Attention Recreational Runners! Why And How To Run “Strides”.
"Strides" are a great way to warm up and fantastic for building strength, speed and coordination without a high fatigue cost or lots of stress on your body.
This is especially so for beginner and intermediate runners, who may run with poor form at slower paces but have good technique at higher paces.
When the beginner and intermediate runner incorporates a sensible amount of speed training into their program, their good form at higher speed can start to bleed into their slower speeds.
I’ll say it again, when you run strides (or do sensible speedwork), you may bring your high speed mechanics (which are often really great) into your training and racing paces (which are often lacklustre).
Note: most distance running training and racing occurs at slower to moderate speeds (when compared to all out sprints).
Strides work because:
you get fitter from exposure to the faster running
you learn (subconsciously) to run with efficient mechanics
So, how do you run strides?
These can be done over a set distance (e.g. 100 metres) or a set time duration (e.g. 30 seconds).
You start out at a jog and then accelerate / build speed at a CONSTANT RATE until you hit approximately a 200m sprint pace by the end of the set distance or time duration.
Then take a rest, let your breathing calm down, and repeat. You should start each stride feeling pretty fresh. This is a drill, not a workout.
How many should I do?
There’s no correct answer, but for a typical 27-minute 5K runner, 4-6 reps of strides prior to each easy training run will certainly help a lot!