Has anybody out there increased their stride rate and thus improved their racing times?

For the 3200 meters I actually decreased my stride length and chopped about half a minute off my PR.

But I guess it all varies relatively. I have no idea how many steps I take per lap. I think the most efficient stride is what you're looking for--what allows your body to run most fluidly.

decreased stride length = faster turnover/stride length

Higher stride rates equal less leg power per stride required which mean less anaerobiosis. Just as the elite cyclist learn to spin at higher cadences to reduce fatigue, so do very good runners tend to work on high stride rates. Check out Bekele's stride rate; about 200 per minute. Tinman

I always thought that part of what separated Michael J from the field in the 400 was his phenomenal turnover, which kept him from tying up as bad in the final 150m.

my team actually does drills to help with this. I always count my steps for 10 seconds then multiply to see how i'm doing. I'm around mid 160's. I don't possibly see how i can get to around 180. I feel like i'm already taking short steps and I'm 6'2. My long legs stride longer than most peoples but I still get yelled at for overstriding.

This separates the men/women from the boys/girls! At the world class level there are tall, short, skinny, powerful, great form, poor form, etc. etc. The one common factor that they all have, with very few exceptions, is rapid turnover of 180 strides per minute or more. This is something that can be worked on and changed. It forces you off your heels and keeps your feet under your body in a more economic position. Your times will follow. I know many individuals who have consciously improved their running in this manner. If you are not working on this during everything from long runs, intervals, easy runs, etc. you are not trying to improve.

My high school coach spent about a month last year adding form work/ stride shortening to the end of practice. Pretty much everyone on the team dropped about 15 seconds or more in the 5k

xOf1 wrote:

Anybody out their made a serious effort to increase their cadence?

Say from 160-170 to 185-190 steps per minute?

If so did your race times improve?

And how did you go about increasing your cadence?

Thanks!

It was summer down south. my coach had me do 2x600m with about 2 minutes rest in 1:25's I ran the first in 1:26. He said I was overstriding and to fix it. I ran the second in 1:24. My conclusion: it works, but it takes a while to get used to it.

status quo wrote:

I always thought that part of what separated Michael J from the field in the 400 was his phenomenal turnover, which kept him from tying up as bad in the final 150m.

Agreed! Your observation about the fast turn over of Michael Johnson is correct, both in the 400m and 200m. He saved energy and did not slow as much as other runners. Tinman

MJ hit up to 300 strides per minute down the backstretch of a 400. His stride length was 81 inches, compared to Cathy Freeman whose stride length was 94 inches per stride!

Facts and Figures wrote:

MJ hit up to 300 strides per minute down the backstretch of a 400.

Is that right?

A D wrote:

My high school coach spent about a month last year adding form work/ stride shortening to the end of practice. Pretty much everyone on the team dropped about 15 seconds or more in the 5k

Can anyone give some suggestions on drills to improve on stride shortening?

There are many form drills that you can do, but the best way to start is simply be conscious of it. Feel yourself pitter-patting along, preferably on your mid-foot, on all runs. If struggling to hit predetermined times on reps, all I have to do is tell myself to "shorten up" and the times come down without any additional effort.

Tinman,

You always seem to know the literature well, so I'm sure you've read the studies that explore the energetics of stride length. These studies show that, while runners have a greater tendency to over than understride, most highly experienced runners choose a stride length that is very close to the optimal based on oxygen consumption. The main finding from that work is that optimal stride length is very individualized, it can be long in a shorter runner and short in a taller runner.

The other issue is speed. Faster speed allows for a greater cadence. Bekele runs fast. Much faster than I can. If I were to use 200 strides per minute, each stride would be ridiculously, and inefficiently, short. Conversely, at his speed, 160 steps per minute would be bounding.

I was able to increase stride rate simply by focusing on the issue for a month during easy runs. Now 180 feels natural instead of 160.

Kip Belgium wrote:

I was able to increase stride rate simply by focusing on the issue for a month during easy runs. Now 180 feels natural instead of 160.

Yes, but did your race times improve?

As a general rule, one can save energy by learning to run along at a faster stride rate. This is easily observed when one runs along while wearing a heart rate monitor. Heart rate drops when stride rate goes up at a given speed, to a point. As one practices a faster stride rate, over days and weeks, one can run along faster while using a given amount of energy. It is worth the time invested to learn the faster stride rate. Tinman

True, as you say, "to a point". I found a good way to test this is on a treadmill with a HRM. You set your pace, count strides, and see where your HR is lowest. There is a correlation between speed and cadence.

I really appreciate everyone's responses, but I was really looking for specific answer to a specific question:

Has anyone had PERSONAL experience where they consciously took a long-term approach to increasing their stride rate and had a decrease in race times?

Please no more theory (I've read it all already) or talk about how many strides MJ took to run 200 meters.

Timnan, you say that increasing stride rate is beneficial (and I believe you), but have you coached anyone who has actually increased their rate and improved race times?

Thanks Again.