naylors descending technique

[The Juicer]

Aye ;-)

On another DVD - one about the Lakes (the one where Cameron McNeish walks with Joss), there's another bit where he's with a fella called Ken Ledward. This Ken is skipping up some rather ambitious looking scrambling, when he announces he's got TWO hip replacements!!

And I moan at every little niggle.......

[Denzil]

my descending techniques goes something like this ;

get to top of hill, legs burning
turn to go down
why wont my legs work
where've they gone
oh well here goes
start steady
pick the line
get overtaken
shit
right stride out a bit
watch that stone
ow !
get overtaken
must remember to keep legs bent and lean forward
ah a smooth bit
thats better a bit of speed
damn my eyes are watering
cant see a thing
watch that loose rock
missed it great
shit, woh, bugger
oh look at the view
no dont look at the view concentrate
get overtaken
what speeds the Garmin showing
ow feck thats my ankle gone
why do I always try and look at my Garmin going downhill
'hobble curse hobble curse'
get overtaken
do I not like descending
stop whimpering ya big puff
Joss and Billy wouldnt be moaning they'd telling you to get your head straight and carry on
right here goes again
shit I'm at the bottom already !

[Chris K]

That makes me smile Denzil! Should I now feel guilty about being a little bit smug about my own ability to run downhill? No 'cos I still can't run up them!

[AllanT]

I can ascend hard (on a day when I'm not knackered)
I can descend like a demon.

So why aren't I up there in the races???

Because I'm sh1t on the flat!!! (oh yes & naturally there is always someone who can ascend & descend harder than you - the guy who wins the races generally).

That's where a lot of the difference is made!!!

As for descending well, the secret is as they say "brains off, brakes off". Let yourself relax, don't check your descent (trying to hold yourelf back is a ticket to the injury you think you're preventing). Sugar, better not give too many secrets away, or else more road runners will be coming on the fells & we won't be able to take ground back on the descents now they know our secrets!!!

[IainR]

I think a lot of it is getting into your stride fast enough, especially on the flats, maybe its speed of recovery from the ascent or ability to change stride, but I find better runners pull away from me at the brow of the hill/entering the flat.


Anyway I've also found that British Fell runners are excellent descenders. Over in NZ I don't think I was ever beaten on a descent by a kiwi, if you broke the legs down the brits would almost always be the top 3 fastest descenders. No idea why, maybe its the fact we do such rough fell race routes rather than trails. Over here, while my descendings OK I have to really work to maintain my position, over there I knew I'd always make up a good few minutes on the descents.

[clodhopper]

Denzil yout technique mirrors mine exactly. I have completely failed to master this 'disengage brain' method. My brain is constantly warning me that death is imminent. Guess I'll always be a wuss. Luckily I can climb like a demon.

[Denzil]

Clodhopper, just wish my ascending was 'demonlike', more like 'Stannah Stairlift', that is I can climb most things but only at a pace slightly slower than my granny with the arthritic knee and false hip ! However I would be able to carry Thora Hird on my back and ensure she didnt spill any of her cup of tea !!!

[daz h]

my problem isnt disengaging my brain , i think myself im that knackered after climbing , perhaps i should ease back a bit on the climb and put more into the descent

[Denzil]

Daz, probably a lot of sense in that as but if you're like me then you just want to overtake people. I know I have to take people on the ups cos I'm crap at coming down so I push harder, which in turns means dead legs to descend with. If I had the sense to hold back a bit on the up as you suggest then I might descend better. Trouble is whenever a race comes, common sense goes out the window !!

[clodhopper]

Clodhopper, just wish my ascending was 'demonlike', more like 'Stannah Stairlift', that is I can climb most things but only at a pace slightly slower than my granny with the arthritic knee and false hip ! However I would be able to carry Thora Hird on my back and ensure she didnt spill any of her cup of tea !!!

Mind you, having given this more thought I can in reallity only climb like a demon when compared to the field full of arthritic grannies. This probably explains why I am only a mid pack runner.
If anyone can suggest a race where the other competitors are all arthritic grannies please could you post a link so that I might be able to win something.
Trouble is half a dozen of them would probably pass me on the way down.