What is the best technique for running downhill?
Running downhill is really all about falling gracefully. You naturally fall towards the ground because of gravity, so you want to do your best to let it do the hard work. Work WITH the hill by gently leaning your body INTO the hill. Relax and let it pull you down. If you try to fight gravity, your legs will come crashing down with each step, especially at the knees, which is probably what happened to the experienced runner. Open your running stride (i.e., increase your stride length so that you cover more ground with each step) and focus on planting your foot just behind your hip. Normally your foot lands just beneath your hips however, moving it to just behind your hips will help maintain momentum and reduce the impact forces you feel when your feet land under or in front of your hips. This takes practice – make sure to try this a little at a time to avoid injury. Good luck~!
