Downhill Running

A few years ago, I decided on doing the "Run the Red" marathon. My research showed it to be a fast course with a predominately downhill design to it. With this perceptive in mind, I set about building up my quads. I did lots of hill repeats and rode my bike to help strengthen my legs.

Going into the race, I thought my homework had been appropriate. The weather at the start was cold and wind was blowing something ugly. I remember just trying to settle-in and just run.

They didn't have clocks along the course and I don't look at my Garmin for my own reasons.

So I wasn't really aware of my time until a flashed through the ½ point in just over 1:16. My legs didn't feel great but they were still churning along. I remember going through 20 miles in just under two hours. From there, it seemed like every uphill hurt and downhill hurt more.

I felt physically like everything was coming totally unglued but mentally, I was just tackling each hill one at a time.

One of the things that I remember is coming on to track at the finish. For the first time, I looked at my Garmin and suddenly realized if I could push the hurt and pain aside for another 90 seconds, I could break 2:40. I did it with 15 seconds to spare.

Boy, I was really stiff after the race.

But the days that followed were even worse. For the next 5 days, my quads just plain hurt. Setting or standing required me to use both hands.

I thought going into the race that having strong quads was the answer to handling a downhill course and yes, it did help me run fast, but it didn't help handle the downhills.

Now, with Boston just a few days I once again stand ready to challenge the marathon distance. Again, I have used a lot up hills in my preparation, but with one slight change. For every uphill that I have run I have tried to incorporate a downhill section at a fast pace.

However, my biggest problem is that I will not know if I did everything right until I get ¾ of the way through Boston. By then, it will be too late to do anything about it. On the other hand, if my workouts were the right ones, then I am going to feel really good between 21 and 26.

Changing subjects slightly, I have been researching the Boston course. I have looked at spread sheet break downs of the course, elevation charts, you tube videos, and people's comments on marathon guide as well as listen to Grey Myers and Alberto Salazar give their thoughts on the Boston course. I put all of this information together and formulated my own plan for how I want to run Boston.

With that said, what most people say is that the hills are really tough and get most runners. Honestly, the hills don't really bother me. I know they are coming but I don't worry about them until I reach them. Then, I focus on running just that hill before moving on to the next and the next. After all, I ran Twin Cities last fall. The last 6 miles is virtually all up hill.

Right now, I have a game plan of trying to hit the ½ way point in about 1:18 and some change. This gives me roughly 60 seconds of banked time to give back going through the hills. I realize this is cutting it kind of close if I want to run a 2:39:59 or better.

Running fast really comes down to believing in the workouts that you have done and first and foremost "believing" in yourself.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner