As I entered the final few miles of the Flying Pig Marathon back in 2018, my quads started tightening up. By the time I finished I was so sore and it was slow and painful to walk. Being my first marathon I just chalked it up to what happens to everyone at the end of a marathon. A couple years later as I was researching how to train for the Boston Marathon, I stumbled across some experts talking about the importance of incorporating specific downhill running into your Boston preparation. They talked about how properly training yourself to run downhill significantly helps build strong quads and keeps your legs strong for the end of the race.
When people think of a hard marathon course they typically think of courses with a lot of hills like Boston or New York City. These courses feature a sizeable amount of uphill running, but unless the race is only uphill, they also have plenty of downhill running. Downhill running is something most people look forward to in a race. It is a chance to relax, catch your breath, and recover. However, if you aren’t careful, the downhill portion of a race can hurt just as much as the uphill. Proper planning and training is needed to master downhill running. Below I will share how to properly run downhill and some benefits to adding downhill running to your training.
How to Properly Execute Downhill Running
Did you know that running downhill is actually harder on your body than running uphill? It may feel easier because of the lesser toll on your cardiovascular system. However, downhill running puts MORE pressure on your joints and muscles. Your body has to absorb more force than uphill running due to the extra gravitational force. Here are some tips to properly run downhill.
Lean Correctly
This will take some practice, but the most efficient way to run downhill is to lean slightly forward. It may feel more natural to lean slightly backwards, but doing so actually causes your body to act as a brake. This not only will slow you down, but also increase your risk of injury as the body takes on more force. On the flip side, leaning too far forward will also not be efficient. Proper form is leaning forward with the hips, not the shoulders/back. Try to keep your shoulders in line with your knees to ensure you are not leaning too far forward.
Where To Strike Your Feet
Nothing crazy here, just focus on landing in the middle of your foot. This will ensure maximum stability, as you need to stay balanced when running downhill. Downhill running can create the most unbalanced situations, so balance is crucial. When attempting to slow yourself down, it can also be easy to start heel striking. This is very bad for you as it leads to unnecessary force on your legs and will begin to wreck your quads. A more effective way to slow yourself and regain balance is to shorten your stride.
Increased Cadence
While there is debate on where the optimal striking placing for your feet is, what has been proven is that a higher cadence is more effective for downhill running. This will take practice, but decreasing your stride length and increasing your step cadence can help reduce the amount of force on your legs. It can be easy to be relaxed and let your stride carry you, but this is the more important time to focus on your cadence. At the beginning of the downhill focus on shortening your stride some as your increased cadence will make up for loss in distance for step. As you pick up speed on the downhill, you can gradually let your stride length increase back out, but keep your cadence the same.
Shoulder & Arms Positioning
Runners should also make a small adjustment to their shoulder & arms positions when going downhill. When running uphill or flat, you should be in a stable forward-back motion to generate power. However, that isn’t needed when going downhill. Research indicates the optimal position for your arms is more flailed out to the sides with your elbows extended. This allows balance and stability that is crucial to downhill running.
Advertisement
Benefits of Downhill Running
While downhill running certainly can cause issues when done incorrectly, there are many benefits to adding it to your regular training plan.
Build Leg Strength
One of the biggest benefits of adding downhill running to your training is that is helps runners build leg strength. Regular downhill running strengthens your quads and other leg muscles. This benefit comes in the form of eccentric loading. Eccentric Loading refers to applying a load or force to a material. The eccentric loading in downhill running strengthens muscles and tendons and improves knee strength. This will allow you to be better equipped later on in races or your training.
Reduce Risk of Injury
Not only does downhill running make you stronger, but it can actually help reduce the risk of injury when done correctly. By strengthening your muscles and giving them a well balanced workout, you will reduce your risk of injury due to overuse or weak muscles giving out. Often times, common running injuries are incurred due to certain muscles not being properly trained. The eccentric loading benefit of downhill running also helps strengthen our body’s connective tissue. Stronger connective tissue results in a lower chance of injury.
Improve Running Efficiency
Finally, downhill running training helps to improve your running efficiency. You can’t expect to be efficient at something you never practice. Also, runners often relax and let their guard down on their mechanics on the downhill. By practicing good form and healthy habits, you can become more efficient during this portion of the race and get a leg up on your competitors. Even delaying the onset of soreness in the quads can be the difference in making it through the finish of a race. In a race like Boston, where there are hills at the beginning, it is crucial to preserve your quads as much as possible to enable better results towards the end of the race.
Advertisement
