Any Good Advice on Running Hills?

Unfortunately, the only way I know of to get good on hills is to run them more often, in all shapes and sizes.

The technique I find helpful is to try to lean into the hill, cut your stride length and keep your cadence up as while driving with your arms as much as possible...er, while staying relaxed! I find it less painful mentally if I do NOT focus on reaching the top of the hill, because that brings about an inevitable near-total collapse, but instead drive through until the grade evens out or trends downhill.

I hope you have fun!

Keep you head down and focus on pumping your arms. That's how I approach it.

-lml

Yes, excellent advice: keep your head "down". meaning don't keep staring at the top of the hill and noticing how slowly you are moving towards it!

I've heard other people say to look at the top of the hill and imagine there is a rope up there pulling you up... like attached to a stop sign or a tree.

Wow - staring at the top. That would be difficult given the slope and length of some hills. I have pain in my legs, chest, and neck then too!

well I'm not saying it's what I do, but I pretty much have no running form. I've just heard that from some people. I think one of the large problems with hill running comes from the tendancy to want to charge the hill. There are some runners who also try to pull back when they go up a hill and don't let the heart rate go up, but when you get to the top use the energy you've conserved to pass those that ran. In my first half-marathon I ran up every hill (the giant ones at the beginning and end of the course), but I ended up getting passed by the people that walked them.

Like Simon says, run hills more often.
When doing hills, don't just practice running to the top. Run OVER the top. Get used to keeping your speed up as you crest a hill.
Take Simon's advice on form, shorten your stride and keep the cadence quick, but remember as the surface flattens or turns downhill, let your stride lengthen out and get back to normal right away.
If you learn to resist the tendency to ease off the pace at the top of a hill, you will pick up some yardage on some of your competition.

Thanks everyone! I have been doing what you all have said and spoke to my coach about it and I am tackling the hills like a pro. Thanks again!

I agree with simon. The best way to run hills is to prepare for hills. But if the race is really soon, always keep your eyes at a 40 degree angle with the ground, that way you will keep your eyes from watching the top of the hill and you won't trip over anything. Also lean forward a little so you won't be pulled back by gravity.

Thats all I know. Good luck!!