Trail Running is like a roller coaster, you go up and down. How’s that for clever? Seriously though, there are a lot of techniques for trail running, but how you run up and down hills determines how you finish the race. You want to view your trail running like mountain biking, changing your gears depending on the grade of incline, maintaining a consistent pace, effort, and rhythm through out. If you need to get in rhythm with the trail and “rhythm is the dancer” then shouldn’t Trail Running really be called Trail Dancing? Very interesting.
Whatever you want to call it, you can still think of the trail as a dancing partner. Run with it, not on it or through it. Like golf being about you as the player against the golf course, trail running is about you versus the trail; and the best way to get the trail to “eat out of your hands” is to seduce her with your dance. Ok, enough with the metaphors, but you just need to know how to switch your gears for the uphills and downhills. Man, that was another metaphor. At least the golf comment was a simile. I took 8th grade English.
When running uphills you want to shorten your stride, turning it into a lower gear. The reason for this is because the amount of consistent effort you need to exert on the uphill gets you less distance than running on the flat. When running on a long hill try to set a cadence at the beginning of the hill that will last you until you reach the top…barely able to breathe. This will give you consistency up the hill. In order to keep moving you need to have light feet running up the hill. This allows you to bounce to the next step without getting bogged down on the incline. Make sure you have good posture and lean forward a bit. If you get tired, pump your arms harder to give more drive to your step, much like a mountain biker when he/she stands up off the seat for extra power on uphills.
After you get to the top of the hill you are going to have to run down it; unless you live at the top of a humongous mountain looking down on everyone else like I do. I do have to run down my driveway sometimes to get the mail and when I do, I make sure I put the center of my body weight over my knees. This helps for balance as well as gives my legs greater ability to slow down my pace if needed. You want to strike on the balls of your feet in order to keep your balance and be able to react to any missteps you may have to take. Obstacles can come at you quickly when you are trail running down hill. You want to relax, look ahead and try to grip and rip without pounding the ground. Pounding the ground not only hurts your joints but its like slamming on the brakes with each step. Run lightly by keeping your feet close together. If you must slow yourself down put your elbows out like you are flying. This will keep you from pumping your arms which increases your speed and will give you more wind resistance, all while giving you more balance on the downhill. It’s like taking your foot off of the gas on the highway instead of hitting the brake pedals…I’m not sure many people know what I’m talking about here.
Life is like a roller coaster, you’re trail running doesn’t have to be the same way. Although you are running up and down hills take it even, Steven. Slow and steady wins the race. At least that’s what my grandfather always told me and I could never beat him no matter how old he got!
