Uphill Battle

by Cheng-Ling Chen — January 7, 2008

Early Saturday morning was bitter cold. My running buddy and I decided to make it an easy run down to the water and back. Going towards the water was not bad, mostly downhill, and we picked up pace steadily. Coming back, however, was another matter altogether. My legs were like lead, and my chest burned. I could see my exhales like big puffs of exhaust smoke. It was all I could do to keep up with my running buddy. If it weren't for his company, I doubt I would have kept going or even made it out for the run at all.

After we conquered our last hill, he gave me a high five and said, "Man, you were going strong! It's a good thing you kept me going." We laughed and exclaimed how hard the hills were. Swapping running strategies, we came up with strategies for running uphill:

• Maintain good posture. Shoulders should be low and relaxed rather than bunched up at the ears. If shoulders feel stiff, roll them forward and backward a few times to release the tension.
• Instead of landing each step on the whole foot, run on the balls of the feet, which makes for lighter, quicker strides.
• Take shorter strides but keep a steady pace throughout the hill. Don't go full force at the beginning and poop out before you've reached the top.
• Keeping the upper body straight, lean slightly forward into the hill so you can use its angle to help you fight gravity.
• Move those arms to give you forward momentum. The more tired you feel, the more you want to swing your arms forward and back (as opposed to side to side).
• Set your sight on something in front of you -- a tree, a stop sign, another runner. Imagine being pulled closer to that target as you run, shortening the distance between you and the top of the hill.
• Breathe and feel how great it is to be alive!