Wow... all interesting. I did some reading today to figure out why my muscles are so sore... it turns out that uphill running is concentric contractions of the muscles, which means less sarcomeres in the muscles, and less lengthening of the muscles, which makes it [i]seem[/] easier, while downhill running is mostly eccentric contractions of the muscles, which means more lengthening of the leg muscles, and with more lengthening of the muscles, there is more microtears and damage to the leg muscles, which leads to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). This really does make sense. The reading I've done suggested that for downhill running, it would be a good idea to lean slightly forward and take longer strides to counteract the stress from the eccentric contractions. For running uphill, they suggested lifting the knees more, avoiding heel strike when the foot makes contact (make contact with the middle of the foot instead), and push off strong on the foot as it comes off the ground. That should help reduce the stress of the uphill run.

I'm going to try both methods when I start back with my running on Monday. Yay! I'm off for the weekend! I only run Monday through Friday!

Koffee