Stride length training

Tezzle wrote:

After 6 weeks of this (running at a lowered cadence of 160-165ish versus 175ish) I've yet to see any improvement in stride length during the steady runs, and it still feels relatively sluggish and laboured.

Are you trolling? If your cadence is lower and you're running the same speeds, your stride length literally must be larger.

If I were you, I'd not try to consciously lower cadence, as it could increase injury risk by affecting your posture. If anything, try bounding up hills once or twice a week a la Lydiard, or maybe include some heavy lifting into your regimen to get a little more power out of your legs. Plenty of studies have shown that lifting (squats, deadlift) benefits running economy.

Anecdotally, I've always noticed a drop in my cadence after starting up fast intervals once track season rolls around. After a few weeks getting comfortable at 1500 pace and faster, my form feels like a lot more of a "lope."

I'm not trolling - I didn't mean to imply I was running the same speeds, and obviously if I go faster it's primarily from my stride length increasing.

My point is that I'm trying to cut down on the stress I put my achilles through by altering my form on steady runs when pace doesn't matter. I think about keeping my foot planted and extending leg fully to increase ground contact time and reduce achilles stretch-reflex, and this has decreased achilles soreness. The lower cadence is a side-effect, not a goal in itself.

I expected my runs using this method to go from horrifically slow to still poor but not quite as bad as my body got used to it, but there's been no real improvement yet.

I'm happy to believe that I'd be better off just running normally, and managing my achilles in a different way, but just wanted to see if anyone else had tried similar changes to their form and had any insights. Vague concept, but how do slow twitch runners who don't have much bounce in their stride anyway feel during steady runs as they get faster?

I wonder if you should be focusing on KNEE DRIVE and not a slower stride rate. Knee drive would force your legs "up and around" & should lengthen your stride length.

I think you wrote about "planting your foot" when you run. That doesn't sound right at all! You should be thinking about LESS ground contact time (i.e. stride rate).

But, I suspect hill work--lots of hill work--would help with knee drive, leg strength, &, most importantly for your dilemma, stride length.

Your whole theory is misguided. You can't "save" your tendons and elasticity by not using them.

Thanks for the advice. How would you suggest I go about decreasing ground contact time whilst lowering achilles activation?

Hill work is one way to push hard with limited elasticity, but from a practical standpoint I would like to get a similar effect on the flat.

Stride length provides secondary contribution to athletic performance. The important variable to focus on is leg speed velocity. Completion of the various leg speed velocity exercises should provide extensive benefit.

Good luck and keep us posted.

specificity matters wrote:

Your whole theory is misguided. You can't "save" your tendons and elasticity by not using them.

My achilles are certainly less sore from this so there's a short term advantage even if long term there's no difference. Tim Noake's idea around the long term effect is summed up here, I took it at face value without looking into the detail but if you have any further insight then that would be great. :

Look here man, I'm not trying to be an a-hole for saying this, but I legitimately want to help you right now so work with me here...

You are WASTING your time "driving your knees" or stride length. I'm not saying it wont make you better...what I am saying is you need to think of it differently. Think about "pushing" into the ground with your ankle at 90 degrees or as close to it. you will adapt much quicker to it. your knee will be driven upwards naturally as a result.

You're doing it wrong. You shouldn't change your natural running style. That's why it's not working.

Your problem is simply that you are training too hard and not recovering. You need more slow days for recovery. You have to listen to your body.

Jon Orange wrote:

You're doing it wrong. You shouldn't change your natural running style. That's why it's not working.

Your problem is simply that you are training too hard and not recovering. You need more slow days for recovery. You have to listen to your body.

Jon is correct, and I may add that if you want to save your legs, try to run a good portion of your mileage on grass/soft surfaces. I'm lucky enough to be able to run about 50% of my weekly mileage on grass/wood chip trails. It really does make a difference by reducing impact stresses on your legs.