Downhill running tips?

Also keep in mind that when running down a technical descent you are training two skills, not one: running over difficult terrain and running down a steep slope.

In all sports, when coaching, its standard practice to break skills down into their core components. So in this case you could implement some fast running over difficult (but flat terrain) combined with fast descending over easy terrain. When you feel comfortable with both, you "put the lessons together" and try ever more difficult terrain on steep slopes.

My dad dragging me through pitch-black Danish forests as a childhood, radio-orienteering, taught me some basic skills on how to handle off-road terrain (desite the compelte flatness of the terrain), so is one example of such a "training course".

I use this approach for the warm-up and the downhill part of the Lydiard Hill Circuit training I have conducted over the last year. Downhill striding is part of the circuit itself while we do drills borrowed from both sprint training and the English FRA to teach fast-feet, coordination and other basic skills that are useful when descending. A set of cones can give you tons of drills and if you have small hurdles even better (unfortunately i can usually only bring the former out on the actual mountainside).

The downhill striding basically teaches you to keep control and good running form while running down a steep (but easy) descent and forces your body to adapt to turning your legs over very fast. Unless you have a sprint background, middle-distance or similar, your body might struggle to cope with some of the very high-end speeds that you can face on a downhill, often well in excess of 20kph (E.g. the loss of control doesn't necessarily come from inability to handle the terrain but insufficient motor control of your legs at high velocities.)

Every child has probably experienced this feeling of "being out of control", when your legs seem to be turning so fast all you want to do is try to brake as you cannot "keep up". Its really just your nervous system is not trained to process the amount of information necessary. It's a trained skill much like juggling ever more balls in the air. One thing we saw on our coaching course in England is just how poor the average coordination of many runners are. Yet this makes perfect sense as coordination is perceived as less of a core skill in running than in say gridiron, soccer, long-jump and other sports requiring complex sequences of movements to be executed over and over to perfection. A good downhill is essentially just that.

Yeah... I think it's best if you ignore my tip on training on the Spink steps as it is quite technical and potentially dangerous - work your way towards it but don't start there.
I also agree w/Endoro (re-the miner's track).. it's one of the more technical descents in the area, therefore avoid for now.
Great info from Raighne...
Take it easy and enjoy.
A.

Peterx wrote: »

Lots of good advice here, I like the separating the components Raighne.

Now for same airy fairy advice:)

I find my descending improves when I'm doing some rock climbing, it might have something to do with re-discovering precise foot placement and the exact position of the feet - improved proprioception anyway and a wee bit of natural core strength training.

This can be practiced at by using your feet more to do things like turning on light switches or placing your big toe exactly on each of the four corners of a tile/pattern - generally treating your feet more like useful aggendages and less like things that go at the bottom.
Dancing might be another option?

Holding back on the climbs can reap huge dividends if it means you are still strong and can hold good form on the descent, massive gains can be made with a good descent whereas a very good climb might only make a few seconds and will wipe you out.

Its harsh to call this advice airy-fairy ;-)

This is great as it touches on something else that our tutors spoke about but that I did not think to include in the post above.

If you try to stand on one leg you will notice that not only do all sorts of balancing muscles activate to try and stabilise you (mainly your ankle). Stand in front of a mirror and you may notice that the side of your body with the lifted foot is sinking or that you are twisting sideways.

This is simply your core (so the muscles that stabilise your hip and spine) lacking control, strength or both. Essentially, if you can strengthen your core strength and control to a level where you can perform one-legged exercises (such as one-legged squats) with as little "shaking" as possible, you are building a stabler "platform" for your running.

Imagine running downhill at 25kph and every time your leg strikes the ground, your stabilising muscles have to work hard to keep the ankle from rolling over in either direction and your core is working hard to keep you reasonably upright. If you are weak you will tire quickly and eventually this will destabilise you more and more until you feel increasingly unstable and slow down and/or fall.

Peterx comment on energy saved on the uphill potentially being of use on the downhill makes perfect sense too. Your balancing muscles stabilise you and your other muscles help absorb the pressure of your tendons and ligaments. Both need to contract in order to do this effectively and the more tired they are the less forcefully they contract and the worse they are at doing their job.

From personal experience I find I can often have the best and most flowing descents in training. Quite quickly I realised that it was easy because both my legs and my mind are fresh while in a race coming off a top the legs are most likely hammered and the brain oxygen-deprived.

This is a long way of saying that simply increasing your leg and core strength (and as Peter mentions "proprioception") and your fitness level, you should see yourself becoming a better descender even if you did not also do the technical work (in case you have to prioritise).

Neglected to mention the importance of using your arms in various ways when descending.
I find that my arm movements mimics not only my cadence but also the individual movements of each step. This not only helps w/concentration but also provides much needed stability and balance.
Also agree w/Peterx (re-rock climbing) - if rock climbing isn't your thing I'd suggest you grab your most sticky pair of runners and head up to the miners village in Glendo (on a dry day) and make your way from the path to the upper slopes on boulders exclusively, using hands when necessary. Then make your way down to path and repeat several times. But be extremely cautious - If you are uneasy about movement on steep ground then move horizontally instead.
I have done this many times it not only improves proprioception but perhaps equally important, it will improve confidence.
Enjoy.
A.:D

Thanks T,

Spot on with the location. Not sure I am brave enough to just go straight down. I got up enough speed on the first bit but I felt like I was going to take flight on the next section and had to really slow down to handle it.
Anyway plenty more time to practice in the coming months.