1. Drills
  2. Cross Country
  3. Hills & Terrain

Over the Top

Keep running hard past the top of a hill instead of easing off.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Run steady up a hill.

Core: Medium. Walk down slowly to rest.

Ages
14 and up
Time
18 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Hill with a flat top, adult
Level · skill
Advanced · Hills & Terrain

The steps

How it works

  1. Run steady up a hill.
  2. At the top, keep your effort for 10 more steps.
  3. Settle back to steady on the flat.
  4. Do 5 reps with an easy jog back.

Coaching point

The top is not the end.

Safety: Pick a grassy or smooth hill with an adult nearby. Walk down the steep parts and stop if your knees hurt. If you fall and hit your head, stop and see a doctor before you run again.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Hill buddies: climb a gentle hill side by side, taking turns choosing the landmark to reach, then walk down together.

Challenge

Pick a hill: Less (short), Core (medium), More (a little longer). Walk down slowly to rest.

Story

You are a mountain goat climbing to the top.

My best

Beat your own count

Walk down slowly to rest. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free cross country week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.