Top tips for training for elevation, climbs and hills

At Maverick events, you’ll find glorious views and vistas, looking out to the horizon! You’ll often have the earn these views with a tough climb up to the top of a hill though! Here are a few top tips to ensure you’re prepared to run the elevation of your event and get the most enjoyment when running up that hill!

Training plan

The best option will be to follow a tailored training plan, built to you and your event! Here at Runna, we offer plans custom-built to your needs, taking you from day 1 to race day! Simply input a few straightforward details about yourself, your running and your event and Runna will do the hard work! (Well, we won’t get out and do the training for you!)

Following a training plan is helpful as it’ll ensure you meet the needs of your event, training in a progressive manner to build up your endurance and strength, including ‘deload weeks’ and rest days to provide well-needed time to recuperate and absorb the hard work you’ve put in! Remember, training hard without adequate rest, recovery and fuelling can lead to injuries which may derail your plans to get to your start line and enjoy the trails!

Not all training has to be super tough, with easy and long runs providing fantastic opportunities to get out and enjoy the trails, whether solo or with friends!

Specific climbs

Practice on hills that will be similar to those you face on your race day! Whilst it might not always be possible to access the exact race-day route or parts of the course, it can be so helpful to mimic the steeper, longer climbs or on similar ‘footing’ and terrain for your long runs! For hill rep sessions, mixing up the gradient and types of hill you run can also provide both novelty and variety in your training, as well as new stimuli to provoke your body to adapt to the differing climbs!

Get your claws out!

Shoes with grip suited to the terrain you’re running on will make a huge difference on those muckier or looser climbs - you don’t want to be working hard only to slip a step backwards because your shoes can’t grip and grab the surface you’re running on! Be sure to break these in during training, and ideally use these on similar terrain (as in our point above) to the event course if possible, as this will build confidence in your equipment!

Seeking advice at a local running store, trying on a range of options and finding the best fit for your feet is essential too! Trail shoes typically offer greater grip, protection and off-road specific features, so are a worthwhile investment for rougher terrain and if you’re attending multiple Maverick trail events! If not, then why not try out their Adidas Terrex shoe testing options at an event! Check your individual race for details!

Fuel on the flats

Be sure to fuel your efforts with adequate carbohydrates and rehydrate with water or electrolyte drinks (especially if it’s hot or you’re out all day!). This will help you keep going when the going gets tough! You wouldn’t expect your car to keep going on a super long road trip without stopping for petrol, so be sure to treat your body the same! In training and in racing, both pre-, during- and post-run, it’s important to provide your body with the nourishment it needs! If you’d like more help on this, check out a few of our Runna Support articles from our expert coaches -

https://support.runna.com/en/articles/6583219-top-tips-for-race-week-nutrition
https://support.runna.com/en/articles/6973480-nutrition-for-new-runners

Walk if you need to!

For steeper courses, and those on technical terrain, don’t be afraid to go from a sprint to a stroll! During longer races and events, it can be smart to walk the steeper climbs often and early, to help meet out your effort and pace yourself for the distance! Additionally, as fatigue sets in, you may prefer to walk any ‘technical’ sections, where sureness of foot is important, and you may not be hopping from rock-to-root as spritely as you were at the start line!

Make the most of the day

Once you’re at the top, enjoy the view! A brief stop to catch your breath and take it all in goes a long way for the enjoyment factor! Maybe even take a pic or selfie to help you remember the day, reminisce with friends post-race or share with your run on Runna and social media! Those views make all the huffing and puffing worth it, so try to remember that when you’re halfway up the steep bits!

These are a few of our top tips, and to summarise, enjoy your time running up those hills, mix things up and get specific to your event course, and savour those views! Reach out to our Runna Team for further advice if you’re training for your next Maverick trail race, building your personalised, tailored plan and access our Runna Premium Coaching support too!

Remember, you can get your first 2 weeks of Runna for free using the code MAVERICKEVENTS