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Running down hills

June 24, 2013

First off I didn’t write this, it’s from here.

There are plenty of hills in Brighton so next time I face one; which will probably be tomorrow, I will try this.

downhill1

(1) Just like when running uphill, you want to have a slight lean forward at the hips to take advantage of the downhill. Don’t overdo the lean, you just need a slight tilt to benefit from gravity.
Keep your arms relaxed and only slightly moving forward and back. Don’t flail them to the sides, this will waste energy. Likewise, keep your head up and your eyes looking forward.
(2) You want to land with your foot either right beneath your torso or just slightly in front of your pelvis, depending on the grade of the downhill (the steeper the grade, the more likely your foot is to land out in front). Extending your leg too much will cause you to land on your heel, which will act like a breaking motion. Focus on landing towards your midfoot to maintain speed while staying in control.
(3) Your stride length should naturally be extended when running downhill. However, you shouldn’t need to consciously increase your stride length. The pace and the grade of the hill will do this naturally for you.

From → Running Tips

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