There
are
two ways to go faster – take longer or faster strides. Changes in
stride length
are largely dictated by fitness. However, you can increase your stride
rate,
and thus your speed, without a big increase in fitness.
Let’s
say
you run an 8:00/mile pace, taking 80 strides/minute (spm). That runner
will
take 640 strides (1,280 steps) in a mile, at a length of 4’ 1.5” per
step. With
just a small increase to 82spm, without a change in stride length, you
will
cover a mile in 7:48. That’s 1:13 faster for a 10km, over 5 min faster
for a
marathon. Who wouldn’t take that?
One
of the
most visible differences between elites and most other runners is their
stride
rates. Elite runners do 90-92 strides/minute (left-right is one stride)
in
marathons, and faster in shorter races. The average runner may only
have a
stride rate in the low 80s, and it may not vary much with speed or
distance.
A
faster
stride rate not only makes you run faster, but it is more efficient.
The
biggest difference between 80spm and 90spm is how much time your feet
are on
the ground. The more time on the ground, the more of your momentum you
take
away, actually slowing yourself down. You are absorbing more of the
ground
impact in your muscles and joints, rather than transferring that force
into
forward movement.
Changing
your
stride rate doesn’t happen over night. But it can happen over time,
with
practice.
Counting
The
first
thing to do is to count your strides while you run. The purpose is to
do two
things. First, find out where you are. Second, the simple act of
counting will
make you more aware of your stride rate, and tend to make you start to
stride
faster.
Count
for
1 or 2 minutes, a few times during your runs. Count at different paces
or types
of runs: long, short & easy, tempo, track, hills, flats, etc. See
how your
stride rate differs over pace (you’ll generally have a faster stride,
the
faster you go), distance and terrain, as well as whether it changes
over the
course of a run as you fatigue. Log these counts as your base rate, so
you can
track your progress over time. You don’t have to count on every run,
although
it’s something I do.
Also
note
how different stride rates feel. Does it feel slow or fast? Over time,
you
should notice that your old base rate will feel slow
Many
experts
mention 90spm as an ideal stride rate. That may be a good long term
goal, but in the short term, just focus on incremental increases.
Counting
(and
remembering) while you run is easy for some, and difficult for others.
I’ve counted my strides for an entire ½-Marathon. In fact, I
sometimes have to
purposely screw up my count to keep from doing it continuously. OK. So
I’m not
normal. If you find it difficult to count, start counting for just 20
(multiply
by 3 to get your spm) or 30 seconds (multiply by 2). Also, I find
counting
every other stride, where left-right = 1, instead of 2 (I don’t have to
count
as high).
Several
different
heart rate monitors and GPS watches include foot pods that measures
stride rate (and pace). I use a Polar 800sd heart rate monitor, with an
extremely light weight foot pod. This alleviates the pressure on me to
count in
my head while I’m running (I have counted in my head for an entire
½-marathon
race before). That feature is worth more to me than the heart rate
readings.
Striders
Add
Striders
to your training, focusing on stride rate. For those who don’t know
what Striders are, it’s a series of short sprints. Many group track
workouts
incorporate Striders into their warm-ups. They’ll sprint the straights,
and jog
the curves. You don’t need a track to do this. All you need is a fairly
flat
and smooth area, where you sprint for 20-40 strides, and jog for 30-60
strides
(same distance, about 50% more strides).
You
gradually
build your speed for the first half (50m on the track), carry that
speed to the finish, then gradually slow down. The focus shouldn’t be
on how
fast you can sprint, but rather on how fast you can stride. Keep your
stride
short and quick. Imagine running on hot coals, so that you want to lift
your
feet as soon as they hit the ground. Don’t reach with your stride. Let
me
repeat that. DON’T REACH! Does that mean making your stride shorter?
Not
really, but if that helps you to stride faster, then that’s a good way
to think
of it. What will happen is that when you start your sprint, your stride
may be
shorter, but as you speed up your stride, your stride will naturally
lengthen.
You
can
also do striders at the end of easier, shorter runs, as well as in the
middle
(part) of your longer runs.
Striders
are
a great warm-up before a speed workout or race. After the easy jog part
of
your warm-up, a minute or two before the start of intervals, a few
minutes
before the start of a race (especially shorter/higher effort races), do
a
series of striders (4-8, depending on weather and how hard you are
going to
run).
Stairs
Running
stairs
can force you into a quicker stride. Bleachers/stadiums, office
buildings, and for those of you in the
Hills, up and down
Running
hills,
both up and down, tends to magnify flaws in your form, making them
easier to feel and work on. Running uphill, the time your foot spends
on the
ground exaggerates the loss of momentum. Downhill, it exaggerates the
pounding
and braking.
Uphill:
Find
the steepest hill you can run (and maintain decent form, 5%-15%),
that’s
not too technical. It doesn’t have to be that long; 10-30 seconds is
enough.
Start by running in place, with short, quick strides (sort of like a
running
start), then lean forward and start running. Stride as quickly as you
can, a
little more than is comfortable (like striders). Exaggerate your arm
swing,
focusing a little more in the backwards swing of the arm. Drive your
knees up
and forward. Run as long as you can, until your form and rhythm starts
to
break, usually around 20 seconds.
Downhill:
It
can be easier to get a fast stride rate going downhill. Find a gradual
(about 2%-4% grade), smooth (either road, or dirt where you don’t have
to worry
about footing) downhill. Start slowly, and gradually pick up the pace.
Focus on
lifting your feet as soon as they touch the ground (like running on hot
coals),
and kicking back.
Extended Striders/Hills
Running
fast
for a short distance can be easy. After you’ve started working on your
stride rate for several weeks, it’s time to start working on extending
a higher
stride rate over distance.
Take
a
strider or uphill stride workout, pick a fast stride rate, and go a
little bit
farther than you normally do at that stride rate. I like doing this on
a steep,
paved hill. I can do 94-95spm, for about 30-40 seconds, before my form
starts
to break down. For this workout, I’ll go at 94-95spm until my form
starts to
falter, then I’ll continue running uphill for as long as I can maintain
a 94-95spm
rate, but at least another 5 seconds. These last few seconds are hard
and take
a lot of focus to maintain. Over time, a slightly slower stride rate,
but still
faster than your original base rate, will start to feel normal, and
your
current base rate will feel slow.
More Spring in your
Stride
When
your
feet hit the ground, your feet and calves should quickly gather some of
the
energy, then return it like a spring to propel you forward. You can
improve
your springiness by practicing dynamic, spring-like exercises. Jumping
rope is
a great exercise for this. You have to spring up quickly off the balls
of your
feet. If you don’t like jumping rope, you can do something similar with
a
stair, or other stable, fairly low platform. Stand on the lowest stair.
Hop
down, then quickly hop back up. Don’t let your heels touch the ground,
and
spring up as soon as your feet hit the ground at the bottom.
Listen to the Music
For
some,
running to the beat can help their stride rate. I don’t listen to music
when I
run, so I can’t speak from personal experience, but I know many of you
do. You
can program your own tunes. Note the beat of those tunes, and load
music with a
slightly faster beat than your base spm. You can also buy music
programmed for
specific beat rates. A metronome might help too, when running on a
treadmill.
Personal Experience
In
the
1980s, when I was mainly doing triathlons, I used to do 80spm. It was
the same
whether I was running at a 6:00 or 8:00 pace. I was so consistent, that
I could
accurately time my runs by counting my strides.
I
started
working on my stride rate several years ago. I regularly do striders
and uphill
sprints. And, when doing intervals, I focus on my leg turnover as well
as effort
and speed. Now, I do ~84spm on my easy runs (which feels slow), I can
do low
90s for a 5km, ~90 for a 10km, and was able to average 87spm at the
Boston
Marathon in April (2010). I’m not quite that high on hills, but it’s
something
I continue to work on. This has allowed me to stay mostly injury free,
and
continue to set PRs into my late 40s, and hopefully now my 50s.
Striding
faster
will make you a faster and more efficient runner, without requiring you
to get a lot fitter. It takes time and practice, but the ability to
increase
your stride rate is important for all runners. Start practicing. I’m
counting
on you.