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Workout - Strides or Surges |  |
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See the Index for more topics, information, hints and tips.
See other types of Running Workouts.
Use strides (sometimes called surges) near the end of a medium length run. Each stride only lasts about 100 yards. Divide this distance into thirds. Over the first third accelerate to about your one mile pace. Hold this for the middle third and then slow back down on the final third. Then run easy for a minute or two until you’ve recovered. You want to be able to keep the fast pace consistent throughout all the repetitions. You can work up to about ten repetitions which will take you about 25 minutes.
As you run fast your body learns how to run more efficiently. You will use a high Cadence of around 180 steps or foot strikes per minute. The fast portion of a stride is important, but during the slowing down third and the slow run recovery between strides is a fantastic opportunity to work on your form, especially your cadence. While you are running the fast part of the stride you probably have a good cadence of 180 steps per minute. During the slower phases try not to change your cadence or form, just shorten the length of each step.
Strides are one of my favorite workouts. They aren't too intense so you can do a few of them on an easy day. It's fun to run fast! And running fast teaches your body SO much. Your body needs to know how to change gears. If during a race you go up a steep hill, your body will treat it more like a stride and let you recover afterwards. If you need to put on a surge to pass someone, afterwards you can slow down and your body will recover.
You can do strides on easy days, but keep your fast pace slower than you would if you rested the day before and day after.
I've also heard that if you are really having a difficult time in a run or race, by throwing in a stride it can sometimes kick your body into behaving better. I've tried this on a couple of occassions and it has worked for me.
Benefits: Lets your body learn how to run faster more efficiently, with better form, recover while still running, kick at finish.
