Hills
Kenyan Hills + Flat Pop
Climb strong, cruise flat, pop strides
Main set: 8 × (1 min 30 s @ 90% + 1 min @ 30%) · 10 min @ 80% · 4 × (30 s @ 90% + 1 min @ 30%)
About this workout
"Kenyan hills" is a club term from the UK and other English-speaking countries rather than a session with one definition, and coaches who have lived and trained in Kenya say runners there don't call anything by that name. Versions range from running up and down a hill continuously at an even effort to a loop where you attack the climbs and recover on the way down.
Fartlek's version is hill repeats with easy recoveries: 8 × 90 seconds uphill hard, then 10 minutes steady on the flat and 4 short pops, so it builds strength and finishes with speed on tired legs. Myth-busting Kenyan hills.
The workout
| Block | What to run | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 4 min @ 30% + 3 min @ 40% + 3 × (20 s @ 60% + 40 s @ 30%) + 1 min rest | Easy → build; three short hill pops with easy floats, then settle before the main work |
| Kenyan Hills | 8 × (1 min 30 s @ 90% + 1 min @ 30%) | Power up, light feet down |
| Flat steady | 10 min @ 80% | Settle into cadence |
| Stride finishers | 4 × (30 s @ 90% + 1 min @ 30%) | Quick pops, relaxed jog |
| Cool-down | 6 min @ 30% | Unwind and breathe |
How each effort should feel
Efforts are a percentage of your all-out effort, set by feel (RPE), not by pace. From Fartlek's effort guide:
- 30% Very easy. Walking pace or the gentlest jog.
- 40% Easy. Relaxed jog, easy to chat.
- 60% Steady. Still chatty, breathing deeper.
- 80% Hard. A few words at a time.
- 90% Very hard. A word or two, tops.
Pete's tip
Drive hips uphill and stay tall, float the downs easy. Lock smooth rhythm on the flat, then add crisp strides: powerful, not tense.
Pete, Fartlek's AI coach
What it trains
Strength. Build power and muscle endurance.