See this link.
My take on this: I was the fastest downhill runner in Canberra once, even keeping with Olympians during races. (It was quite a different story on the flat and uphill.) But one day in a 25k race I jarred my back and was never quite the same again.
As time went on, and I got older, and shakier on my feet, I learnt to back off going down hills in races. I now run more slowly down hills than on the flat.
It's the old story. Anything that makes you stronger has the potential to damage you. There is always a threshold beyond which the training effect is negated.
My advice is to be very wary of any training that makes you stronger. By all means do it but begin cautiously; observe how you recover; increase the load after that at a very slow rate; and back off when any sign of problems surface.
I am in it for enjoyment and longevity.
My take on this: I was the fastest downhill runner in Canberra once, even keeping with Olympians during races. (It was quite a different story on the flat and uphill.) But one day in a 25k race I jarred my back and was never quite the same again.
As time went on, and I got older, and shakier on my feet, I learnt to back off going down hills in races. I now run more slowly down hills than on the flat.
It's the old story. Anything that makes you stronger has the potential to damage you. There is always a threshold beyond which the training effect is negated.
My advice is to be very wary of any training that makes you stronger. By all means do it but begin cautiously; observe how you recover; increase the load after that at a very slow rate; and back off when any sign of problems surface.
I am in it for enjoyment and longevity.
