From Coach Toby…..

Happy New Year! Welcome to our first wildcard of 2024. This week we are quite literally, heading for the hills!

Strengthening “hill-climbing muscles” doesn’t just boost our performance on hills; it makes us better runners overall.

How so? Hill running engages specific muscle groups, such as the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, and to a greater extent than running on a flat surface. These muscles play a significant role in propelling you forward not only while running uphill but also on level terrain. 

If you’re new to hill training, we encourage you to stick with it. Doing some form of hill running 1-2x a week helps build strength, improves speed and coordination, and mental toughness. In just 6-8 weeks, you’ll experience stronger muscles, translating to more power, improved propulsion, and increased speed and strength on both flat and hilly surfaces.

I like to think of it as upgrading your “car” to a more powerful, agile, and fun to drive model. If you’ve been participating in our Saturday or Tuesday runs for a while, you probably are already noticing some improvements!

Workout…

After a 1 mile warm-up and range of motion exercises, we’ll segue into repeats on Stanyan Street, starting at Fell St, ascending two blocks to Fulton St, and back.

Each repeat covers about one-third mile with a 65-foot climb. The climb is gentle but challenging. Push yourself on the way up and jog the descent to recover. We’ll cool down with a mile run back to the start.

3-4 repeats (1.05M-1.4M)

4-5 repeats (1.4M-1.85M)

5-6 repeats (1.85M-2:15M)

Meet at 6:30pm, 7th Avenue and MLK Jr Drive, Golden Gate Park. The workout kicks off at 6:35pm.

Routes….

Warm-up/Cool Down: https://www.strava.com/routes/3176963241241750740

Stanyan Hill Repeats (5x): https://www.strava.com/routes/3176963534288644156

Post run team social at Foghorn Taproom! (534 Irving St (a 3 minute walk from the park))