Run for the hills...
October 17, 2007 11:02 AM Subscribe
Where can I train in Silicon Valley for a hilly marathon?
So I ran the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, CA this weekend, which is a very flat course. This was my first long run, and I'm looking at the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon in June '08 to be my next long run.
The problem is I live and run in Santa Clara, CA, which is a very flat place. That works ok for running in San Jose, but the San Diego race has some hills and I have done no training on hills. Frankly, at this point, hills scare me.
Is there a place close enough to Santa Clara with a variety of hills I can run in the morning before work? It has to be close enough that I can get a shower and get to work at a decent time.
So I ran the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, CA this weekend, which is a very flat course. This was my first long run, and I'm looking at the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon in June '08 to be my next long run.
The problem is I live and run in Santa Clara, CA, which is a very flat place. That works ok for running in San Jose, but the San Diego race has some hills and I have done no training on hills. Frankly, at this point, hills scare me.
Is there a place close enough to Santa Clara with a variety of hills I can run in the morning before work? It has to be close enough that I can get a shower and get to work at a decent time.
This doesn't really help your before-work dilemma, but I can highly recommend running in the hills around Almaden, like Quicksilver park and the Sierra Azul open space preserve. Monster hills, much more than anything you'll see in a road race like San Diego.
Honestly, marathon training needs alot of milage, not all of your miles need to be on hills. Especially considering the elevation profile of the marathon, you'll only be climbing a few hundred feet over the course of the entire race. So I'd concentrate more on building mileage and getting in quality long runs, and when you have time on the weekends, hit some hills. If running them scares you, practice power-hiking. Chances are you'll pass folks doing the death-trot up hills anyhow.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 11:34 AM on October 17, 2007
Honestly, marathon training needs alot of milage, not all of your miles need to be on hills. Especially considering the elevation profile of the marathon, you'll only be climbing a few hundred feet over the course of the entire race. So I'd concentrate more on building mileage and getting in quality long runs, and when you have time on the weekends, hit some hills. If running them scares you, practice power-hiking. Chances are you'll pass folks doing the death-trot up hills anyhow.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 11:34 AM on October 17, 2007
Seconding Stanford University, especially the Stanford foothills.
Just be very careful when crossing the streets to get to and from the foothills due to traffic.
posted by kathryn at 12:17 PM on October 17, 2007
Just be very careful when crossing the streets to get to and from the foothills due to traffic.
posted by kathryn at 12:17 PM on October 17, 2007
Both Rancho San Antonio in Cupertino/Los Altos Hills and the Dish at Stanford offer challenging hills and are great places to run.
posted by not.so.hip at 12:36 PM on October 17, 2007
posted by not.so.hip at 12:36 PM on October 17, 2007
Totally forgot to say congrats on the half and good luck with your full!
posted by not.so.hip at 12:37 PM on October 17, 2007
posted by not.so.hip at 12:37 PM on October 17, 2007
The hills @ the san diego rock 'n 'roll marathon shouldn't really frighten you too much. I'm not saying the race is flat, but the hills in that run aren't super substantial -- more like gentle climbs than the hills you find in, say, the SF Marathon.
That said, incorporating hills into your workout is always a good idea, regardless of what race you're doing... it's a good way to get a tempo-style workout without actually having to find the motivation to do fartleks or whatever.
posted by ph00dz at 1:30 PM on October 17, 2007
That said, incorporating hills into your workout is always a good idea, regardless of what race you're doing... it's a good way to get a tempo-style workout without actually having to find the motivation to do fartleks or whatever.
posted by ph00dz at 1:30 PM on October 17, 2007
The SD RnR mari is darned near flat.
You'll get more hills doing Canada Road (Woodside to 92 and back), which is flattish but scenic.
Stanford hills/dish is good, but more hill than you may want.
posted by lothar at 4:27 PM on October 17, 2007
You'll get more hills doing Canada Road (Woodside to 92 and back), which is flattish but scenic.
Stanford hills/dish is good, but more hill than you may want.
posted by lothar at 4:27 PM on October 17, 2007
Rancho San Antonio near 280/Foothill seems closest.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:14 AM on October 18, 2007
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:14 AM on October 18, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kittyprecious at 11:14 AM on October 17, 2007