Ladies,
We talk all the time about running uphills. I thought I'd surprise you today with something we don't spend a lot of time learning - downhills. As you found out today, running downhill is harder to do than you might first imagine.
It is a balance issue first of all. You have to bring your weight forward far enough to feel as if you are falling over. Then you have to let your legs open and go as fast as they can. As I warned you, this is easier for the fast-twitch girls, and if you are so blessed, you'll absolutely explode downhill with no effort. If you are slow-twitch, you can still make the hill work for you.
It's also a strength issue. Running downhill is stressful to your quadriceps muscles. The first couple of times down the hill were probably relatively easy; after that, it got harder and harder. I noticed by the end some of you were beginning to "sit down" near the bottoms of the drop, that is, you compressed downward to reduce the stress on your legs. You're probably not even aware of what you were doing, but it was visible to the observer - if they knew what they were looking for.
The benefits are many, but for us the main one is race advantage. It's our course. It rolls up and down constantly. Knowing how to run up AND down gives us a major advantage over other teams. As State Series approaches, we certainly need to be keenly aware of any opportunity to take easy time out of our opponents.
It's also useful to be mindful of hills as you scout other courses. Understanding the undulations may provide the right clues to unlocking the course for you. Always, ALWAYS use your head when you race.
Great workout today.
We talk all the time about running uphills. I thought I'd surprise you today with something we don't spend a lot of time learning - downhills. As you found out today, running downhill is harder to do than you might first imagine.
It is a balance issue first of all. You have to bring your weight forward far enough to feel as if you are falling over. Then you have to let your legs open and go as fast as they can. As I warned you, this is easier for the fast-twitch girls, and if you are so blessed, you'll absolutely explode downhill with no effort. If you are slow-twitch, you can still make the hill work for you.
It's also a strength issue. Running downhill is stressful to your quadriceps muscles. The first couple of times down the hill were probably relatively easy; after that, it got harder and harder. I noticed by the end some of you were beginning to "sit down" near the bottoms of the drop, that is, you compressed downward to reduce the stress on your legs. You're probably not even aware of what you were doing, but it was visible to the observer - if they knew what they were looking for.
The benefits are many, but for us the main one is race advantage. It's our course. It rolls up and down constantly. Knowing how to run up AND down gives us a major advantage over other teams. As State Series approaches, we certainly need to be keenly aware of any opportunity to take easy time out of our opponents.
It's also useful to be mindful of hills as you scout other courses. Understanding the undulations may provide the right clues to unlocking the course for you. Always, ALWAYS use your head when you race.
Great workout today.
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