THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

I'm reporting to you from the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. Our coal scarred landscape features hills, hills, and more hills. My hometown of Pottsville, the home of the Yuengling Brewery, America's oldest, is nestled among seven hills, like Rome, and my residence, at the base of Sharp Mountain, is reachable only by scaling inclines that are a mile or more in length, from each direction.

Today's 7-mile workout featured a very fast 3.5-mile downhill start, followed by a 3.5-mile quad-searing second half of the run.

Hills are the greatest form of strength training for runners. It is my contention that a steady diet of hills not only increases strength and stamina, but also gives a runner the psychological advantage in races.

My favorite race is the Boston Marathon. I will toe the line at Hopkinton for the 16th time this April. My best marathon time of 2:22:54, was achieved at Boston. Daily hill training has always made the dreaded Newton Hills, with Heartbreak Hill at mile 20.5, mere speed bumps.

Don't be afraid of hills. Embrace them.

Run straight, don't put your head down. Use your arms to help propel your legs. Slightly exaggerate your knee drive, and realize that you will run a little slower, and your workout times will suffer. So will you! But, your hill running WILL pay off. In a race, when you are zeroing in on the competitor ahead of you, your mind will tell you about your hill work, and you WILL be stronger than your rivals.

Conquer hills and you will conquer many opponents.

Wanna read about two of Pennsylvania's hilliest and greatest races. Check out the chapter, 'Great Races,' in my book, "Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes."

www.runningshortsbook.com