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Question about Hills (Read 868 times)


Cryptic

    Disclaimer- I just moved away from Tennessee really close to where you find all those crazy monkeys. I know I am insane so please assume this when answering/ Thanks. Clowning around Okay so I moved to Tallahassee Florida and it is rather flat here but I was able to find some really nice hills so it kind of feels like home when I want to get a run in. I know how to attack a hill all day long. I look forward to going up hills more than anything else but what I am having trouble with is the darn down hill. I know my form has to be screwed up because I am wearing out the heals of my shoes from putting them down first on the way down. So my question is....does anyone have a suggestion or a link to how to run correctly down a hill? I can keep my form the way it should be on a down hill but then i go too fast and wear myself down on longer runs which i don't like doing so I intentionally slow my self down thus the scuffing on the rear part of my shoe. I suppose i should just get in better shape so i can run correctly down the hill....that would be the easiest thing. Lets assume I am lazy and don't want to do that. What would I do in that case? Dead
      <i'm> The most significant points are to use good form, keep your body PERPENDICULAR to slope (not vertical as you do with uphills), and don't overstride. Give yourself time to adapt to the stresses of downhill running. Keep in mind that gravity provides free speed on the downs. You paid for it on the ups. JMHO, but rolling hills are one of the best places to train. Here's some tips from Matt Carpenter, many times winner of Pikes Peak: http://www.skyrunner.com/story/ups_downs.htm "Downhills 1) Don’t over-stride, each landing will put extreme stress on your quadriceps. 2) Lean forward not backward keeping your whole body perpendicular to the ground. Again this will save your quads and allow you to run faster. 3) If you need to control your speed cut your stride length and increase your cadence. Like using low gear in a car." And similar from Scott Jurek, 7 time winner of WS100, but he expands a little more: http://tinyurl.com/5dcd54 And some info on adapting to downhill training: http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0009.htm http://dorunning.blogspot.com/2006/06/downhill-running.html To answer your specific question, it sounds like you may need to put your weight farther forward and land more toward your forefoot. However, assuming you're wearing road running shoes, the shoe heels may be high enough that they get in your way. I've found that I did get better - eventually - on downhills. I went through a period on short, steep stuff (30% for maybe 30 sec), when my legs would just be going as fast as they could, and when I hit bottom I always felt like I landed in a heap, even though I was standing vertically. Something I noticed in a race the other night is that my downhills were much more controlled, but not braking - as I passed a couple people and kept right on running up the next hill. Sometime in the past year, the benefits of practice kicked in, I think. Not sure if it was related to the longer downhills (generally 1000ft vertical at one time) that I did a *lot* of in long runs as prep for race or not - or just random variation or aspect of volume or ...</i'm>
      "So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog
        What I was told to do at running camp was to lean forward slightly, bring your chin into your chest a little, tighten your arms (closer to your body), and if it helps, to shorten your stride a little bit. It has helped me to run down hills under control.


        Cryptic

          i was afraid that is what was going to be said. I simply have to get back into better shape. Thanks for the info you two... luckily it is still early in the season and I can still build.


          #2867

            I got a audio I recorded but that I don't think I ever put up on the blog with a lot of details on that...gonna have to see if I can dig that up sometime. Running downhill is more difficult than running uphill. It takes skill to do it well and it can deceptively steal your energy as you fly out of control or put on the brakes. My advice: find some grass or trails with a good downhill stretch. Here in Portland there's a trail I have my runners go on where I learned to go downhill...about 600m down, 50m flat, 150m up, makes for great 800m repeats. Doesn't have to be 800m, but I find that's a good distance for strength work when doing downhill repeats. Keep your feet below your body (or behind you) at all times. You do NOT want to land with your feet way out in front of you. (AKA landing on your heels.) The easy way to keep your feet below your body is to lean forward and take short steps. Let gravity do the work, just try to get rapid leg turnover. Don't try to speed up or slow down, just go. You'll feel out of control at first, and that's normal. You just want to get used to that so that it doesn't feel out of control. Running on a soft surface such as a trail or on grass keeps you from hurting yourself through pounding on the pavement (as you are now) or by getting going so fast that you not only feel out of control but are out of control, which can lead to overstriding or tripping. Grass is more forgiving than pavement if you trip. The real trick to running downhill is leg turnover.

            Run to Win
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            Why is it sideways?

              The real trick to running downhill is leg turnover.
              Yep. Good advice from everyone here. Lean forward, and as you pick up speed, turn it over more quickly; don't lengthen your stride. And finally, relax. Make your legs into a wheel: spin, don't leap.


              #artbydmcbride

                Don't try to slow down. You will wear out your legs, but you are also making your quads stronger. Smile

                 

                Runners run

                JimR


                  I've run in Tally, even ran a race there a coupla years ago. It's a lot hillier than people might imagine. Don't pick steep hills, there's no really good way to run down a steep one. Use shallower hills and work on a high turnover rate.