Whenever a runner has a hilly race to run, the focus is on the uphill, not on running downhill. After all, that’s the hard part, right? Running uphill makes your heart pound, your lungs burn, and your legs scream. So you prepare for such a challenging event by uphill training, getting stronger and more adept at running up those hills. And the result is a more successful race.
Quite often, though, after finishing that hilly race, after killing those hills, you’ll find that your body aches, and may even have some slight injury, not due to the uphills, but because of all the running downhill.
8 Tips for Running Downhill
Planning a hilly race? Don't just train for the uphills. Remember that you also have to train to run the downhills. Downhill training can benefit your #running whether or not your race is hilly! #runningtipsClick To Tweet
Running downhill is a lot more difficult than it might seem at first glance. It’s easy right, after the physical and cardiovascular challenge of running uphill? It should be a breeze!
But running downhill causes muscles to lengthen or make eccentric contractions, which can cause microscopic tears and generate more force than when running uphill or on flat surfaces. And running at top speed, which is easier on the downhills, causes your feet to hit the ground harder, which in turn causes the muscles, bones, and joints to endure more pounding.
What can a runner do to prevent or minimize these negative effects? Simple. Just add some downhill running to your training plan.
4 Benefits of Running Downhill
- Running downhill will train your body to…run downhill.
- Downhill running can improve leg turnover.
- Downhill training can improve speed.
- Running downhill will cause the microtears mentioned above in training, which will repair themselves stronger than before and prepare your body to handle the downhills during race situations.
While running downhill can be incorporated into your training at all times, it is especially important if you are planning a hilly race or one which has extended downhill sections.
Tips for Running Downhill
- When you first get started, run on softer surfaces such as grass or trails. You can move to the road after a few training sessions.
- Don’t practice on too steep of a hill. Look for a hill that has no more than an 8% drop (and start out even less than that, about 3-4%). Anything steeper can cause excessive impact and increase the risk of injury.
- Focus on your form. Don’t overstride. Instead, shorten your stride and increase your cadence, focusing on your turnover.
- Land mid-foot. Resist the urge to either lean back or slow down. You will have a slight forward lean from the ankles, but keep your core engaged and your posture aligned.
- Once or twice a week is fine, but make sure to recover fully between each downhill session.
- You can incorporate your downhill training with your uphill running or do it as a separate workout. Make sure that you can maintain proper form for both types of training.
- Downhill training can be formatted as a hilly tempo run or broken into repeats. Here are three hill workouts that you can use if you choose to combine the two types of workouts (the first two would be perfect to incorporate downhill running).
- Reduce or eliminate your downhill training the last two to three weeks before your goal race. As with any type of intense training, your body needs time to rest and recover.
Do you train for the downhills?
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This is such a good reminder, Debbie! Everyone obsesses over the climbs, then wonders why their legs are trashed the next day… it’s the downhills doing the damage.
The point about eccentric loading is true. I had a hilly race last Sunday and I’m still feeling it on Wednesday… I guess I should train more downhills!
When I ran the St. George Marathon for the first time, which has a net downhill, I didn’t do any downhill training at all. While I did earn my PR, I was so sore for the next few days I could hardly walk. And I wasn’t the only one! At the airport the next day there were many people limping around. 🙂
I’ve trained some runners for downhill marathons, and its so important to prepare for downhills. We also focused alot of quad strength and added in plyos during their training.
I think people always think of downhills as the easy part and don’t realize what a toll it takes on your body.
God form on downhills is vital to overall body wellness. I love downhills but I don’t get them often and so it’s always a novelty for me.