The Indiana side of the Big Four Bridge.

If you know me as a runner, then you probably know that I love me some hills. When I ran Boston in 2019, I made it to the top of Heartbreak Hill and had to ask a screaming spectator at the top, “Was that it?!” My favorite places to run in Louisville are the parks with the rolling hills. I know I know, that makes me crazy. But aren’t we all, just for the fact that we’re runners, a bit crazy? Nevertheless, I want to pass along some tips on hills and how you can use them to your advantage in your training. Running hills consistently can improve your running efficiency and strength. Here are some training tips to help you crush the hills:

Do not lean in to the hill. The natural tendency when you’re running uphill is to lean forward and lean in to the hill. But by doing this, your body will lean at the waist and throw off your center of gravity.
Look towards the top of the hill. By looking up to the top of the hill, it will keep your head upright and not hunched forward. I had someone tell me at an early age that while you’re looking up towards the top of the hill, pretend it’s a flat road to get there. So much about running is mental, and little mind tricks can help you through the tough hills.
Maintain the slightest of leans. I know I just told you to not lean in to the hill. But think of yourself as italicized. Not bending at the hips to lean forward but slightly leaning your whole body forward will help you push to the top.
Shorten your gait. When you’re on flat ground, you’re supposed to stride out and take big steps. On a hill, you’re more efficient when your steps are a little bit shorter.
Use your forefoot. When you’re on flat ground, you’re supposed to land midfoot, not too far towards the toes or towards the heels. On a hill, you want to be more up on your toes to give you more bounce.
Use a rope to climb the hill. This is another trick a past coach taught me. Pretend you have a rope around your waist that pulls you up the hill. As that rope is pulling you, you’re swinging your arms to grab the rope and pull yourself to the top. This will also keep you from stiffening up.
Focus on effort, not speed. Plain and simple, you won’t be able to run uphill as fast as you run on flat ground or downhill. Be prepared to go a bit slower on the hill, and focus on maintaining the same effort instead of pace.
Train on hills! Incorporate hill workouts into your training plan. Once every seven to 14 days, add a hill workout into your running. You can do miles before and after to warm up and cool down. Then for the hill workout, power up the hills at a hard effort and walk or jog back down the hill. Start with shorter hills and less repetitions, then work your way up to longer hills and more reps.

Lucky for you, Louisville has an abundance of hills on which you can train. Here are some of my favorite:

Joe Creason Park: There are two hills at Joe Creason Park, located off Trevilian Way across from the Louisville Zoo. Both are long, steep, and slightly shaded, all perfect for your hill workouts. They also have nice flat areas at the top and bottom for that extra mileage before or after running the hills.
Big Four Bridge: As you can see in the picture above, the Big Four Bridge provides a less-inclined, longer hill for training. You can run the Kentucky side for a more windy route, or the Indiana side for a straighter uphill climb.
Cherokee Park: The two famous hills in the 2.3-mile Cherokee Park Scenic Loop are known as Dog Hill and Hogan’s Fountain Hill. Dog Hill, located next to the golf course, is a bit steeper than the one leading up to Hogan’s Fountain. A lot of training groups use Dog Hill running the Loop counterclockwise, meaning you can find distance markers on the hill.
The Parklands of Floyds Fork: The Parklands houses a long section of the Louisville Loop. There are hills on both sides of Beckley Creek Parkway, with the ones to the south (towards Taylorsville Rd) being the steeper hills.
Iroquois Park: Whenever I need a long hill, I hit up Iroquois. The 3.4-mile loop around the bottom of the park provides great rolling hills. But if you want a longer incline, head out counterclockwise from the Amphitheater parking lot. Then follow the path uphill towards the city’s best lookout. You can easily get in a mile straight of uphill running, making it ideal for longer uphill or downhill training.
Floyds Knobs: I must say, I’ve never actually hit up The Knobs. But I hear from loads of runners that there are plenty of hills up there to get in a run with lots of climbing.

So what are you waiting for? Head out there and run some hills!

Learning to love the hills