Hillary Allen loves her some hills. So much so that she’s earned the nickname “Hillygoat.” Allen is a self-proclaimed science nerd, a teacher, a professional and is the 2018 women’s champion of the Laveredo Ultra 48K.

Excelling in the vertical running sphere, Allen runs for the love of running and, getting up into the mountains, observing the micro and macro flaura and fauna firsthand.

Here is a favorite hillygoat workout if you’re ready to light those quads on fire.

“Hills (of course)! Steep or runnable it doesn’t matter,” says Allen. If you’re new to hill repeats, we recommend finding “runnable” hills—find a grade that allows you to maintain your form and speed and not slog.

Option 1: Up and Down

Run hard up for 1 minute, then jog down easy for 1 minute

Run hard up for 2 minutes, then jog down easy for 2 minutes

Run hard up for 3 minutes, then jog down easy for 3 minutes

And so on until you reach the top of the hill

OR,

Finish the workout with 5 minutes up and five minutes down easy.

Option 2: Negative-split hill loops

Pick a loop with an up and downhill. The idea is to complete the loop faster each time you run it.

Run the uphill evenly and consistently

Increase your speed on the downhills

This will help improve your downhill running and will give your confidence a huge boost

Only do a couple laps if you’re new to hill repeats