Training Tips

Downhill Trail Running by Mike Pastore; Finisher of 80+ Marathons and 30+ Ultras - including eight 100-Milers.

Running well on trails requires a very different mind-set and some skill. Running well on the downhill sections of a trail requires that same mind-set, a fair degree of skill and practice. During a road run you can “zone-out,” but a downhill trail demands your attention. Early on I learned the meaning of the saying “look up, fall down” the hard way.

Here are a few tips and observations to help you run well on downhill trail. For me, “well” means safely as much as quickly. They start with your feet, then move up your body. The more you practice running downhill, the more your leg strength, technique and confidence will improve.

FEET, LEGS and STRIDE
Start with a not-too-technical, not-too-steep trail, and learn to run in “fast forward,” with your center of gravity slightly ahead of your next foot strike. Lean from your ankle – don’t bend at your waist. Most new trail runners “over-stride” or “lean back” on downhill sections – ideally, you need to be somewhere in-between those two extremes.

If you can hear your feet “plop” down, you are probably over-striding. Your stride length should be shorter than on flat ground; more steps equal more control.

Leaning back and “braking with your quads” will slow you down, but it will also burn out your quads prematurely in a long trail run or race.

ARMS and SHOULDERS
When you are running down a steepish trail, move your elbows “out” and up – away from your sides. This will allow you to increase your balance, giving you more control over your center of gravity.

Your shoulders and arms should be relaxed but controlled. If you are tense, it will be harder to change directions or react to the unexpected on the trail, (e.g. “sticks” that move on their own = snakes).

HEAD GAMES
On the road you cut every tangent because shorter is faster, but that may not be the fastest way down on a trail.

As you crest a ridge, look down the hill as far as you can and pick your line. A longer, slightly banked curve may be faster than a straight line.

Ideally you want to pick a line that will allow you to maintain your speed with as little change as possible – try not to brake with your quads. If you do speed up, do it gradually so your eyes and brain have time to match what your feet can deliver.

The faster you are going, the further you will need to look ahead.

Scan ahead and look down. Scan ahead and look down. Repeat and repeat.Most of all – concentrate on where you are going and what your body is telling you.

As you run downhill more, your sense of proprioception will improve (pronounced PRO-pree-o-SEP-shan). Proprioception is the sense of the relative position of the parts of your body in relationship to each other – as this improves you will use fewer cuss words on the trail.  

Think about what you are seeing ahead and anticipate what changes you need to make to get the most speed out of each downhill section of the trail – anticipate and concentrate.

When you are “running well downhill” you will actually feel like you are “floating.” Every hill has two sides. You can always “gut-out” the uphill. On the downhill side take the time to learn to make the most of what gravity has to offer – after all, you earned it!