Respect The Slope

Around the year 1600, the Italian mathematician Galileo dropped some stuff from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and concluded that, ignoring the effects of resistance, all things fall at the same rate. So when we come to run down that big hill in front of us, simply relax, sit back, enjoy the in-flight movie, and we should all get to the bottom at the same time.

Only we won’t!

For several years I raced mountain bikes, during which time I had a reasonable amount of talent for the discipline of downhill racing. I have also spent many years skiing and snowboarding, so gravity sports are no stranger to me. There is a popular misconception that racing downhill is easy, because gravity does the work for you.

It isn’t!

Ignoring the resistance effects that Galileo mentioned, we will all accelerate down a slope at a rate of 9.8 metres-per-second squared, multiplied by the cosine of the angle between the slope and the vertical (I apologise for that sudden rush of blood to my physics gland, stick with me). What this simply means is that the steeper the slope the faster gravity tries to pull us down.

Gravity acts on us all in the same manner. But gravity alone would make for very dull downhill mountain bike racing. So to increase the entertainment value (i.e. the amount of bloodshed) for the spectators and competitors, downhill mountain bike courses are designed with sharp bends, ludicrous jumps and drop-offs, trees, rocks, mud and every manner of natural hazard that challenges the racer’s skill and nerve. To stay out of the ambulance it is a controlled fight against gravity rather than a free-fall with it.

And this is where there are parallels between biking and running.

If we run down a gentle slope we can cut-loose and really go for it. We’re not really arguing with gravity, merely flirting with it. But as a hill gets steeper we put the brakes on, slow down and start a battle; a battle we can’t win, we can only try and reduce the beating that gravity gives us.

The downhill war with gravity does funny things to our quadriceps (thigh) muscles. These muscles provide our main braking force, and unless they are battle hardened they become cannon fodder on long or steep descents. The act of running downhill produces eccentric contractions in the quads. This means that the muscle becomes longer as it contracts. Muscles don’t like doing this as it is very traumatic and requires a lot of energy, and results in a dramatic loss of power and endurance.

You may have noticed the effects of this if you have run hard down a steep or long descent – you reach the bottom and suddenly it feels like your wobbling legs have had half a dozen Babychams and are looking for a hedge to go to sleep under.

Many runners rightly add hill sessions to their training routine. Almost all run uphill hard, and jog back down slowly, repeating this several times until satisfied or exhausted (or they vomit, as I have on occasions). This is all well and good, and serves a valuable training purpose. But it doesn’t help to run downhill fast and it doesn’t help to recover from a downhill section mid-way through a run when there are still several miles left to cover.

By regularly reversing the hill session and running uphill easy and downhill hard, the runner can train their quad muscles to become more bomb-proof in the battle of eccentric muscle contractions. And this also improves downhill running technique.

As with many things, good technique is essential. When running downhill, try not to lean back. Instead lean slightly forward without bending at the waist, adopt good running posture, and on steeper ground take very fast steps and try to minimise the time each foot is on the ground. Be light on your feet. And every now and then run a little faster than is comfortable.

If you run on trails or fells you’ve all the things the downhill mountain bikers have to contend with – trees, rocks, mud, drop-offs etc. To run down mountains fast is a wondrously thrilling feeling, but requires high levels of technique, practice and confidence, as well as bomb-proof quads. You have to read the terrain in front of you, and use lightening fast reactions to pick where to place each foot. It is exhilarating, and definitely worth training for.

If you want to see the fastest humans, don’t head for the track for the explosive 100metres. Head for fell races. The best fell runners leap down mountains at a pace that would embarrass Usain Bolt, because they are using the power of gravity, controlled by their technique, nerve and training.

So the message is this: do some training running downhill fast, concentrating on good technique. In races, the one who gets to the bottom first, or with the least quad damage, is the one with the best technique, and who has trained to go downhill.

Usually!

Every May, at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, a bizarre and typically British event is held. The annual cheese rolling competition involves bunches of lunatics hurling themselves down a suicidal steep hill in pursuit of a cheese. The distance run (crashed) is only short, but this event surely qualifies as extreme running. Strangely enough, it is also something of an extreme ‘ambulancing’ event for the St John’s Ambulance staff, as broken limbs and injuries that require surgery and hospitalisation are not uncommon. The huge prize for risking life and limb at this event is…er… the cheese! You might as well jump off the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a lump of mozzarella.

Now I like running down mountains, and I like cheese, in fact I like them both a lot. But trying to chase a curdled dairy projectile that’s been hurled down a cliff is just plain stupidity. I’d rather pay for my cheese than risk a month in traction by chasing one off a near-vertical slope.

Respect the slope

Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire

For more info on ‘cheese rolling’ go to: http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/