The Flip Side of Hill Training - What Goes Up Must Come Down
Well, it's been a few weeks since I last wrote a post, and if I'm being totally honest the main reason is that I haven't really had a good idea for something to write about. Thankfully, with this being the start of Cape to Cabot training season for many, a topic has come up naturally in a number of running conversations I've had over the past few weeks that I feel is often overlooked when discussing training plans: downhill running.
Whenever people mention the Cape to Cabot race to me, the idea of running up Signal Hill is usually the first thing that comes up, followed quickly by a comment on all the hills you have to climb coming out of Cape Spear. Similarly, pretty much all of the training discussions that I hear around this race (and most races) refer to hill repeats, where the focus is on running up the hill, and typically includes an easy recovery jog back down.
Now, obviously the hills that you have to climb in the Cape to Cabot are difficult and daunting. And I'm certainly not going to be the person to tell you not to train your body to run uphill; that's a key component of any good training plan. Rather, my point in this post is to highlight the fact that most people often put a little too much emphasis on training to get themselves up those hills without thinking about the fact that they have to come back down most of them.
The picture below is the elevation profile from my Cape to Cabot run last fall. While the first thing that may standout is all the climbing involved, a close analysis shows a lot of downhill running as well. The first half-kilometer or so is downhill. There is then a steep decline from around the 2 kilometer mark to the 3 kilometer mark. There is a more gradual decline from kilometer 5 to around kilometer 7. Then, starting around kilometer 10.5, there is around 200 meters of descent by the time you reach the 14 kilometer mark. By my math, that translates to about 7 kilometers of downhill running, or pretty much 50% of the first 14 kilometers of the race.
Needless to say, if you are going to be running that much downhill in a race, it makes sense to prepare your body for it. And how do you do that? By running downhill, of course!
I'm linking two articles below that discuss some of the risks of not training properly for downhill running, and also outline some example workouts for downhill training. In reading the articles, you may find it interesting to note that injuries often occur more frequently from hard downhill running that from hard uphill running. I know I've talked to a number of people who said their biggest surprise after running the Cape to Cabot for the first time was how hard the downhill sections were on them.
As I've stated many times in this blog, I am certainly not an expert on any running topic. I do however consider downhill running to be an area where I am more comfortable than most. In my 5 Cape to Cabot runs, I cannot remember a single time where I have been passed on the downhill section coming out of Shea Heights. Now, obviously the runners at the front of the pack get down that hill faster than I do, but relative to those who are around my pace, I tend to get down the hills pretty fast.
Given that fact, I'm going to include some tips and thoughts that I have on downhill running/training below. I've shared these with many people in the past, and I strongly advise that you read them and consider how they fit into your own training plan. If you have any questions that you feel I may be able to help with, feel free to message me or leave a comment.
I haven't done a training recap on my last couple of blogs, but seeing as how that was one of the primary reasons I started doing these I'm going to try to bring them back, even if they are brief. Or at least as brief as I get!
The past two weeks were solid training weeks, although I only got 4 of my 6 planned runs in both weeks. Sometimes life gets in the way. I was able to get my two workouts and my long run in each week though, so I am happy with that.
My tempo workout in the first week was quite quick, and given that it was in extreme heat and humidity on Regatta Day I was very pleased. The pace was aided somewhat by a gentle downhill grade, as I ran the trail from Pipers in Mount Pearl to Bowring Park.
As I mentioned in the main portion of the blog, I do a workout on Signal Hill once a week starting around this time every year. I leave Goodlife at Atlantic Place, and I time myself from the corner at the bottom of Temperance Street to the corner at the start of the Signal Hill parking lot. So it's not quite the full Munn Mile; more like the Munn 1.5k. Once I get to the top, I pause my watch and take a quick breather before turning around and running hard back down the hill.
Last year was the first year that I completed every one of those training runs without walking on Signal Hill, so that is my goal for this year as well. I'm 2/2 so far, although there are definitely times when my pace feels like it is JUST barely faster than walking!
For my interval workout this week, I did an 800 m loop in Brookfield Plains, just behind Marie's. As was the theme the past little while, this workout was done in extreme heat. Actually, all 4 workouts over the last two weeks were! I was very pleased with my paces here, as my 800's have been slower this year than last. I've decreased the volume of my workouts a little over the last month or so, and I'm hoping this is a sign that my legs are getting some life back in them.
Finally, my two long runs were done on some nice challenging routes drawn up by my buddy Andrew. I'm attempting to keep my distance up on my long runs, as I found that training for the marathon last year really helped with my Cape to Cabot performance. So, while I'm not running a marathon this fall, I'll likely aim to get into the mid to high 20's for my long runs in the next month or so. Hopefully that will pay off with a PB at the C2C on October 14th!
That's about all from me tonight. I hope you enjoyed it, and as always thanks for reading. Cheers!
Whenever people mention the Cape to Cabot race to me, the idea of running up Signal Hill is usually the first thing that comes up, followed quickly by a comment on all the hills you have to climb coming out of Cape Spear. Similarly, pretty much all of the training discussions that I hear around this race (and most races) refer to hill repeats, where the focus is on running up the hill, and typically includes an easy recovery jog back down.
Now, obviously the hills that you have to climb in the Cape to Cabot are difficult and daunting. And I'm certainly not going to be the person to tell you not to train your body to run uphill; that's a key component of any good training plan. Rather, my point in this post is to highlight the fact that most people often put a little too much emphasis on training to get themselves up those hills without thinking about the fact that they have to come back down most of them.
The picture below is the elevation profile from my Cape to Cabot run last fall. While the first thing that may standout is all the climbing involved, a close analysis shows a lot of downhill running as well. The first half-kilometer or so is downhill. There is then a steep decline from around the 2 kilometer mark to the 3 kilometer mark. There is a more gradual decline from kilometer 5 to around kilometer 7. Then, starting around kilometer 10.5, there is around 200 meters of descent by the time you reach the 14 kilometer mark. By my math, that translates to about 7 kilometers of downhill running, or pretty much 50% of the first 14 kilometers of the race.
Needless to say, if you are going to be running that much downhill in a race, it makes sense to prepare your body for it. And how do you do that? By running downhill, of course!
I'm linking two articles below that discuss some of the risks of not training properly for downhill running, and also outline some example workouts for downhill training. In reading the articles, you may find it interesting to note that injuries often occur more frequently from hard downhill running that from hard uphill running. I know I've talked to a number of people who said their biggest surprise after running the Cape to Cabot for the first time was how hard the downhill sections were on them.
As I've stated many times in this blog, I am certainly not an expert on any running topic. I do however consider downhill running to be an area where I am more comfortable than most. In my 5 Cape to Cabot runs, I cannot remember a single time where I have been passed on the downhill section coming out of Shea Heights. Now, obviously the runners at the front of the pack get down that hill faster than I do, but relative to those who are around my pace, I tend to get down the hills pretty fast.
Given that fact, I'm going to include some tips and thoughts that I have on downhill running/training below. I've shared these with many people in the past, and I strongly advise that you read them and consider how they fit into your own training plan. If you have any questions that you feel I may be able to help with, feel free to message me or leave a comment.
- Learn not to fight the hill - for many, running downhill leaves them feeling like they are going to run too fast, and at times it can even feel dangerous. The problem with this is that working too hard to force your body to slow down and fight gravity can often lead to injury. You'll be landing much more on your heel, and absorbing the impact more than usual.
- Don't overstride - once you get past the feeling of consciously holding yourself back, many people feel as though the really have to push a longer stride to get down the hill faster. While I have talked to some people who find this longer stride works for them, I have talked to many more who found it either led to an injury or to greater wear and tear on their legs. This can make the remainder of the race very uncomfortable.
- Increase your cadence - I have to credit one of my running buddies, Kiley, for this tip; and for me, it is the counter to the overstriding issues mentioned above. When we are running, we usually have to exert more effort and burn our energy stores to increase our cadence and run faster. The beauty of running downhill is that if you just naturally increase your cadence and let gravity do the work, you will find that you can run a faster pace while exerting the same amount of energy. As an added bonus, learning to increase your cadence running downhill will likely help make your stride more efficient and increase your foot speed on flat ground as well.
- Incorporate downhill workouts in your schedule - like any workout, how often you choose to do a downhill workout is a matter of personal preference. I do a combined uphill/downhill workout once a week, by going up Signal Hill and running back down. I would recommend that you fit in some hard downhill running occasionally though. And if you aren't comfortable running on a steep grade right away, that's ok. Find a grade that you are comfortable running a little bit faster on, and do your workout there. As you progress, gradually increase the grade to match your comfort level.
As is often the case, I ended up writing a bit more there than originally planned! I hope that there is something useful in there, and as mentioned here are the two links with some further details and a few sample workouts:
Weekly Summary (July 30-August 5)
Mon. (Lunch) 6.4 km, 31:57, 4:59/km pace
Tue.: Off
Wed. (Afternoon): 10 min warmup, 15 min tempo (4:11/km), 10 min cooldown (Workout total: 7.3 km, 34:56, 4:47/km pace)
Thu. (Afternoon): Signal Hill Run (9:20 Up / 5:50 down) (Workout total: 5.2 km, 26:25, 5:04/km pace)
Fri.: Off
Sat. (Morning): 18.2 km, 1:34:24, 5:11/km pace
Sun.: Off
Total: 37.1 km
Weekly Summary (August 6-12)
Mon. (Lunch): 7.5 km, 37:09, 4:57/km pace
Tue. (Afternoon): 11 min warmup, 5 x 800 m (3:01 / 3:12 / 3:10 / 3:10 / 3:14) w/ 2 min recovery, 11 min cooldown (Workout total: 9.3 km, 45:43, 4:54/km pace)
Wed. (Lunch): Signal Hill Run (9:20 Up/ 5:41 down) (Workout total: 5.2 km, 26:26, 5:02/km pace)
Thu.: Off
Fri.: Off
Sat. (Morning): 18.4 km, 1:35:12, 5:10/km pace
Sun.: Off
Total: 40.4 km
Mon. (Lunch) 6.4 km, 31:57, 4:59/km pace
Tue.: Off
Wed. (Afternoon): 10 min warmup, 15 min tempo (4:11/km), 10 min cooldown (Workout total: 7.3 km, 34:56, 4:47/km pace)
Thu. (Afternoon): Signal Hill Run (9:20 Up / 5:50 down) (Workout total: 5.2 km, 26:25, 5:04/km pace)
Fri.: Off
Sat. (Morning): 18.2 km, 1:34:24, 5:11/km pace
Sun.: Off
Total: 37.1 km
Weekly Summary (August 6-12)
Mon. (Lunch): 7.5 km, 37:09, 4:57/km pace
Tue. (Afternoon): 11 min warmup, 5 x 800 m (3:01 / 3:12 / 3:10 / 3:10 / 3:14) w/ 2 min recovery, 11 min cooldown (Workout total: 9.3 km, 45:43, 4:54/km pace)
Wed. (Lunch): Signal Hill Run (9:20 Up/ 5:41 down) (Workout total: 5.2 km, 26:26, 5:02/km pace)
Thu.: Off
Fri.: Off
Sat. (Morning): 18.4 km, 1:35:12, 5:10/km pace
Sun.: Off
Total: 40.4 km
I haven't done a training recap on my last couple of blogs, but seeing as how that was one of the primary reasons I started doing these I'm going to try to bring them back, even if they are brief. Or at least as brief as I get!
The past two weeks were solid training weeks, although I only got 4 of my 6 planned runs in both weeks. Sometimes life gets in the way. I was able to get my two workouts and my long run in each week though, so I am happy with that.
My tempo workout in the first week was quite quick, and given that it was in extreme heat and humidity on Regatta Day I was very pleased. The pace was aided somewhat by a gentle downhill grade, as I ran the trail from Pipers in Mount Pearl to Bowring Park.
As I mentioned in the main portion of the blog, I do a workout on Signal Hill once a week starting around this time every year. I leave Goodlife at Atlantic Place, and I time myself from the corner at the bottom of Temperance Street to the corner at the start of the Signal Hill parking lot. So it's not quite the full Munn Mile; more like the Munn 1.5k. Once I get to the top, I pause my watch and take a quick breather before turning around and running hard back down the hill.
Last year was the first year that I completed every one of those training runs without walking on Signal Hill, so that is my goal for this year as well. I'm 2/2 so far, although there are definitely times when my pace feels like it is JUST barely faster than walking!
For my interval workout this week, I did an 800 m loop in Brookfield Plains, just behind Marie's. As was the theme the past little while, this workout was done in extreme heat. Actually, all 4 workouts over the last two weeks were! I was very pleased with my paces here, as my 800's have been slower this year than last. I've decreased the volume of my workouts a little over the last month or so, and I'm hoping this is a sign that my legs are getting some life back in them.
Finally, my two long runs were done on some nice challenging routes drawn up by my buddy Andrew. I'm attempting to keep my distance up on my long runs, as I found that training for the marathon last year really helped with my Cape to Cabot performance. So, while I'm not running a marathon this fall, I'll likely aim to get into the mid to high 20's for my long runs in the next month or so. Hopefully that will pay off with a PB at the C2C on October 14th!
That's about all from me tonight. I hope you enjoyed it, and as always thanks for reading. Cheers!
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