Lee Grantham's Uphill Grinder

Workout - Lee Grantham's Uphill Grinder

• 5min @ 7'00''/km
• 7 lots of:
  • 10min @ 5'40''/km
  • 1min rest
• 5min @ 7'00''/km

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Intro

Lee Grantham’s “Can You Run Faster Alone or in a Race? My 50km Uphill Challenge” lays out a workout you can steal and use right away. Below’s what the session covers and how to structure it yourself. Head to the full video for deeper context.

Key Points

• Effort‑based training: Rather than fixating on pace, Lee keys off heart‑rate zones—particularly Zone 4. The point is keeping effort manageable across the entire ascent.
• 7 × 10‑minute hill repeats with 1‑minute rest between each repeat, done on steep terrain (up to 36.7 % gradient) over a 50 km uphill course.
• Heart‑rate monitoring matters here – should you see HR jump to 180‑190 bpm, throttle back; aim for around 174 bpm during the 7‑minute pushes.
• Support bike carrying water and supplies means you stay race‑ready without lugging gear on your back.
• Training in heat/humidity (30 °C) replicates what you’ll face on race day and builds your heat tolerance.
• Target pace lands near 3:52 min/km (average), with the goal to drop 10 minutes from a prior attempt.

Workout Example

7 x 10‑minute uphill repeats (≈7 % average gradient)
- Run at a heart‑rate in Zone 4 (≈174 bpm) – focus on effort, not pace.
- 1‑minute easy recovery (drink, breathing, reset HR) between repeats.
- Total: 70 minutes of effort, roughly 15 km of climbing.
- Use a bike or motorbike support to carry water and gear.

Tip: Should your HR creep above the target zone, dial back your pace until you’re back within range.

Closing Note

Take this hill repeat session and make it your own—scale the intervals to fit your numbers using the Pacing app, then see if you can beat what you’ve done before. Enjoy pushing uphill. 🚀

References

• Can You Run Faster Alone or in a Race? My 50km Uphill Challenge - YouTube (YouTube Video)