I'm a beast on the uphills

Are you short?

You probably push too much on the uphill only to die when you hit the top, I suggest maintaining up the hill, then surge at the top when others are ready to die.

Run faster on the downhills.

When you make a move, you gotta make a move for the entire hill, then use that momentum after. I find the best time to make a move is to attack the downhill.

One tiny bit of advice is to lean forward when you go down hill. That might help a bit if you do not already do that like many people do not. Also the problem could be you are lacking in the leg speed to go fast down hill and are more of a strength runner.

Learn in your training sessions to run downhills like we did as children. Do you 'feel' the faint memory of going weightless down a slope? Work towards that in training, even if the legs hurt. Call it "downhill strides" or whatever -- just work towards it.

/me started running about 2y ago and did piss-poorly on the downhill. Now it is my strength and other competitors 'fear' me for that.

2+2=4 wrote:

One tiny bit of advice is to lean forward when you go down hill. That might help a bit if you do not already do that like many people do not. Also the problem could be you are lacking in the leg speed to go fast down hill and are more of a strength runner.

This is really helpful advice, though it's a lot harder to implement for some than for others! Sometimes it helps to think in terms of keeping the feet under the body, rather than "striding out" downhill and having the feet land way in front (which is a braking force). As 2+2=4 says, if you lean backward going downhill the feet are almost certain to land far in front of your center of gravity.

What you really want to do is emphasize turnover, not stride, on the downhill. This may be learned best by starting on a very gentle downslope, like the crown of a football field (maybe when you're doing striders). Your emphasis should be on a light, quick, relaxed backward beat of the elbows which balances a light, quick, relaxed forward swing of the knees. (The knees should lead, just as they do in sprinting--not the feet.)

You can gauge whether you've been successful on the downhill by how much momentum you carry onto the flat. If you "flow" WITH the downhill, rather than leaning back AGAINST it, you should have a lot of no-effort momentum when you get back to the flat. OTOH if you've led with your feet down the hill, you're likely to hit the bottom with little momentum, and to feel like you have to rev up again to get back to your pace.

I do like the tips above about *cresting* the hill, rather than just running hard *up* it. If you think about it, the concept is pretty simple: It's easier to run on the flat than uphill, so when you get to the top of the hill you should speed up, right? But a lot of people are only thinking about getting to the top, and then when they get there they practically stop. "Maintain [up the hill] and go [when you get to the top]" is a helpful mantra.

After a really tough uphill you're gonna feel like death for a few seconds, regardless of whether you run, jog, or just stand there. So why not run? If you switch your brain from the legs to the arms at the top of the hill, you can "shift gears" with 10-12 quick backward beats of the elbows. If the uphill is immediately followed by a downhill, this gear shift will get you right into your relaxed, efficient downhill form.

By the way, congrats on your fine uphill strength and technique! That's a tremendous weapon in a cross-country race. If you can combine that with good cresting at the top of the hill, and a smooth transition to the "weightless" downhill running that someone mentioned above, you're going to be awfully tough to beat.

[Someone asked about your height. All else being equal, I've noticed that shorter runners do *tend* to do better on uphills and taller runners *tend* to do better downhill. Plenty of exceptions, however, and I think almost anyone can improve her/his downhill technique--moving faster and using less energy to do so.]

I'm a terrible uphill runner. Pretty much everyone can beat me to the top of the hill. But, I focus on immediately increasing my turnover and getting rolling at the top of the hill, and I find that I can usually make up the distance I've lost on the hill fairly quickly and easily. It's mental, as much as anything; those of us who are bad at hills spend the whole uphill feeling terrible, biding our time, waiting to get going again. The good hill runners are disappointed when the hill ends, because they were using it to crush the competition; the bad hill runners get a sudden boost, when we find ourselves once again on even footing with the competition, and immediately charge forward to close that gap.

Is it better to push the uphills and "rest" on the downhills as in cycling?

absolutely not. it's better to maintain effort going up the hill (slowing in pace slightly) and use gravity to help you RUN the downhills instead of just recovering. if it's an uphill to a flat, surge off the top of the hill.

Pencil Neck wrote:

Is it better to push the uphills and "rest" on the downhills as in cycling?

I think it's best to know what your strong points are--to try to "keep in touch" with the other runners in your weak area, and to beat them with your strong point.

Running and cycling are fundamentally different in that, on a bike, you *could* get down a hill with literally no effort (you could just coast down), whereas if you make no effort at all while running, you'll just stand there.

2+2=4 wrote:

One tiny bit of advice is to lean forward when you go down hill. That might help a bit if you do not already do that like many people do not. Also the problem could be you are lacking in the leg speed to go fast down hill and are more of a strength runner.

Thanks for the responses. I think it is probably a combinatoin of many things already stated--focusing to much on just the uphill and 'resting' when I crest, pushing too hard on the uphill and not having much left for the downhill. But the statement above seems to capture it--I feel like I can't get my legs to turn over any faster on the downhills. And I do feel like I am 'braking' a bit with every stride.

core strength and stability - you don't need to know any more.

sterling wrote:

I can't get my legs to turn over any faster on the downhills. And I do feel like I am 'braking' a bit with every stride.

HoboMofo wrote:

core strength and stability - you don't need to know any more.

sterling wrote:

I can't get my legs to turn over any faster on the downhills. And I do feel like I am 'braking' a bit with every stride.

Great point, HM. Wish I'd mentioned it--glad you did!

You should try Mount Washington.

http://www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com/

For everyone's clarification - those with a weak or unstable core tend to put the brakes on when going downhill.

lease wrote:

HoboMofo wrote:

core strength and stability - you don't need to know any more.

Great point, HM. Wish I'd mentioned it--glad you did!

Run up, Roll down