It’s time for some more information about the Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon…

Located on Florida’s Space Coast, just north of Miami, south of Jacksonville and east of Orlando and Tampa, the State Farm Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon Weekend makes for a perfect warm winter running destination. It is held a month after the Disney Marathon, and, like a rock-n-roll marathon, our event includes more than 20 musical acts along the course of the half and full marathon and half a dozen on the routes of the 5-k and 8-k races.

A very scenic route that includes four bridge crossings for the full and two for the half-marathon, the course twice takes marathoners to the beach side barrier island and back to the mainland before concluding on main street of downtown Melbourne — followed by the awards ceremony and a party featuring yet another live band.

I’m extremely excited about this race because of all the entertainment along the course.  On top of that this race is headphones friendly!  The one thing I am not as excited for are the causeway crossings (mountainous hills for Florida).  Though I have incorporated some hills throughout my training I’m a little nervous about FOUR causeways.  These causeways are nothing to play around with!  They are each about .5 mile long (that’s an eternity by my standards). 

This brings me to the FFD = Hill training!

I read a great article in Runner’s World when I was researching ways to train for this marathon.  Below is one of my favorites because it explains the biomechanics for running efficiently up and down hill.  Plus…it’s very straight-to-the point.

Hill Workouts – Runner’s World

THIS WAY UP

Proper form helps you power up any incline.

By Marc Bloom

Image by Tin Salamunic
PUBLISHED 09/15/2008

HEAD: “Keep your head and chest up. Don’t slouch,” says Olympian Adam Goucher. Attempting to “grit out” a hill, many runners put their head down, which wastes energy by throwing off their form.

EYES: To keep your body upright, “fix your eyes directly ahead of you, not down at your feet,” says cross-country champ Lynn Jennings. “You will sleekly move up the hill.”

HANDS: ”Keep your hands loose, no fists,” says Jim Schlentz, who coached Olympian Kate Fonshell. Loose hands help your whole body stay relaxed.

LEGS: ”Push your legs off and up, rather than into, the hill,” says Goucher. This helps you feel “light,” as if you’re “springing” up the hill.

GOING UP: Run the first two-thirds of the hill relaxed, then slightly accelerate the last part, while carrying your pace over the top, says Schlentz. “Don’t push too hard at the bottom of a hill,” he says. “Then you’re dead at the top.”

BRAIN: “Visualize the crest of a hill 20 meters beyond where it really is, so you run to the top-and keep going,” says Jennings. “I would tell myself, ‘Up and over, up and over,’ and would not relax till past the top.”

TORSO: “Lean forward,” says Jennings. “It maintains momentum.”

ARMS: Coach and marathon champ Alberto Salazar emphasizes accelerated arm action to drive up a hill: “Concentrate on overusing the arms to really power up, so your running almost simulates sprinting.” Your arms should form a 90-degree angle at the elbow, and swing straight back and forth, not across your body.

FEET: “Get up on your forefeet and take shorter strides,” says Jennings. “Run with punctuation.”

GOING DOWN: ”Your feet should land underneath you,” says Schlentz. “This produces minimal shock on the body.” A shortened armswing will help shorten the stride.

WHY BOTHER?: Strength, efficiency, endurance. A study published in the Journal of Biomechanics found running on a steep grade at a fast pace achieved greater “muscle activation” in the legs and hip area than running at a slow pace.

SHORT ON TIME: Short hills provide maximum training effect with minimum injury risk, says elite coach Brad Hudson. Start with three or four repetitions up a hill about 60 to 80 meters long at top speed. Recover fully between runs.

DISTANT MEMORIES: Longer hills teach the body to recruit muscle fibers when they’re fatigued. “This helps you develop a kick,” says Hudson. Start with three or four reps of a hill 300 to 600 meters long. Recover fully between runs.

 How do you like to train?  Do you integrate hill training, speed training, or cross-training into your routine?

Jenn

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