Decimate the downhills: a workout to make you indestructible

Runners on both trail and road often add uphill intervals to their training, only to lose speed and get sore, achy legs as they struggle on the downhills. Downhill training has a multitude of benefits, and the confidence gains, improved proprioception and agility will help runners, even if they’re gearing up to run a flat race.

For a downhill training session, you’ll shift your focus from intensity to technique. This can be a challenge, and it may help to use your watch strictly as a timer. The session should be short, so that you can stay focused and safe, and won’t need to take time off to recover. Don’t be afraid to venture into the woods, even if you’re building up to a road race–the different muscles activated during a downhill session will translate to more strength on the pavement as well.

Downhill repeats workout

Find a hill that it takes up to two minutes to run down: adjust the time according to your ability and experience. If you have a race coming up, try to find a descent that mimics the terrain you’ll be running on. This is a great time to practise running through mud or over technical sections, but downhill training can be done on the road as well.

Warm up with 10 minutes of very easy running and some dynamic stretches or drills.

Start this session at the bottom of your hill, and walk up the hill at an easy pace to your start point.

For your first interval, run easily down the hill, keeping your focus on moving smoothly and keeping track of how long it takes you to get to the bottom. Walk back up the hill for recovery. On the second interval, try to beat your first time, just by a little.

Repeat this six to seven times, each time trying to be slightly faster than the previous interval.

Cool down with five to 10 minutes of very easy running.

If focusing on downhill running is new for you, it can feel discouragingly slow and cautious. Practice is key here, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly you gain familiarity and confidence with only a few sessions, ready to conquer any terrain on race day.