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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Running Hills

I read something the other day that makes complete sense to me. Hill running is a great way to get a hard workout in, without a lot of pounding on your body. We all know that. What I didn't think about is that the downhill is actually worse on your body. If you're a new runner, then walk the downhills. If you are an intermediate/advance runner, then you can run the downhills. But what I didn't realize, and I can't remember where I read this (Joe Freil?), is that if you're an intermediate/advanced runner, but you have a history of foot/heel/achilles/calf pain, then walk the downhill.

Good advice. Plus, it's too early in the season to injure yourself!

Happy running,
LaVonne

2 comments:

Janet said...

Hey! That explains something that has been puzzling me! The day after I do hills (including downhill), my calves are very sore for the first couple of miles. Hmmmm. What can a runner do about that??

LaVonne said...

Calf raises in your weight training! Calf strength is so important for triathletes in general, and can often be a problem area (including achilles). You use them so much in biking too - raise, raise, raise them! And do the type where you're standing on a step, so you can drop the heel down all the way on the down part.