Training for downhill running in an Ultra
In December I'm running my first ultramarathon, a hilly 50K. To prepare and reconnoiter, I ran a 30K race (3300' elevation gain/loss) on the same trails this past weekend. The part I found most difficult, and painful, was the downhill running.
I had read the EN guidance on downhill trail running before the race, and followed it as long as I could. In particular, I found the following useful:
"Going downhill the right way is fast and exhilarating (ok, maybe "sphincter puckering terrifying" is a bit more accurate than "exhilarating"). The strategy is to lean forward, take tons of small quick steps, and keep things moving under your feet, rather than trying to stop yourself with every step."
After reading this I decided it was very much like downhill skiing. So, during my practice runs and the race, I kept downhill skiing technique in my head during descents. It turned out to be more accurate than I thought since the trail was full of loose rock, slippery roots, and slippery exposed granite. I frequently lost grip with my shoe and had to focus on keeping my foot under my center of gravity until I could complete the next step. "Sphincter puckering terrifying" indeed, especially when running near shear cliffs!
This all worked great until about mile 11 when, on a 15-20% grade descent of about 500', my IT band started barking at me. The remaining 7-8 miles was pretty slow and painful.
My question is HOW DO I BEST TRAIN FOR DOWNHILL TRAIL RUNNING? The obvious answer is to do a lot of downhill trail running (I am), but I'm wondering if there are additional things I should be doing. For example, here are a couple things I'm thinking about:
- The guidance specifies "... take tons of small quick steps..." I did this as well as I could, but I found I often had to put in a braking step because I just couldn't keep up. Should I work on drills to increase my high-end cadence?
- My quads started to give-out toward the end of the race. Should I do some weight training to increase quad strength. Perhaps some squats or eccentric quad exercises?
- Other ideas?
Keep in my that I'm 61. My high-end cadence and leg strength are not what they were when I was younger.
Thank!
Comments
Up until my knee cartilege gave out, I was a very good downhill runner, in part due to living either at the top or the bottom of some very steep hills, so I got automatic training every time I ran. Other things I thought helped:
• Being a lifelong skier was massive, IMO, as you point out. The "Feel" in the bottoms of my feet, and the sense of balance enforced by skiing bumps, steeps, etc is invaluable.
• Weight lifting also was significant, IMO. This can be risky, if going about it with too much weight, too soon, or the wrong exercises. A conversation with a PT might be useful. But my go-to exercise was squats, either with a bar or a machine. Strict attention to technique, and not going below a 90 deg bend at the knee is essential. Leg extension and lunges might be problematic for older knees. Daily or every other day exercises to strengthen the small muscle of the butt and hips is also imperative, I believe, to help the knees maintain proper alignment during the excessive loading running downhill produces.
• Using my arms as "outriggers", with wider elbows, more trunk rotation than normal was one technique detail which seemed to help.
• Thinking of myself as wanting to be @ 90 relative to the slope (so tilted forward compared to a strict level horizontal helped to reduce the slamming on the brakes heel first tendency.
Bear in mind that I am not now, never have been, and certainly never want to be an ultra-runner. Anything more than 2 hours or so is outside my idea of "fun".
Thanks @Al Truscott! I didn't think about using my arms as "outriggers" but, in retrospect, I think I do that naturally.
Since posting this I've found an episode of Science of Ultra podcast that talks about downhill running. Very interesting. He says "Downhill running is a skill. It requires deliberate practice and can not be mastered just by training the body or running downhill a lot without putting at least some thought into it." Still, he mostly recommends running on hilly trails with a focus on technique. You can read the transcript of the podcast here: https://www.scienceofultra.com/blog/downhill-running.
@Scott Imlay Which 50k are you doing? Is it close enough to train on the course? If not try to find similar terrain to train on. Specificity is king. Not all grades are equal - IOW a 15-20% non technical grade allows one to run or hike without lifting your feet, a 15-20% technical grade requires you lift your feet, both require very different muscle's. I think technique for downhill running is naturally refined through repetition just like running on the flats. So while its good to learn about and think about its hard to apply but it comes with time. I'm not a fan of trying to apply a specific cadence when I am running but the one thing I find that I can apply when trail running up or down is smaller shorter steps. I agree with the Science of Ultra advice, the one thing missing from there advice was downhill hiking, I really find downhill hiking to condition the quads without destroying them. With the race in December I would spend one day per week for the next month hiking(hard) vs. running . The Ultra world loves to hike the ups, run the flats and downs, as the race progresses those definitions of what is up or down changes drastically. You will see plenty of people walking the downs, those are the ones who have trashed their quads. So I think the goal in training and racing is to "condition" not "trash" the quads so that you may run even at a slow pace late in the day. When I paced Francis Picard for his 100k in Vt this year I picked him up at mile 32 , I would cut him slack and we would power hike all hills and some flats, but whenever we hit a down I would allow him to recover from the up and then with a "gentle nudge" say OK this section is just too easy to walk , lets run easy.
Thanks @tim cronk. I'm doing the Deception Pass 50K (http://www.rainshadowrunning.com/deception-pass-50k.html). The 30K run I did last weekend were on many of the same trails. I'd say I ran on 80% of the trails that will be in the 50K, and probably all of the technical ones. It's a 90 minute drive from my house, so I can get up there to train on some weekends.
The race has a real mix of technical and non-technical descents. The descent were I really started hurting was very long and steep but not that technical. The technical descents were shorter but a little scary in places!
I like your idea of doing (hard) hiking one day each week. It's hard for me to get the dose correct on the downhill running intervals and I've managed to unintentionally trash my quads on a couple occasions. Each time I lose a couple days of training while they recover. Hopefully that won't happen if I'm hiking. How long/far do you recommend for the hike? Two hours? Six miles?
Yes, I found myself walking some of the downhill sections over the weekend. Next time I find myself in that situation, I'll visualize you saying "OK this section is just too easy to walk..." If worked for FP, maybe it will work for me! 😉
@Scott Imlay That looks pretty relentless, up/down , no flats. Having a mix of technical and non technical is good, you will get “breaks” changing from one to the other. So 4300 feet divided by 31 miles is an average 138’ gain/loss per mile. Try to find some terrain that averages around that 140’ per mile for most of your running , at least your long run. If you are doing back to back days , I’d make the second day your “ hike” day. The hike day is easier on the body than the run day. Looks like the course has several 500’ climbs? 500’ repeats would get you ready, I use my local ski hills for those. Ok to hike hard up and trot down , don’t have to walk or hike down too slow but don’t hammer just get those quads used to descending 500’ over and over again. As far as how long? What is your goal or estimate to complete the 50k? Look for a total of 6-8 hrs over 2 days only if you build up to it, be nice to net 30 miles and 5000’ climbing over those two days, could be split even or whatever you choose.
Thanks @tim cronk! I'm sure I can find some local trails that average 140' per mile. I work near the "Issaquah Alps" which has plenty of options with 500' climbs.
This being my first ultramarathon, my goal is to make all the cutoffs, finish under 8 hours and have fun. When I signed up the cutoffs seemed easy - I'd just need to average a 15:30/mile pace. But, as you can see from my Fidalgo Bay 30K results (https://www.strava.com/activities/2768909850) I barely managed a 15:30 pace over 30K, and the last 6 miles had the slowest pace. Those last 6 miles were when I was really hurting. I need to up my game just to finish under the cutoff!
I'm signed up for a hilly trail half marathon on November 16 (https://www.evergreentrailruns.com/grand-ridge/). It's close to home and has a 500' climb near the start. This might be a good location for the hill repeats.
Thanks for all your help @tim cronk!
If you're a podcast person, I recommend this episode of the Science of Ultra - https://www.scienceofultra.com/podcasts/103
If you don't do podcasts, then the episode transcript can be found here - https://www.scienceofultra.com/blog/downhill-running
There are other very useful and relevant episodes of that podcast, scan the list of episodes and pick what's of interest, you will not be disappointed. If you want recommendations, let me know and I'll post some of my favorites.
Thanks @Clark Mitchell !
Nothing new here, but a short , interesting article, on downhill running.
https://www.podiumrunner.com/ask-pete-should-i-push-the-pace-on-early-race-downhills_178748?fbclid=IwAR3ffa_hNrTCM0yTUAVKCP-VXWKUhBj6-fGAa7YTBs6V44inYFW73Jn32Tc
@Scott Imlay 2 weeks out , how ya feeling?
I think I'm ready @tim cronk. I did a trail half marathon two weeks ago (14.5 miles & 2200' of climbing) and it went well! I'll put together a race plan over the weekend.
I'm beginning to worry about whether I have the appropriate cold/rain gear for a run this long. Don't really have a waterproof jacket that is light enough to carry with me.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Good news on the trail HM. What from the PNW ? Needs rain jacket LOL ? I know just one you can carry easy. Yeah, I had a heavy rain jacket, and a bunch of water resistant shells, I bit the bullet and purchased a top of the line breathable waterproof jacket. Weather choices are difficult for Ultra. Happy Thanksgiving!