Running Down From Mount Uludag
Aykut Celikbas ( Salomon Turkey Athlete and Coach)
Most people can run faster on downhils when running short distances compared to a flat terrain. Running downhill puts less stress on the cardiovascular system and you can run faster with the same heart rate. On the other hand, different stresses occur on the body when running downhill and if your body is not accustomed to them, you cannot maintain this speed. As the distances increase, these problems get bigger and can result in injury.
The Eker I Run Marathon starts at the Uludağ Hotels Region at an altitude of 1793 meters and ends at Eker Meydan at an altitude of 117 meters. It’s Turkey's first road marathon that’s run down from the top of a mountain. Due to its elevation profile, it’s a marathon suitable for running your personal best but if you are not ready to run the downhills it is also a race that could be very challenging especially in the second half. In this article, we will examine, in three parts, what needs to be done to be prepared for downhill road races such as the Eker I Run Marathon.
1. The challenges of downhill running
2. Downhill running technique and suggestions
3. Downhill training suggestions
The Challenges of Downhill Running
Muscles in the human body contract in two ways, concentrically and eccentrically. During concentric contraction, the muscle shortens in length. The best example of this in running is the uphill runs. On the other hand, when running downhill, muscle fibers lengthen to keep the body steady. This is called eccentric contraction.
As a result of eccentric contractions micro-tears occur in the muscle fibers. In addition, when running downhill the knees and quadriceps muscles take a beating under a heavier load. Likewise, the tibialis anterior tendon on the front of your leg is put under extra stress. When you run downhill for a long time without getting ready for these impacts, injuries such as knee pain and IT Band syndrome may occur.
In addition, the ankles, core muscles and shoulders would have to work harder to keep the body balanced. In light of this information, you can try to apply the following suggestions while running downhill.
Downhill Running Technique and Tips
1- The stride length increases with the effect of gravity when running downhill. However, one of the biggest mistakes beginners make is trying to take steps that are too big. When you do this, your foot hits the ground in front of your center of gravity and you start to heel strike. This causes you to brake involuntarily and increases the load on the knees and quadriceps muscles which opens the doors to injuries. If you try to hit the ground directly below your center of gravity, you will not brake and reduce the risk of injury.
2- When running downhill, the body’s natural reflex is to lean backwards. However, in this position, you again increase the load on the joints and start to brake. If you lean forward a little from the ankles (not from the waist), and run at a right angle in accordance with the grade then you won’t have this problem. When you train on this for a certain period of time, you will start to learn not leaning back.
3- While running downhill on trails, you need to focus 2-3 meters ahead to follow the changes in the terrain. But when running downhill on roads, you can look 8-10 meters ahead because the road would be smoother and you would run faster. This would relax your neck, shoulder and back muscles. In this way, you can maintain the correct running form for a longer time.
4- While going uphill we keep our arms close to our body and try to gain strength by pumping them back and forth. On downhills the main task of the arms is to provide balance and help change direction. You can keep your balance by opening your arms when changing direction. You can also keep your arms at a lower position.
5- One other mistake made while running downhill is to run at a speed that would disrupt your running form. If it’s a short downhill section you may not feel the negative effects of running fast, but in long distances such as a marathon, the mistakes we make in the first half are not easily compensated. With this in mind, it's important to find the right pace at which you can maintain your running form for a long time. This would lead to fewer problems in the second half of the race. You can take more risks if you still have the strength towards the end of the race.
6- Shoe selection is another imporntat factor to consider. As you will encounter more impact when running downhill, you may want to consider wearing a shoe with a little more cushioning than usual. However, you need to make sure that this shoe does not disrupt your natural running form. Another crucial point is the size and fit of the shoe. If your feet swell a lot on long runs, you may want to consider wearing a slightly larger pair, but make sure your feet don't move back and forth in the shoe. Otherwise blisters would be inevitable. Finally, laces that are too tight on the ankles can also cause problems on long downhill runs as the front part of your ankles can swell.
Training Tips for Running Downhill
The best way to improve your downhill running technique is to train on the downhills. These workouts result in two kinds of benefits. First you get used to the correct technique and over time these become motor skills that you do without even thinking. Secondly, as your muscles, tendons and joints get stronger, they protect you against impact forces and you can maintain your speed and form for a longer period.
As with almost everything related to running, starting slowly and increasing gradually would protect you against injuries. For example, you may start training for downhill running on an incline of 2% to 4% once a week. For someone who has run a marathon before, running a total of 20 minutes of downhill can be a good start. If you are running down a 400-meter road in 2 minutes, you can do 10 repetitions (2x10=20 minutes) by jogging or walking up between them. You can determine the number of repetitions according to the length of your road.
If there is a downhill trail in your area, you can also use it to prepare your body for the impact forces before running on pavement. In the following weeks, you can increase the grade to 6% and 8% and gradually increase your downhill running time as your body makes the adaptations. Since the downhill sections in Eker I Run Marathon generally vary between 5% and 8% grades, training on a grade of more than 10% would not provide you with much benefit and it can increase the risk of injury.
It would be beneficial to do your long runs on undulating roads. There are several notable climbs in the second half of the Eker I Run Marathon. These climbs don’t get much attention on the elevation profile but they are not definitely not easy to run after the long descents. Long undulating runs would strengthen your legs and prepare you for these climbs after the descents.
As a rule of thumb, focus on running downhill without losing proper running form. Once you adapt to the correct form, you can gradually increase your speed.
After training and races where you run downhill for a long time, it is inevitable that you will feel pain and soreness for a while, especially in the quadriceps muscles. This is called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Activities such as descending stairs can be quite painful. This pain is a natural consequence of this type of training, and if you do the training at the right intensity it will peak within the next 48 hours and then begin to decrease.
These pains and aches does not mean that you are injured. It indicates there are micro-tears in muscle fibers as a result of eccentric contractions and that the body is making repairs to make them stronger. However, if this pain don’t start to decrease after 48 hours it means that your training was too hard or too long. In this case don't do downhill training for 10-12 days and do the next one just a little bit softer and/or shorter.
Finally, to achieve your goals on the marathon distance your body must be completely ready for the stresses. Therefore, strength training becomes even more important when running a downhill marathon. Keep in mind that most of the knee injuries occur because of excessive load on the knees which is a result of the leg, hip and abdominal muscles not being strong enough. You can strengthen these areas by doing planks, squats and lunges several times a week.
References
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.018689
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2600839/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27501719/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33037592/