Downers (Now I am referring to hills)

About a month ago, I pulled my left calf muscle while doing a long hill run.  I hit the top of the mile or so long hill, looked around to enjoy the scenery and headed back down.  As I started down the long, steep hill it suddenly occurred to me -

[caption id="attachment_405" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Obviously, the runner pictured here is not me. Heck, I don't even know the person!"][/caption]

I don't know how to run down hill in Vibram Five Fingers.

A quick google on my phone let me know that you needed to move your feet fast, and control your speed by leaning. I made it down the hill, ran a ways longer and felt that *SNAP* feeling in my calf that you can read about - if you google "runners calf strain."  

Enough back ground, now the neat part.  As I obviously wanted to learn HOW to run downhill in the VFFs in a way that didn't end with me calling my wife to come get me, I did what we "computer geeks" do - and started googling online.  Believe it or not, I couldn't find any good information.  I found conflicting information on stand up straight, or lean forward/back.  This made me decide to go to everyone's favorite resource:

Vibram FiveFingers Facebook Page

 

FACEBOOK!!!!  So I went to the Vibram discussion board and posted there.  Same result - DEAD END!!! no one responded..  Then the responses started coming in a flash!

Here was the response that I got that I am going to try this weekend:

"If you bend your knees a lot - you'll find that you can comfortably just fly down the hills. I used to take it easy down the hills - now with lots of knee bending, I take short strides but go down hills very quickly and comfortably. Don't lean forward - just bend your knees. - I didn't invent this - it's all well explained in Barefoot Ken Bob's new book."

Looking forward to trying it this weekend!