Downhill Running Practice

Last year at Speedgoat I found myself running with many of the top 10 women throughout the day.  Since then I have joked with people that when I do a big race that draws lots of top runners my goal is to be top 10 in the women's category!  There are a lot of amazing female runners out there so I would consider this brag-worthy accomplishment to be able to hang with them!

Photo John Medinger

Last year I would have been 12th woman overall so I have to pick up my game this year.  I had the opportunity to run with Meghan Arbogast (Yes she's a rockstar! See her results here) from around Baldy Peak at mile 23 or so to the finish.  We leapfrogged a number of times.  I was still crushing the uphill sections and she was destroying me on the downhill sections.  At the end of the big downhill after the Tunnel Aid Station I was finally able to catch her on the following mile that has nearly 1,200 feet of gain.  As I passed she jokingly said, "See you on the next downhill!"

It was funny but I told myself I was going to try and maintain a good push up the hill to get enough space that she couldn't catch me on the downhill.  The downhill is 5.2 miles and 3,200 feet of descent so I knew I would have to really push.  I am not sure how far ahead of her I was at Hidden Peak but I held her off for as long as I could and she passed me less than a mile from the finish.  She passed by with a smile and finished a few minutes ahead of me.

I had no idea who she was at the time and when I got home I looked her up.  After seeing her impressive running history I felt pretty good to even be near her!  Watching her glide downhill was a sight to behold which has undoubtedly helped in her numerous top ten finishes at Western States.  So I thought I would just ask her what her secret is!  Most of the accomplished ultra-runners, both men and women, are very approachable and are happy to talk with everyone at races.  I sent her a Facebook message and asked her what if she had any advice for me.

I found this yesterday when I was cleaning out my email and I figured I would give her advice a try while running up and back on Lucky Peak.  It was a bit darker today since we started at 5am and although I had a headlamp I turned it off as soon as I could make out the rocks.  Running pre-dawn when the light isn't the greatest does force me to trust my foot placement more.  It is uphill for 5.15 miles though so obviously I wasn't moving too fast when the light was low. 

The downhill drops roughly 3,100 feet in 6.05 miles after hitting the summit.  I was with Derek and David this morning and settled in behind David.  I wanted to get the 'find a good downhill runner and chase them' part of the plan working right away.  David is super fast and even Derek and I hold HIM back!  Staying relaxed and loose has always been my problem.  I think it stems from being overweight my whole adult life prior to running.  I always have this feeling like I am killing my knees a legs and consequently give about 75% on the downhill.

Today I kept my arms loose by my sides, took longer strides while still keeping my feet under my hips, leaned into the downhill from the ankles/hips, etc....all the stuff I ALREADY know but never really seem to put into practice.  

Chasing David and paying attention apparently worked for me today.  I cut over 7 minutes off of a route I have done many times and the majority of the improvement was on the downhill while maintaining a 145 heart rate.  This is a comparison to my previous best time by mile (other than lap 6 which is the summit and the final stretch to the car). 

Moral of the story....just relax and have fun. The details work themselves out with practice! Thanks Meghan