Run for the Kids 2018: Week 7 Steve Moneghetti training guide

THIS week sees the addition of our last piece of the jigsaw puzzle in our training guide — the hills, writes Steve Moneghetti.

This week sees the addition of our last piece of the jigsaw puzzle in our training guide — the hills, writes Steve Moneghetti. Picture: Sarah Matray

THIS week sees the addition of our last piece of the jigsaw puzzle in our training guide.

For the first few weeks, our focus was to increase the distance you covered to build up your endurance. Then we split the training into two sections so you could work more specifically on your chosen event. Last week, I introduced a speed session to get you running or walking faster.

RUN FOR THE KIDS: WEEK ONE TRAINING GUIDE

RUN FOR THE KIDS: WEEK TWO TRAINING GUIDE

RUN FOR THE KIDS: WEEK THREE TRAINING GUIDE

RUN FOR THE KIDS: ARNIE TO FIRE STARTING PISTOL

This week, I am including hills into the training program to complete our training picture. I reckon the super course is one of the most spectacular courses in Australia.

The views and scenery along this run are a joy to behold. To enjoy them, you need to be fit and travelling well.

For many people, a hill is less about enjoyment and more about pain and anguish.

To help ready you and your body for a positive uphill experience, I am adding a hill workout into training this week. As I tell people, I never did anything in a race that I hadn’t already practised in training, and hills certainly fit into that category. Try to find a hill that is about 200m long and with an average gradient.

Think the Anderson St hill on the Tan in Melbourne for length, but not as steep as that — more like Collins St from Swanston St up to Russell St.

It should be long and steep enough so that after doing it three or four times, you are breathing hard and the tops of your thighs are aching with fatigue.

Try to do it on the footpath, but if you have to do it on a roadway, then make sure you always run or walk in the direction of oncoming traffic.

The focus should be on the run or power walk up, so make sure you go very slow back down by shuffling or walking as required.

You are also working your heart and muscles hard when you do hills so make sure you always do an appropriate warm-up and warm-down as listed in the programs.