Jesse, you've run Boston, no? All the advice says "take it easy" in first downhill sections. I tend to let effort dictate my speed and keep an eye on the HRM to stay consistent. That means downhills fast and uphills slow. How did you handle it?

Keep in mind that (1) I use the opposite running philosophy than most others and (2) I am an ultrarunner. If you run a lot of ultras and you want to be competitive (even slightly) in ultras, you know you have to take the downs fast and the ups slow. Now this doesn't mean you just arbitrarily do it - you have to train for it. It's not really a MAF issue, it's simply running efficiency. If you have not practiced downhill running for long stretches, you will blow out your quads if you go too slow or too fast. If you want to do well in Boston, then you want to practice running with long downhills. They don't have to be too steep. If you train for the course, then there's no reason whatsoever to take it easy at the beginning. In fact, you can blow out your quads more by braking down the hills. My recommendation, for what it's worth, is to get in some good solid downhill training including long and sustained downhills, then apply it well in the race. Keep in mind a few things: (1) you want to slowly build up your downhill running volume to avoid injury, (2) a good few sessions of long downhills will last you a few months (after a few months, your body will forget - I just learned that the hard way!), and (3) lean slightly forward with short stride, fast turnover to tackle the downs.

Do you think that running on a decline treadmill (3-4% decline), 3-4 times/month for 4 months, 3-5 downhill miles per session, would be sufficient training? That, and a few specific outdoor long runs that mimic the early Boston miles?

Sounds like good downhill preparation. How do you get -4% incline, by propping up the back?

Keep in mind that (1) I use the opposite running philosophy than most others and (2) I am an ultrarunner. If you run a lot of ultras and you want to be competitive (even slightly) in ultras, you know you have to take the downs fast and the ups slow. Now this doesn't mean you just arbitrarily do it - you have to train for it. It's not really a MAF issue, it's simply running efficiency. If you have not practiced downhill running for long stretches, you will blow out your quads if you go too slow or too fast. If you want to do well in Boston, then you want to practice running with long downhills. They don't have to be too steep. If you train for the course, then there's no reason whatsoever to take it easy at the beginning. In fact, you can blow out your quads more by braking down the hills. My recommendation, for what it's worth, is to get in some good solid downhill training including long and sustained downhills, then apply it well in the race. Keep in mind a few things: (1) you want to slowly build up your downhill running volume to avoid injury, (2) a good few sessions of long downhills will last you a few months (after a few months, your body will forget - I just learned that the hard way!), and (3) lean slightly forward with short stride, fast turnover to tackle the downs.

Thanks, this helps. Unfortunately, it's exactly the opposite of how I'm training right now and, frankly, I didn't think about the effect on my quads. I injured myself at Marine Corps running downhill and just started running again last week. I'm going to slowly ramp it up, but for the next several weeks, all runs will be on a treadmill at a 3-4% incline at least (seems to help with my messed up knee). So, if i can run Boston, I guess I'll just be wary of the downhills. Or I'll wear my Air Nimbus Wheelies.

Just for fun, here's my motionbased log of the Boston marathon: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2493531 Take a look at my laps with HR/splits, the elevation profile, and all, and see what you'd like to make of it. I finished with quite a bit left in the bank, although I did still have a slight bit of lingering fatigue from the 100 miler I ran 2 weeks earlier.