Training and racing over hills: how to adjust your approach to maximize your results

Whenever I assign hill workouts or have an athlete compete over a course that features prominent hills, they often ask "What pace should I be running up the hills?"

This is the wrong question. The question should be "What effort should I run up the hills?"

Now, for many, this is a hard statement to digest since "feel" is often secondary to the numbers populating on the watch face. I know runners who really struggle to understand what's going on internally without the help of the watch! This isn't true for everyone, of course, but the truth is that running by feel is a learned process, one that takes real effort to harness and one worthwhile for every runner to learn because it can be the make or break of whether or not you have a great race or workout, or a bad one.

Back to our point.

When runners tackle hills at the same pace they use on flat terrain, it often feels manageable at first—but the physiological consequences can derail your race or training session. I know for me that it took some humbling before I learned this. It's easy to let ego get in the way only for that to lead to many minutes or miles of suffering thereafter!

This Study offers valuable insights into why this happens and how to train smarter for hillier courses and trail races.

The research: How inclines affect your performance

The study explored the metabolic demands of running at different grades and intensities, showing that metabolic costs increase with steeper inclines. The key finding? Effort, as measured by heart rate and perceived exertion, can remain consistent across slopes if you adjust pace appropriately. This sounds like common sense but it's a valid point! However, attempting to maintain the same pace on steep terrain spikes both oxygen consumption and heart rate, driving you into unsustainable zones. This is what we want to avoid.

This research proves that controlling effort—not pace—is crucial for effective hill running.

Let’s break down the traps of ignoring heart rate and apply the study's findings to real-world scenarios.

The physiological pitfalls of pace-focused hill running

1. Cardiovascular overload 

Running uphill at a constant pace forces your heart to work significantly harder to pump oxygen-rich blood to the working muscles. This quickly pushes your heart rate into higher anaerobic contributing zones, where lactate production outpaces clearance. This “redlining” effect leads to early fatigue and makes recovery harder. Sometimes this can cause you to overcook yourself, and you will never recover enough to get back going again.

2. Lactate accumulation 

On steep inclines, your body relies more heavily on anaerobic energy contributing systems to meet the high metabolic demand. Lactate builds up in your muscles faster than your body can clear it (alongside Hydrogen Ions) which can lead to that burning sensation (Hydrogen Ions) and decreased efficiency. If this happens repeatedly on a hilly course, the cumulative fatigue can derail your performance and your battery will go to empty and never have enough time to recharge.

3. Glycogen wasting

Running at the same pace uphill as on flat terrain significantly increases the energy cost, leading to a greater reliance on glycogen as a primary fuel source. Glycogen is stored in limited amounts within muscles and the liver, and it provides energy quickly and efficiently, especially at higher intensities. However, excessive glycogen depletion on climbs can reduce its availability later in the race. As glycogen stores run low, the body shifts to using fat as a fuel source, which is metabolized more slowly and requires more oxygen to produce the same amount of energy—resulting in a noticeable decline in performance, particularly at race intensities. You DON'T want to rely on fat for fuel when you're racing fast.

4. Increased oxygen demand

The study showed that metabolic cost rises steeply with grade. Running at the same pace uphill increases oxygen consumption, which can lead to breathlessness and overheating (alongside other issues previously stated). Your body’s ability to regulate these demands diminishes as effort climbs above threshold, leaving you fatigued, and inefficient, and you'll likely lose the mental grit as well.

5. Cumulative muscular fatigue 

Hills demand more from your muscles, particularly your glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Eccentric contractions during descents and concentric contractions on climbs create significant muscle damage, especially when effort isn’t controlled. Over time, this adds up to heavy legs and diminished power, and likely some loss to your efficiency.

Applying the research: How to train smarter for hills

1. Train effort-based pacing: 

Use heart rate (or feel if you're good at it) as a guide during hill training and racing. Let effort—not pace—dictate your intensity. For instance, keep your heart rate close to the same as your flat HR/effort on long climbs, even if it means slowing down.

2. Simulate hills in training: 

Incorporate sustained efforts on rolling terrain or hill intervals where you practice steady, controlled climbing. Pay attention to heart rate and perceived exertion, adjusting pace to stay within the proper zones. It's okay if you don't hit your paces during your workout, your body knows the effort and there's more than pace that dictates whether or not you have a successful day of training.

3. Try Hiking: 

The study highlights how metabolic demands skyrocket on steep grades. Power hiking can be as efficient as running on trail races with extreme inclines while keeping your effort sustainable. Practice transitioning between running and hiking during training if you're doing ultra races or steep trail runs.

4. Build strength and durability:

 Hill running taxes your muscles in unique ways. Add strength exercises like plyometrics, lunges, step-ups, and eccentric movements (like downhill running) to your routine. These will improve your ability to handle both the climbing and the impact of descents.

Race-day strategy for hills

• Control the climbs: Use heart rate to avoid redlining. Stay below your threshold to prevent lactate buildup and glycogen depletion.

• Take smaller, quicker steps.

• Don't "lean into the hill" - stay upright (don't lean back) with your head facing forward.

• Recover on descents: Use the downhills to bring your heart rate down and flush out lactate while maintaining a smooth, efficient form.

• Manage the flats: After a climb, resist the urge to surge. Return to your goal effort and let your legs recover for the next incline.

Final thought:

The research reinforces what experienced runners know: hills demand respect. By ignoring pace and focusing on heart rate, you can manage effort, preserve energy, and avoid the physiological traps that derail so many runners on hilly courses.

Hills test more than your legs—they test your ability to adapt. By training smarter and racing with effort as your guide, you can make for a stronger race and overall outcome.