One thing that you learn in a Physiology of Exercise class is that the body adapts to the stress placed on it. Depending on the level of fitness you desire the workout you participate in will determine how fit you are. One thing to remember is that the level of fitness can vary. How fit you want to be is up to you. The point of this is that you do not have to keep improving all the time. Once you reach the desired level of fitness for your everyday activities you just have to stay active enough to maintain that level of fitness.
I had a friend that ran at a pace of 10 minutes per mile. He had a loop in his back yard that he ran for 30 minutes. He was so consistent in that pace that he did not have to count the laps it took to run three miles. He knew when he ran for 30 minutes he had covered three miles. The problem he had was that in the beginning his pulse rate became slower as he achieved a higher level of fitness. Then after a short time the pulse rate increased. He wondered why his pulse rate would go from slow to fast and slow again. The point of adapting to the stress placed on the body caused this change in his pulse rate. As he ran and improved from low level fitness to a higher level of fitness he was placing his body under a stress. Once his body reached that level of fitness and the stress did not change, the 10 minute mile was no longer a stress, and the pulse rate increased. In order to keep the pulse rate at a slower rate he had to put in a workout that was above that steady level of exercise. He could take a day or two and walk faster, or further, and the pulse rate would remain at steady level.
Here in central Texas it is easy to put in a run, or walk, that increases the stress level of a workout. They call this area “the hill country” for a reason. You can find all shapes, sizes, and lengths of hills almost anywhere you run. When a race director mentions that the course is flat it means that the hills are gentle and not hard. If the race is “hilly” you will find a couple of challenging hills along the route.
Some runners like to run hills. I was not one of those type of runners. The hills I disliked the most were those that when looking up at the top of the hill, and finally reaching that top portion, only to find another smaller hill on top of it. That little extra incline was not visible from down below and was always a downer to see one at the top. As much as I had lifted weights, and had strong legs from squats, I thought that running up hills would be easy. Running up hills and doing squats with a weight are two very different muscle actions. As much as I disliked running up hills, the training on hills, and looking forward to the downhill portion of the hill, had many advantages.
It placed a stress on the legs that made them stronger and the extra effort increased the heart rate for better efficiency. Running up hills also requires that you lift the knees and feet up higher to step up the incline of the hill. If you watch faster runners you will notice that the faster they run the higher the knee lift, and the more pronounced the heel kick of the legs. Running up hills increases the strength of the legs, and with the higher knee lift, will prepare you to run a faster pace.
The higher knee lift in turn requires the muscles of the hip flexors to get stronger to lift the leg. The buttock muscles are brought into play more and will also get stronger. The abdominal muscles act as stabilizers for the hip muscles to pull against and will also get stronger. There is a greater range of motion in the foot and ankle as the runner leans forward going up the hill. This puts the calf muscles under an increased stress and they will become stronger. Lifting the knees up higher involves more than the front muscles of the thigh. It may be a side effect from the stress of running up hills, but the arm action is usually more active and vigorous. The strength of the shoulder and arms will be increased slightly from the extra effort needed to run up a hill. Hill running has many advantages.
For every uphill there is usually a downhill. A problem that occurs when runners start the downhill portion of the hill is that gravity is a factor. It is much easier to run downhill and the effort needed is much less than the uphill side. The problem is that too many runners increase their stride length going down. This results in the foot striking the ground well in front of the runner. When the foot strikes in front of you it actually acts as a brake and the force from hitting the ground is increased. This puts a great deal of force on the knees, the hips, and the low back, as these areas try to absorb the shock of the foot strike. To take advantage of the downhill portion attempt to keep the same stride length. Since you will be running faster you will need to increase the pace, or rate, that you move the legs. Moving the legs faster can only help you for that finishing kick at the end of the race.
Take advantage of living in hill country and use those hills to improve your running and fitness.
