How to Run Downhill

From Active​.com

Run­ning uphill is a chal­leng­ing car­dio work­out, but run­ning down­hill requires great tech­nique and strong form. The fol­low­ing tips can help you run down­hill by con­serv­ing your energy, reduc­ing your chance of injury, and improv­ing your speed.

 
1. Build up slowly to steeper hills.
Prac­tice hill tech­nique on small hills first because the steeper the hill, the harder it is to stay in con­trol on the decent. Small hills help build your con­fi­dence and per­fect your form.

2. Con­trol your pos­ture and keep your strides short and fast.
Short, fast strides allow you to adapt quickly to chang­ing ter­rain and keep you in con­trol of your speed so you don’t end up doing som­er­saults down the hill. Work with grav­ity. Instead of try­ing to pull back, focus on keep­ing your pos­ture straight and your legs mov­ing constantly.

3. Con­trol from your core and relax your legs.
The far­ther the mus­cles are from your core, the more relaxed they should be. So keep your core tight, but your lower leg and foot mus­cles as relaxed as pos­si­ble. This helps you adapt to ground changes quickly.

A strong core is your best asset for con­quer­ing hills. You may also find that your legs move faster when they are relaxed, although you are exert­ing less energy.

4. The steeper the hill, the more fore­foot your land­ings should be.
Your feet are more adapt­able when you land on your fore­foot going down­hill. This helps pro­duce a bet­ter turnover rate and sup­ports a speed increase.

5. Reduce fric­tion with rapid, con­trolled strides.
As you run down­hill, grav­ity pulls you for­ward. To keep from falling on your face, you need to either slow your­self down using fric­tion, or speed up your foot land­ings. Opt for faster foot land­ings. This can help you run both faster and more safely.

6. Rest as grav­ity pushes you for­ward.
After a hill ascent, this can be a wel­come rest. Let grav­ity do most of the work here. Use your core mus­cles only to hold back enough to main­tain control.

The key to run­ning down­hill is to main­tain con­fi­dence, stay relaxed, and work with grav­ity. Don’t be afraid as you gain speed. Increas­ing your cadence can pre­vent you from falling. Remem­ber: short, fre­quent, and con­trolled steps are essen­tial for run­ning down­hill effi­ciently and safely.