Romance languages have "motion" verbs like baixar, subir, etc., which primarily describe the direction of motion (up or down), and appear as the inflected verb in numerous idiomatic expressions. Comparable English expressions instead use a motion verb that primarily describes manner of motion as the inflected verb. The directional component, if included, is the adverb up or down. It is a difference in semantics.

So in addition to your example: Ela subiu a escada correndo (literally She ascended the stairs running), which corresponds to "She ran up the stairs." You find numerous others, like in French Montez le blanc d'un oeuf en neige (literally Ascend the white of an egg in snow) corresponding to "Whip an egg white into soft peaks." In both cases the Romance language construction has a direction-of-motion verb as the inflected verb, while the English construction has a manner-of-motion verb as the inflected verb.