So what do strides REALLY do? I have been doing 6-8 60meter strides 2-3 times per week (basically I just sprint for 60m). AmIdoinitright? Is there a better way to do them? What kind of benefits should I be seeing?
(I am a 5k runner by the way)
I am basically just doing them because other people do them, and was just wondering the reason.
man who run fast often good at run fast
man who don't run fast not good at run fast
Strides should be done comfortable at about 80 percent pace.
Should focus on good form and powerful stride.
This will build leg strength/power, running economy, and sprinting speed.
I've always questioned the effectiveness of strides. In my opinion, if you can finish the last 5-10 minutes of your runs at a fast pace not all out of course, it'll give you a more direct/specific stimulus for improvement than strides.
The argument for doing strides is that in doing them you touch on your speed and also work on improving your biomechanics. But if you do a mix of hill work outs and short reps on the track on a weekly basis, do you really need to do strides on your recovery days?
Coaches, runners - what are your thoughts?
If you do them properly (i.e. with good rests between reps), the strides are essentially alactic. Their primary benefit, then, is on your neuromuscular system, promoting economy and fluidity at higher speeds.
My college coach called them "pickups," which I think is a more helpful term*: you jog a few steps into the rep, then gradually/smoothly pick up your tempo--the frequency of your steps--to accelerate. You'll work up to a fairly high speed, hold it for a few steps, and ease off. Get a good walking rest (some just walk back to the start--I especially recommend this on windy days, because you generally want to have the wind at your back when you do these), then go again.
The total length for a given pickup will probably vary between 60m and 100m. As you become more skilled at them, within each rep you'll probably build to a somewhat higher peak speed--and keep it a few steps longer--while still maintaining complete relaxation and control; hence the distance of each rep will probably increase.
As with most physical skills, pickups *initially* are best learned when relatively fresh--fairly early (though after some warmup) in a training session, in other words. But once they're well-learned, they can be done in the more traditional place, following a distance run. (But try this sometime: get a bit of warmup, do some pickups, and *then* go for your run. You may be surprised by how well it goes.
*I do realize that most people call them "strides," but sometimes that term confuses people and makes them think that lengthening one's stride is the goal of the exercise. It is not (although your stride will probably lengthen a bit, without any effort, as your tempo increases): the idea is to develop/maintain smoothness and control.
That's why just blasting off for 60-80m sprints is not the ideal way for most people to do strides--although even doing them as sprints is better than not doing them at all!
Couldn't have put it better myself. This describes exactly how I do them.
They are about teaching your body to run fast and relaxed. They are most definitely worth doing, imo.
Years of Coaching wrote:
I've always questioned the effectiveness of strides. In my opinion, if you can finish the last 5-10 minutes of your runs at a fast pace not all out of course, it'll give you a more direct/specific stimulus for improvement than strides.
The argument for doing strides is that in doing them you touch on your speed and also work on improving your biomechanics. But if you do a mix of hill work outs and short reps on the track on a weekly basis, do you really need to do strides on your recovery days?
Coaches, runners - what are your thoughts?
Very good question, coach. If your aim in doing strides is to build a powerful stride--as the poster above you suggests--then I have to agree that other drills can provide at least as much benefit.
I used strides/pickups--for most runners--as an aid to distance-running speed, form, and efficiency, rather than for the development of pure power and sprinting speed. The latter, I agree, may be better developed with things like brief uphill "blasts," longer work on rolling terrain, and short reps.
In pre- and early season, I assigned pickups more frequently. Toward the end of the season, when a lot of emphasis was on twice- or thrice-weekly "quality" sessions, the easy days tended to just be easy--sometimes with a few light pickups at the end, but just to finish feeling loose, not trying for any real development from them.
Note: "poster above you" = 24 Minute Guy
The value of year-round strides comes into focus when it's time to get into speed work.
Thanks for the input! Two more "quick" ( <-- get it? LOLOLOL) questions...
- Do short, steep hill sprints (8-10 sec) do the same thing?
- Can strides be used as "pick ups" during runs? i.e. Instead of strides, could I simply ease into a controlled, ~15 second sprint during my run? (And do this 6-8 times per run)?
Don't H8 the 800 wrote:
could I simply ease into a controlled, ~15 second sprint during my run? (And do this 6-8 times per run)?
That is usually what I do. I use ~30 sec pickup / 90 sec jog during the last 1.5 - 2 miles of an easy run. Sometimes I do then as an add-on after.
Don't H8 the 800 wrote:
could I simply ease into a controlled, ~15 second sprint during my run? (And do this 6-8 times per run)?
That is usually what I do. I use ~30 sec pickup / 90 sec jog during the last 1.5 - 2 miles of an easy run. Sometimes I do then as an add-on after.