tips on running up and down a mountain?

valentine4

Hi all,

Hopefully some of you can offer some advice ( again!)

I have entered into a 10K up to the summit of a local mountain and back down again.

I have done a 10K race before but it was flat, I was out on the mountain yesterday and it is waaayyy different! There are about 5 steep climbs on the road and then the last few hundred yards on a trail up to the top.

Can you advise me on technique when going up - the race starts with a v steep incline, should I keep jogging extremely slowly or is it ok to walk? also what about coming back down I found I was pounding coming down and found it hard to stay in control.

I am relatively fit, on flat I can do 10K in under an hour continously running I am just finding it difficult figuring out how I approach this..

As ever any advice is greatly appreicated!

valentine

Pinkranger626

To train for it, start running hills regularly. Hill repeats are a great workout to do. I usually go and find a really steep hill (not hard where I live) and then I choose how many times I'm going to repeat the hill, run up as fast as you can for as long as you can and walk the rest if you need to, walk down to the bottom and repeat for the number of times you chose.

As for form and technique, when running up the hill I find it helps to slow down your pace and lean forward slightly with most of my foot strike on the toes. On the way down make a conscious effort to keep your knee soft, landing on bent knees will take a lot of the pounding out and its much nicer to your knees. Also, rein in your pace and keep a steady, slower pace than you really want to. I tend to lean backwards slightly to keep me from running full tilt down the hill with no control.

Lastly, make sure that you're doing strengthening for injury prevention. Every runner, no matter what distance you're training for should be doing the minimum of lower body strengthening 1-2 times a week.

Check out runnersworld.com for lots of strengthening information as well as more tips on running down hill. You can just search running hills and I'm sure it'll pop up a ton of articles.

astronomicals

this may seem obvious, but, I'd run a bit before the race to get warmed up... going from "cold" legs to steep hills is too extreme for me

cjcolorado

I agree with everything that's already been said. In addition, if that mountain is close to you, then one of the best things you can do (obvs) is to practice where the race will be. It's not a faux pas to walk or stride on steep inclines, either, if that feels appropriate when you're there. However, if you do choose to run them, shorten your stride (you'll naturally be running more on your forefoot) and be sure to keep your eyes looking up the hill. Depending on how much time you have until the race, build squats into your routine, which will help develop power for the up-hill. I always find that the downhill portion of those races is hardest on me after the fact. DOMS is almost inevitable. But, I agree to look at Runner's World for tips, as well.

Mischievous_Rascal

this may seem obvious, but, I'd run a bit before the race to get warmed up... going from "cold" legs to steep hills is too extreme for me

You do need a really good warmup!!! http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/staley14.htm

I LOVE hill sprints. You'll feel so pumped after you're done!!! Have fun!

Targonis

A heart rate monitor can really help you with your training. No, I don't work for a company that makes or sells heart rate monitors, but I've been using one for the past month or so. The trick is to see what your heart rate is while running normally, then notice how high your heart rate is when running uphill. By training on hills for an extended time, you will see your heart rate will drop over time on the hills, and you will also learn to regulate your speed based on your heart rate during training. Over time, the improvements to your overall health will allow your body to handle the hills more easily.

That doesn't tell you exactly what to do, but once you are used to training with a heart rate monitor, you will be able to speed up or slow down based on heart rate, and allow you to complete the race, even if your speed won't be as fast as your normal 10K pace would be. Note that NO ONE runs a mountain race as fast as they would run a flat course, but training for mountain races will really help your normal flat runs a fair bit.

valentine4

thanks for the advice! I was on runnersworld. Its a really good site, I got lots of tips there and here, thanks again!

valentine

jacksonpt

Are you looking for tips on how to train, or actual technique for trail/hill running?

Training... train in conditions similar to how you will race. If it's a hilly course train in the hills. If it's going to be hot, train in the heat. So for you, the more hill/mountain work you can do leading up to the race, the better.

Technique.... focus on shorter strides and keeping yourself under control, especially on the way down. Going up, there comes a point where a "power walk" is going to be just as fast as a slow run, but probably easier to maintain. You'll have to go by feel here.