Stride frequency and pace

To improve our race performances, we need to increase both stride length and stride frequency.

Eldoret wrote:

Numerous studies have observed your stride length increases with speed, greater increases at faster speed.

Meant to say stride frequency increases with speed. Well both do, there seems to be a very much pro increasing stride frequency over stride length view on this thread. I think the difference in elite and non-elite is more evident on the stride length side. I just have not seen any reason why a greater stride freqquency is the key, does anyone know of reason physiological or otherwise.

If I where you or anyone else, I would not worry about how many times my feet hit the ground when I am running. Counting your steps each run, is a very good way of makeing an fun run into a real task.

The 180 number is something that was put forth by JD, and it was a number he came to from useing since, and counting the number of steps that runner repeated per min. It is an intresting thing to know.

Keep this in mind, your body will find the ideal leght, and rate of stides. This happens just from running, and it not something you need to think about. Your body is a very smart machine, your heart knows that it needs to pump more blood when you run, and your body knows it needs to produce more red blood cells. All of this will take place without you ever giveing the matter a thought.

Now the best way to improve both stride rate and frequincy is to do some hill bounding or twice a week. And some short 50-100m allout sprits once or twice a week, with full rest. Lyidard come up with what I think is the idea program for this and what he had his runners do. In there hill phase, about week weeks they would spring up about a 300m-400m hill, they would then run very hard down the incline, and at the bottom of the hill do 1-2 hard 100-200m allout sprints. They would do this for about an HR, and then take a rest day and do it all over again. For week weeks total time.

I made a conscious effort to increase my stride rate. The result was that at the age of 40 I became even faster than the Great and Mighty Sol Richards.

Eldoret wrote:

[quote]Eldoret wrote:

I just have not seen any reason why a greater stride freqquency is the key, does anyone know of reason physiological or otherwise.

I'm mo tell y'again; TO IMPROVE OUR RACE PERFORMANCE WE MUST INCREASE STRIDE LENGTH AND STRIDE FREQUENCY.

as Sol says, hill running is a great way to do this.

I reccomend a weekly hilly run on roads, short fast strides uphill and long fast strides downhill. For the downhill strethces I think a gradient of 3-6% is best and any gradient going uphill will work.

If you live in a flat area, do short fast strides against the wind and long fast strides with the wind. This is obvious anyway as it is what we all do, but if we are more aware of the benefits, we can focus more on increasing both stride length and stride frequency.

Think of it this way, if you increase your stride length by 2%(losing 3 pounds of body fat will allow this) and increase stride rate by 2% (just concentrate more on lifting those feet and knees quicker) you will run 4% faster, that is more than a minute over 10k

I know to increase velocity you need to increase both. I was just wondering the cost of an increase. Does a 2% increase in SL cost more than 2% in SF? I am more of the view that the right combo will be choosen automatically. It was more a question to the advocate of greater SF, assuming the advocate it do to lower metabolic cost. I would see (up to a point) that an increase in SL as a less costly means. I reality, it is not up to us to choose but nature, it was just a theorical question.

Not sure the running fast down hill too much, still with a short stride normally overall pounding is down anyway.

If you have an efficient stride, then you can't force yourself to increase stride length. Runners who overstride, not only waste energy, but risk injury to most parts of their body.

As Jack Daniels has said, the way to increase stride length is to increase fitness. I know that hill running helps in this regard, if the downhill is not too steep, 3-6% on a downhill stretch of road is ideal, without risk of injury. On the uphill stretches, we can concentrate more on a fast efficient short stride.

Increasing stride frequency is something that we can do by foucusing on this in training and racing. I am surprised that you are not aware of this being done by elite Kenyan runners, given that you call yourself Eldoret. Have you ever trained there?

It means that you are probably not running efficiently for that speed, that is landing ahead of the body, etc.