Ben's Iten Hill Challenge
Workout - Ben's Iten Hill Challenge
- 12min @ 5'30''/km
- 5 lots of:
- 100m @ 4'00''/km
- 15min @ 6'00''/km
- 10 lots of:
- 15s @ 3'00''/km
- 2min 45s rest
- 15min @ 6'00''/km
- 12min @ 6'30''/km
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Intro: Here’s an overview of HARDEST Workout So Far: HILL SPRINTS Workout At HIGH ALTITUDE! from Ben Is Running—it’s definitely worth watching. We’ll walk through the details here so you can get out and run this workout yourself. Don’t miss the full video, which covers everything comprehensively.
Key Points:
- Pair a 15-minute marathon-pace tempo run with hill sprints to stress both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
- The hill-sprint portion consists of 10 repeats of 15-second all-out efforts on roughly a 6% incline, with 2:30–3:00 of easy jogging between each one.
- A second 15-minute tempo block follows the hills to wrap up the session.
- Eat roughly 90 minutes beforehand (try porridge, mandazi, or an omelette) so you’re not running on empty.
- Mind your foot placement on the rocky, uneven hill surface—keep both safety and intensity in focus.
Workout Example:
- Start with an easy jog and a handful of strides on the 400-meter track.
- Tempo Block 1: Run 15 minutes at your marathon pace (approximately 3:35–3:40 per km).
- Proceed to the hill (around 6% grade). Run 10 × 15-second all-out efforts.
- Recovery: 2:30–3:00 of easy jogging back down to the track.
- Back on the track for Tempo Block 2: another 15 minutes at that same marathon pace.
- Finish with an easy jog and some stretching (total workout distance ≈ 18 km).
Closing Note: Give this tempo-and-hill-sprint combination a try—it sharpens your running economy and lifts your V̇O₂ max ahead of race day. The Pacing app lets you fine-tune the paces and recovery durations to suit where your fitness is right now. Enjoy the work, stay safe out there, and keep pushing yourself!