Quote Originally Posted by Grog View Post
Just a word of warning about hills:

don't over-do it.

(Simple piece of advice that applies to everything, you'd think.)

If you've never done a hill workout, don't go and do multiple hill reps the first time... Although experienced with hill running, I went and injured my foot last year doing just that. I should have known better.
Great advice here.

My job required me to pass a physical fitness test. I was in great shape strength wise, but poor cardio vascular fitness. I got a trainer, and after three months of him kicking my butt with intervals, distance runs, and hill sprints I maxed my 2 mile run.

Around June I decided to run a half marathon in Dallas scheduled in December. I figured pounding out the miles just like before would do the trick. Wrong.

While trying to ramp up the mileage and maintain running five times a week I ended up with a terrible case of shin splints. I finally had to take two weeks off to heal. After that I tore the facia on my foot, another two weeks training lost to heal. It wasn't until I finally cut my training back to three times a week with an easy day thrown in that I started making progress. By the time the half arrived I managed to finish in a respectable 1 hour 54 min.

Just don't forget to take time to recover. That's the key to making gains. Keep up the intensity and remember it's the quality not the quantity of your miles.