Random question about couse definitions...

[Wideguy]

Hey quick question for you more experienced runners and racers regarding course descriptions... is there a set standard for what constitutes a hilly vs flat course?

My newest trail training path is 1.8 miles and "seemed" hard... when I looked at the profile off my garmin it turns out it's 900ft up and 900 ft down total.

Obviously that includes a lot of small swells and rolling humps, but lowest point on the trail, exactly 1 mile out is 226' below the start/finish.



So am I a big wimp or is it not surprising that my mile splits are about 30 seconds slower than on a flat road course?

 

[dunetraveller]

I think you have hilly when

I think you have hilly when you might be able to best describe how steep something was by "grade" of slope. Obviously 1% won't make the cut, but 5% or more might.

John T.

 

[JosephTree]

900 feet in less than 2 miles

900 feet in less than 2 miles is definitely not flat! I have courses I can run that have less than 5 feet change in 5 miles. That's flat. What you've got is substantially rolling hills and you should throw out your watch when running such things, except for getting you home to dinner on time. Run that kind of course just to finish it and pay good attention to your form. Enjoy it!

 

[mokaman]

 900 ft. in under 2 miles

900 ft. in under 2 miles would be hilly for sure but you can't trust your Garmin one bit for climbing...they are very inaccurate even when running on a track my Garmin always shows some climbing. You can download your run from the Garmin to SportTracks or some other logging programs that have more accurate elevation info but in my experience none of the programs agree with each other.

Its somewhat hilly where I live and you can't go more than maybe 1/4 - 1/2 mile without a hill...hills are good training but the steep downhills on rough pavement can get to your feet pretty fast. Someone from a flat area would think its hilly here but to someone from the mountains it would just rolling. Some local races here are notorious for understating the hills and calling their course flat and fast when they are small rolling hills with a few climbs...so its all relative to what your used to.