy run, perform 4 strides on a flat surface, focusing on maintaining good form. Each stride should last about 20-30 seconds, with a full recovery between efforts.

A Balanced Approach to Training

Incorporating both hill sprints and strides into your training routine - regardless of what your goal distance is - provides a balanced approach that addresses multiple aspects of running performance. Hill sprints build the power and strength needed to tackle challenging terrain and maintain speed over long distances, while strides refine your form, improve efficiency, and keep your muscles primed for faster paces. Both exercises require minimal time investment yet offer substantial returns, making them essential components of a well-rounded training plan. So, the next time you’re out for an easy run, find a hill for sprints and finish with a few strides - you’ll thank yourself at the finish line.