how do you know hill training is helping

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psycho1 Jan 2020 12:01pm, 29 Jan 2020 First-time poster!!	0 psycho1 okay guys- silly question for those who know what they are doing basically when i am in the early weeks of half marathon training i usually try to add a hill training session once a week... over a few weeks i usually manage to go up and down a local hill a few extra times each time i go there... BUT- should i judge the quality of the session by e.g. how many times io manage to go up and down....the time...the effort... and/or what is the best measure of the value of a session... im interested in any advice- just i think ive been doing it as it seemed to build a bit of strength etc....but i had a long lay off with injury and now im back i decided i need to be a bit more picky about what i do- esp. as im getting old and so probably cant train more than x3 per week (eg should i do fartleks or threshold runs instead etc) i know there are no hard and fast rules for training in my 'league' (im basically a fun runner but trying to improve)...but your view or experiences would be of interest to me many thanks
fetcheveryone Jan 2020 12:05pm, 29 Jan 2020 23,300 posts	0 fetcheveryone Welcome to posting on the forum
fetcheveryone Jan 2020 12:10pm, 29 Jan 2020 23,301 posts	0 fetcheveryone I reckon that the main thing about hill training is that it makes running on flat ground feel easier. You might be able to get a feel for this by looking at your flatter runs during your training week, and noting whether you (a) feel more comfortable at the same pace, or (b) have ended up doing them a little bit quicker. If you have a heart rate monitor, you might also notice that your heart rate for a specific pace is a little lower than it used to be. I'd also say don't try comparing one week to the next. Maybe look back at how you were doing a month ago, because your body may take time to adapt to the extra work you're asking it to do.
Sharkie Jan 2020 12:42pm, 29 Jan 2020 15,741 posts	0 Sharkie Also strength training- as you imply hills are about strength - is ever more important as we get older. I'm 67 so not my feet are where my mouth is so to speak!
K5 Gus Jan 2020 12:59pm, 29 Jan 2020 3,301 posts	0 K5 Gus Hi psycho1, if 3 runs per week is what you can manage, then only one of those would be a "quality session", yes ? Rather than trying to decide whether that session each week should be hills or fartlek or threshold, why don't you try varying it, ie hills one week, then threshold the next, then fartlek, then back to hills again, etc. Always good to get some variety in to the training to keep things interesting, plus each of those sessions will give different improvements ( hills will increase strength, threshold will increase speed endurance and fartlek will increase basic speed ) Good luck !
Diogenes Jan 2020 1:04pm, 29 Jan 2020 44,611 posts	0 Diogenes There are two indicators that hill-work is working: 1) You are doing it 2) It hurts
HappyG(rrr) Jan 2020 3:54pm, 29 Jan 2020 34,030 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Ooh, welcome to Fetch psycho1! Yes to all the answers above. I'd add in try and build it up gradually. Keep the speed the same but gradually increase the repetitions. Any sign of niggles (especially calf / Achilles) back off and rest a bit. But if you can do 3 reps the first time, then having a goal of 4 and 5 and so on can be really good. Best of luck. And let us know how you get on! G
HappyG(rrr) Jan 2020 3:54pm, 29 Jan 2020 34,031 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I should say "Welcome to Fetch forum posting" because you've been a Fetchie for many years by the look of it! G
Velociraptor Jan 2020 9:00pm, 29 Jan 2020 45,061 posts	0 Velociraptor Tell us about your hill training, how it fits into your training plan if you have one, and what parameters you're currently measuring in these sessions. It's not possible to quantify "improvement" otherwise.
psycho1 Feb 2020 1:10pm, 4 Feb 2020 2 posts	0 psycho1 dear all- first and foremost- thanks for the replies/support etc...and second...due to life/work etc...i can only apologise i was so slow in coming back to you all... anyway - i think you have helped me and what is more i think i better understand what my uncertainty revolves around.. basically there are two strands to my thinking/confusion... 1) i saw an article in hill work that said form/how you ran was more important than anything (time/number of reps..etc) 2) i noticed that i had done some work on the same hill early in a training schedule for a half marathon last year...but at about the same point (a few weeks in to getting going)- basically i noticed i'd been slower last time But had done a few more reps... this time i seem to be faster each time i went up the hill but stopped after fewer goes(and i think was happy to stop) i remember an ongoing discussion at our local gym about whether weight training should move forward by doing the same number of reps wbut with gradually increasing weight or fewer reps but heavier weight 9and then build up to same numbers again etc)... i am interested in your comments...and promise to reply/engage a bit faster if you do have other thoughts... i need to emphasise I'm old and slow and even if we adjust for age/injuries/wind direction/kit that is out of fashion or isn't colour coordinated.....im not going to be breaking any WAVA records any time soon... but i was struck by the comment of a serious runner at work...who said to me that i should have a goal in mind for each training session (rather than going out for a jog etc....which is what i did for many years till injury stopped me doing anything for a while)...so- i'm trying to learn some good habits late in my jogging/running career thanks to one and all