Ben's Hilly XC Strength Builder

Workout - Ben's Hilly XC Strength Builder

• 15min @ 6'30''/km
• 4 lots of:
  • 1.0km @ 4'30''/km
  • 2min 30s rest
• 10 lots of:
  • 400m @ 4'00''/km
  • 1min 30s rest
• 10min @ 7'00''/km

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Below is a take on This HILLY XC Session Left Me EXHAUSHED! from Ben Is Running. Worth watching in full. The key details are below so you can run this workout today. Watch the original video for the complete context.

Key points:

• Pick a grassy, hilly course to spare your legs while still demanding hard work on climbs and drops.
• Pair 1 km efforts at your 10K pace with 400 m repeats at your 3K pace. Blends aerobic capacity and leg speed.
• On rough ground, run by feel, not the watch. Settle heart rate at around 170 bpm.
• Start with 3 km of relaxed running on pavement (Nova Blast shoes), then switch to spikes or trail shoes when you hit the hills.

Workout example:

Warm‑up: 3 km easy on road (Nova Blast shoes) – ~8 min/km

Main Set:
  • 4 × 1 km repeats on a hilly loop – aim for ~10 K effort (≈3:42‑3:40 per km on this terrain)
  • 10 × 400 m repeats – slightly faster, focus on higher turnover (≈1:22 per 400 m) – 3 K effort

Cool‑down: 2 km easy jog on road

Total: ~16 km with ~331 m elevation gain

Use the Pacing app to dial in paces.

Closing note: try this hill-heavy XC session. Scale the distances and paces to your level and log it in the Pacing app.

References

• This HILLY XC Session Left Me EXHAUSHED! - YouTube (YouTube Video)