Trail Tips for Running Uphill and Downhill

One of the factors runners will quickly notice when they start trail running is the ever-changing topography. Trail runners constantly find themselves face-to-face with challenging inclines and thrilling declines. Whether you're going uphill or downhill, it can be intimidating and also very taxing on your body to overcome these obstacles. So what's our advice? Embrace it! Accept the challenges of the trails and meet them head-on. We've partnered with the popular brand Salomon to offer some techniques and strategies from decades of experience that can help you make these mounds, hills, or mountains much more manageable.

A major difference when running on trails as opposed to the road or track, is the need to alter your stride. Because there are more obstacles to tackle, in addition to more frequent, dramatic variances in both incline and decline, runners will need to adjust their step length and cadence accordingly. We recommend shorter strides with a higher cadence (steps-per-minute), to give you more adaptability and control to avoid tripping or falling over obstacles in the path. A short, high-cadence stride will also help you save energy so that you can finish your trail running adventure without getting too worn out.

Regardless of your running experience or fitness level, running uphill can be quite a challenge. Luckily, there are slight changes in running technique that can make climbing hills feel a lot easier. The first strategy is to slow down. The aim of trail running is to keep a consistent effort, not necessarily a consistent pace. When you start attacking an incline, you will need to adjust your pace so you can continue to run efficiently and conserve energy for later in your run. Depending on the length and steepness of the climb, you may decide that power hiking is more efficient and just as fast.

Power hiking is a great technique that allows you to conquer a climb while maintaining a manageable effort. The key to this technique is to lean slightly forward from the hips, not from the shoulders, so that you are properly engaging your glutes. Many runners even put their arms on their hips or thighs to help assist them with their ascent. This is also where you can open your stride a little bit to compensate for the slower cadence.

For those who can run up the incline, ensure you shorten your stride and run on the balls of your feet. Avoid leaning forward too much; instead, keep your torso upright with your centre of gravity over your forefoot. This technique will properly engage your leg muscles to maintain an efficient running form and enable the lungs to better take in oxygen. A strong arm swing will also help propel you up the hill.

It is commonly believed that downhill running is easy, but that is not entirely true. Your aerobic system may get a break as gravity pulls you down the hill, but repeatedly catching the weight of your body with the increased force from a descent can leave runners feeling pretty beat up.

To help mitigate the impact of running downhill, runners should make sure that they are running on the forefoot. This will reduce the overall load on the muscles and reduce some of the harshnesses of the impact by evenly distributing the forces your body is absorbing.

Next, do not fight gravity. Instead, let it do some of the work for you by slightly leaning forward from the hips. Continue to take shorter strides with your centre of gravity over the forefoot. Runners should also keep their eyes on the trail ahead of them to better analyse the terrain and anticipate their next step. Finally, let your arms extend away from the body and feel free to flail a little to help maintain your balance.