Running downhill

[Deleted User]

I'm trying to be Chi these days. Before that, I was a Poser. I'm only 1/2way thru the Chi book, so I'm only kinda Chi, but I still have an issue running downhill. At some point, leaning forward gets me going so fast I can't stay in control. I end up reverting to old fashioned heel-pounding/decelerating.

I experimented last week with, instead, remaining in the pose as best as possible, but shortening my stride. It seemed to work. I kept form without overspinning my wheels. 

What do other folks do to take advantage of the downhills without careening out of control?

Al Truscott

Maybe it's my decades of downhill skiing and mountain biking, but I don't think of myself as "leaning forward" when going downhill, any more than I think "lean back" when running up hill.

When I do think about it ( which is NOT when I'm actually running - thinking about position while running just messes me up), I envision myself as maintaining a constant angle to the ground surface as it tilts downhill. Relative to the vector of gravity, then, things are changing, and I'm being *pulled* forward, not *leaning* forward. The trick (just as in skiing and mountain biking) is to recognize that the pulling of gravity is your friend, not your enemy. I just let my stride lengthen to accommodate the increased forward speed which gravity is providing me. I suppose in creased cadence would accomplish the same thing, but it feels to me like that's getting close to fighting, not working with,  gravity.

russG

I have to say, I practice running downhill on a reasonably pitched hill near home. I do downhill strides, paying attention to how I'm landing on my feet and where my body is "taking the hit". It's a body-awareness and balance exercise more than anything else.

I think Al puts it well - you want to land on your feet directly under your body, not in front. If you increase your stride length, you don't want to do so by reaching and over-striding, but by bounding and spending more time in the air. This leads to the next point...

If running uphill tests your strength in your quads, running downhill tests your range of motion, balance, core strength, and your ability to maintain form as the speed and associated forces grow. It's a different skill, and I believe, one worthy of practice. Like downhill skiing and mountain biking, I prefer to practice skills on easier slopes and progressively increase the challenge.

Hope this is useful to you.

rmiller

Andrew - I find myself in a similar boat as you. My form on uphill and flat is fine, but when going downhill, I definitely feel it - I end up landing much harder and while that is fine for a brief period of time, an extended downhill could be problematic. I've tried toying around with stride length and various things, and I also find that my legs get spinning so fast that I feel I'm one bad step away from disaster. So, until I actually set aside a period of time to really work on it, I actually hold back a bit on downhills. Not worth ruining a race by doing a face plant.

Moze

This technique from Dave Scott helped me a lot with downhills.  I feel a little goofy doing it but it really seems to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGIcOxhmWU

Steve

[Deleted User]

Posted By Steve Moseley on 17 Feb 2013 10:01 AM

This technique from Dave Scott helped me a lot with downhills.  I feel a little goofy doing it but it really seems to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGIcOxhmWU

Steve

I'm trying to figure out what putting my hands out will do. That's not a lot of wind resistance. Maybe it's just to take my mind off the downhill/????

I'll try to work on adjusting my lean to modulate the speed. The research continues.....

mgraffeo

If you're striking way out in front of you, it's because you're feeling out of control as a result of going too fast. So, lean back. lean way back, until the speed is something you're comfortable with, and then experiment with 1-2mm differences in your lean.

A lot of us run bent at the waist to begin with. Take that and point it downhill, and your center of gravity moves way out in front of you. Run taller, and don't try to lean into a downhill (a surefire way to get going really fast and elicit that "holy crap, gotta slow down" response in your brain).

Moze

Posted By Andrew Morrison on 25 Feb 2013 10:41 AM 

I'm trying to figure out what putting my hands out will do. That's not a lot of wind resistance. Maybe it's just to take my mind off the downhill/????

I'll try to work on adjusting my lean to modulate the speed. The research continues.....

I don't think it's really a wind resistance thing.  When I tried it I just felt a whole lot more stable and was able to run the downhills quite a bit faster.  Maybe it's something having to do with a counter-rotation motion?

Al Truscott

For some reason I was watching about 10 minutes of Jurassic Park two nights ago ... the tails on the T-Rex (a bi-pedal creature) were swaying back and forth, stretched out far behind the body, presumably for stabilisation. Head went down while running, tail went up. Tail moved side to side in the opposite direction of the forward foot. We don't have tails, so maybe this does the same thing? Kangaroos have stabilising tails as well.

The stronger your core, the less you'll need the outriggers, I think.

rmiller

Posted By Al Truscott on 25 Feb 2013 12:58 PM

For some reason I was watching about 10 minutes of Jurassic Park two nights ago ... the tails on the T-Rex (a bi-pedal creature) were swaying back and forth, stretched out far behind the body, presumably for stabilisation. Head went down while running, tail went up. Tail moved side to side in the opposite direction of the forward foot. We don't have tails, so maybe this does the same thing? Kangaroos have stabilising tails as well.

The stronger your core, the less you'll need the outriggers, I think.

Yeah, but