When training for your 2019 Colorado Marathon, we hope you’ll take into consideration the type of terrain you’ll encounter. The Colorado Marathon course is located on a steady decline, making it the most easy-going downhill marathon Colorado has to offer!
With a lot of factors to consider when training for a downhill race, we know it can be difficult to know which training tips to pay attention to when training for our race. We’ve laid out three tips for running the 2019 Colorado Marathon – one of the best downhill marathons in Colorado! If you take these tips into consideration, your experience on race day will be better than ever:
Tip #1: Avoid Heel Strike
What is heel strike? This is a method of walking and running where the heel contacts the ground first. This can be detrimental to your hips and knees, since it puts an intense amount of strain on these body parts. If you put too much emphasis on landing on your heels, you run the risk of getting shin splints from your run.
Try to think of your foot as evenly weighted throughout the entire surface. When running downhill, your foot should land evenly on the ball, the middle, and the heel. This is also called mid-foot strike, which you can see demonstrated by Colorado In Motion – watch the video now. By consistently utilizing this tip, you’ll be well on your way to successfully completing one of the best downhill marathons in Colorado, or the best downhill half marathon Colorado runners have ever seen!
Tip #2: Lean Forward
Resist the natural tendency to lean backward when running downhill. By leaning forward from your hips, you’ll be saving your knees and quads from a lot of pain in the long run. While leaning forward, engage your core and align your upper body over or in front of your lower body.
Tip #3: Train Slow and Steady
Be smart about your downhill marathon training! If you’re not used to downhill training, start your training out with no more than one downhill run per week. Begin downhill training on soft terrain, such as grass or dirt. Work your way up to training downhill two or three times a week and running on harder surfaces like asphalt or sidewalks.
It’s almost as important to take it easy at the beginning of your training as it is to take it easy at the end of your training. During the two weeks before race day, ease back on your downhill training runs. Better to be rested and injury-free than to push through some extra runs.
When training for the most fun downhill marathon Colorado has to offer, we hope you’ll consider these three tips. These factors are important to keep in mind throughout your training process and on race day for the 2019 Colorado Marathon on May 5th!
Haven’t registered for one of our races yet? Get on it! Sign up today to participate in one of the most beautiful and best downhill marathons in Colorado!