Speed Ahead into 2018

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

As we are heading into the off season, it’s time to start thinking about what simple tools you can do now which will help your running next season. Hopefully over the next few months you will see strides, trails, hills and various forms of strength and play on your schedule. All of these will help boost your fitness to the next level come next spring and summer.

Strides is the first off season training tool we are going to talk about. Expect to see these on your schedule. There are different ways to do strides but we are defining them as 4 x 20 seconds of faster running that are added on towards the end of your scheduled easy run.

Strides are a great way to introduce speed work or speed play as we like to think about them. These are very short bursts where you run at a fast pace deliberately. But they are short enough to not be very taxing yet still provide neuromuscular benefits.

How to do a Stride

After running your assigned workout plan to do your strides in the last mile of your run. Gradually accelerate your pace and hold for 15 – 20 seconds and then gradually slow down. This is not as fast as you can run but a pace where you are moving faster, thinking about your leg turn over and working on your running mechanics. It’s important not to explode into all out sprint as that is not the purpose nor will that accomplish the same benefit and it could lead to injury. We want you running faster but with control. These can be done anywhere but ideally they'd be done somewhere where there is good footing and relatively flat. 

Why are strides such a great training tool?

They are so short that many think that there can be no benefit. But it’s precisely the brief speed work which makes these so beneficial!

Endurance athletes spend most of the time running at a general aerobic pace. Strides are a safe and controlled way to offer speed training with minimal risks. They can be used by anyone in the off season, anyone who is injury prone or returning from injury to help with speed mechanics and anyone who may be daunted by more formal speed work.

It’s very easy to get stuck in a cadence or pace where you always run at the same pace and effort. Adding short strides provides a great way to stretch out your legs and change up that pace and over time this will lead to getting faster.  

There are several reasons we want to do this. A quicker pace will use a different energy system and will feel more challenging thus making the easy pace feel easier. On a neuromuscular level the goal is always to improve the communication between the brain and the body. The quick bursts in pace will cause our bodies to build more nerve pathways that we will use for better timing and coordination.

Practice makes perfect

When all your running is at an easy pace, it’s difficult to focus on running form. Most runners tend to do the same gait patterns over and over again. These short and speedy bursts give you a chance to work on important form cues.

Some running tips for strides (and in general for faster running):

• As running is a forward motion, think about moving your arms forward and back and try to avoid crossing your arms over your mid-body.
• Stay light on your feet and think “quick feet” as you work to take slightly shorter steps but bring your cadence (ie steps per minute) up
• Think "running tall" as good posture is an important component of good running form. You should have a slight forward lean which comes from your ankles and not bending at the waist as this helps propel you forward
• Think about hip extension and using your glutes to propel you forward.
• Stay relaxed especially in your shoulders. It can help to tense your shoulders up and then deliberately relax them.

Recover fully from each stride by walking or jogging very easily before beginning again. Your breathing should be back to a normal running pace before you do your next stride. That will usually take two to three minutes of easy jogging or walking between strides. These can be done over rolling hills or on flat sections. If your running watch doesn’t show seconds, just pick a telephone pole, trash can or tree a short distance away to run towards.

If you are new to strides, start with 4 x about 20 seconds once or twice a week with any run. Those who are more experienced or who have been running strides for a few weeks can progress to 6 x 20 seconds. Remember, these should be fun and not taxing at all!