Downhill training for Boston

Mike Westover

One area that sets the Boston course apart is the long downhills, particularly from miles 0-4 and 21-24, that can beat up quads early and impact form late in the race. Some runners use downhill training to prepare for this. Given the injury risk and pounding from running fast downhill, that training needs to be carefully planned.

I'm looking for advice on downhill workouts -- what have you found to be effective when training for Boston or a similar race?

Robert Sabo

I recommend a weekly hill repeat session working the ups and recovery (not slow and not fast but steady) on the downs. Start with 4 and weekly add to till you get to 10-12 on a ~1/4 mile hill.  Don't forget the worst downhill is about 14 1/2 to 16 mile just before the right hand turn in Newton to start Heartbreak hills.

Al Truscott

Mike, I've done Boston 3x, and never noticed that the early or late hills were a problem - if anything, I used them to my advantage. I attribute that to two factors:

• I live in a totally hilly area - I'm either running up or down, often for 0.5-0.75 miles at a time. I'm in Gig Harbor and I assume since you are in the Puget Sound region, your home terrain is similar. So extra "hill work" for me was unnecessary. I did pay attention to technique (stride length, rpm, body angle, etc) and effort during downhills when training - trying to maintain my HR @ the same rate up or down. A Stryd can also help with that.
• I routinely do 2-3 weight training sessions/week, which include squats &  leg presses (primarily to maintain my ability to ski)

Reflecting on my races there, I did not attack the heartbreak hills, with the thought in mind that I *would* attack the subsequent downhills. I flew by a lot of people that way, and carried that feeling into the finishing flats through the crowds. Also, I concentrated on "floating" down the initial downhill, rather than using my quads as brakes. This also required moving faster than others around me in my corral - so placement in the corral (at the front) and on the road (which is narrow for the crowd at the start) is essential.

Mike Westover

Thanks @Robert Sabo and @Al Truscott. Yeah, the area around me is pretty hilly too, and I use Stryd to focus on even effort running. My PR is from the Seattle Marathon, which has more climbing than Boston and some steep uphills. It doesn't have quite as much descending as Boston, though, and I noticed in the last mile of that race that I couldn't spin the last downhill with my quads tightening up.

Agreed on attacking/floating on the downhills and not attacking the uphills. I found Stryd really helped me there in Seattle (much like biking the EN way -- get passed going up the hill and then pass them back on the way down). What has me a little concerned are the stories of folks trashing their quads in the early miles in Boston -- but maybe that is more a form issue.

Dave Tallo

It’s concentric muscle contractions that occur running downhill, isn’t it?  I’ve always been curious if these contractions could be mimicked with other types of train8ng (like lowering weights, with the loading coming largely from the quads) to prepare the muscles for the beating they get.   

But running down hills, particularly as it gets closer to the race, would probably be the superior sim and work towards the best adaptations.

tim cronk

I've run Boston 2x . By the halfway point my quads were toast.  Heartbreak Hill is way over rated and nothing more than a welcome break from the downs, the cruel part is going back down hill after that. I swore if I ever did it again I would find a 10-15 mile stretch of road with an unrelenting downhill pitch to train on.  Everything I have read points to hill repeats, however I just dont think that prepares the quads for what Boston delivers.

Brian Hagan

I've never done Boston or come close to qualifying, but a few of my friends in my running club do it almost every year.  They do their long runs in the hilliest section of our park.  Probably not quite like what @Al Truscott has, but but its a pretty tough strip of hills.  They swear its the best preparation.

Derrek Sanks

X2 on what @tim cronk said. I ran Boston once and had the exact same experience. When I train for it again, I'll definitely incorporate long down hill (find a 1-2 mile down hill) repeats at MP. Also I'd do quad exercises such as lunges, squats and single leg squats 3-4x a week.  Good luck.

Mike Roberts

Fun read, great input.  I recall the opening miles being net downhill, but gently rolling downward, and no memory of it ever being so steep that I had to adjust my cadence or form (no putting on the quad breaks).  I kinda liked the fact that everyone around you qualified with the same time, and we all ran pretty much the same pace (i.e., no 300-pound walkers starting at the front with the 2:20 crowd).  Like TC says, the Newton Hills are four or five small climbs from Mile 16 to 21, each one individually a joke.  But Heartbreak surprised me halfway up and clubbed me like a baby seal.  I was nearly walking by the time I got to the top.  I do recall that on the backside of Heartbreak it was steep enough of a downhill to affect my gate, but not for very long.  I was in a hazy state of pain for at least two miles, finally getting my sheet back together to some extent to finish about 5 minutes slower than expected. It's an amazing race, but sneaky tough.  If 6:10 is enough of a BQ buffer, I'll probably try to tackle it again next year.  Most of all, have fun!

Al Truscott

Mike Westover said:

What has me a little concerned are the stories of folks trashing their quads in the early miles in Boston -- but maybe that is more a form issue.

First off, you're a very good runner, and shouldn't have that issue - it probably comes from inexperience/over-exuberance.

As to managing the post Newton downhill...there, form IS key to keeping the hurt away from the quads. You probably already do this naturally, but when you are running downhill every day in training, bring forward to your consciousness two elements. First, are you leaning back a bit relative to the slant of the hill and thus putting more pressure on your quads? Or are you keeping your self upright relative to the slope, meaning it may feel like you are leaning forward from the ankles (not the waist) a bit. Second, maybe consider using your arms like outriggers. Your speed downhill will be increased, and the aforementioned forward lean will make you feel a touch out of control. Keeping the elbows out a bit with that. To repeat what I said above, avoid the sensation of braking as you go downhill, replacing it with floating. Which does require stronger quads; the weight room can help here.

Brian Quarton

Really the biggest factor is the weather. Be prepared to adjust your goals accordingly. 

Ross Randolph

Have run Boston 3x and should be at start line again this year in a few weeks.  I've been fortunate not to have had the quad issues from the downhills; I trained for my first two in flat midwest and was worried but had no (physical) trouble.  Last year moved to California with hills but didn't help - actually ran my worst but that was more from undertraining than muscle weakness.  I think the downhill in the beginning is overplayed - for me the Newton hills are more of a challenge.  Best Boston advice I had is to find your pace in the early miles and let the other crazies go racing past.  I think they are often the ones who have the sore quads later in the race; you can ask them when you pass them around BC.  Agree with earlier posts about strength training; I also think the cross-functional training from triathlon can be competitive advantage as you can recruit muscles from bike fitness.  My fastest Boston was my first (blissful ignorance) and actually negative split after going out at a sensible, steady pace.  Mental preparation for Boston also pretty important IMHO; I found it best to split it up in 4-5 sections of 6 or so miles each.  I know where some of the key milestones are and only look forward to the next one.  Early sections are sparse and the last miles are so loud forget about listening to any motivational tunes - the crowd will carry you.

Mike Westover

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I worked in hill focus in throughout my training, including hill repeats (floating on the downhills), a couple of 19-20 mile runs with 1400' of climbing and descending (running the hills at marathon effort), and a hilly half marathon.

Running the half with even effort and good downhill technique was interesting. I gave up some ground on the uphills, but made up that and more on the flats and downhills. On one of the steeper hills I passed a pack at about 4:45/mile pace (vs. the 6:25 we had been averaging). I'm sure they thought I was crazy! But I didn't see them again, and ended up negative splitting for a PR.