Running Bites.

I’m quite certain that when Joe Elliot, the esteemed and charismatic frontman of famed 80s rock band Def Leppard, penned the timeless line “Love Bites” for their 1987 banger album “Hysteria”, what he really meant to write was that running bites and it’s painful. Or at least, that’s what went through my mind today when logging my longest run to date this spring (11 whole miles) while LISTENING to “Hysteria”. Because I still listen to that type of music. Un-ironically.

OK, running doesn’t really bite. I love running, most of the time, and appreciate all it offers when trails open up and I can get high into the mountains on my own two feet (when skis aren’t an option, of course). But undeniably, running can hurt - the impact can serve up a wallop on your muscles and connective tissue, and risks of overuse injury run higher than non-impact sports like skiing and cycling. And particularly when entering the running season out of a winter of skiing, WITHOUT having logged many maintenance miles through the snowy months, it’s a rude awakening.

But there’s hope! Following up on the blog I wrote a couple weeks ago on the five things you can do to ease the transition to running, I thought of another one today: find more vert. Running (or fast-hiking) uphill dramatically reduces the impact because your vertical oscillation is lower so the resultant force upon the ground is (typically) going to be less. You also tend to get into a more dynamic position when running uphill because you’re naturally leaning a bit forward, getting your hips up and over the feet akin to proper running stride. And finally, going up means eventually going down, and running downhill encourages all sorts of positive adaptations! It challenges your ability to get forward and lean into the downhill and let gravity do the work (which can be a benefit on flats as well), and it also provides “free speed”, wherein you’re running faster because gravity is pulling you downhill. This engages a neuromuscular response, because your muscles are still having to fire more quickly to keep your feet under you at that higher downhill speed, and that creates an adaptation to turnover and speed which can be applied to flats and even uphills.

So don’t despair! Be patient, embrace the process and don’t overdo it this spring if you’re building back into running shape. Diversify your terrain and build gradually and aerobically, and maybe put a little Def Leppard in your ears to ease the path forward.