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Running Strides – How, When and Why We Do Them

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Running Strides.  Maybe you’ve seen this on your training plan during race week or heard the term thrown around, but aren’t 100% sure if you’re doing them right.

No worries, runners have an entire vocabulary that we don’t always realize isn’t completely understood by both new and long time runners! In this instance, we aren’t talking about running form or analyzing your stride, we’re talking about another term for speed work.

A few other running terms you might need to know in the future, before we move on!

  • Tempo runs
  • Cadence
  • Runger
  • Fartleks
  • Runhole (hehe, made that up, but you get it)
  • LHR

Why do running strides?

One of the reasons, you often see a workout during race week of 3 easy miles + 5 strides is because their an effective way to get in a little speed without taxing the body. I wouldn’t consider them a speed training session, more like a running drill to add on to the end of your workout.

These short bursts allow you to:

  • practice foot turnover, instead of reaching for the next footfall to go faster
  • maybe shake off some cobwebs from easy running
  • are so short they won’t shoot up your heart rate
  • improve your running cadence

In fact, LHR runners could throw in 3 or 4 at the end of a run each week if desired. It’s a nice way to feel like you’re not always running at that slow pace and know that you will be able to pick up the speed when needed.

Do strides make you faster?

Yes. A lot of top athletes swear by including them and they’re a very good way for new runners to begin introducing speed without intimidation or going too far and risking injury.

running strides

How to do running strides?

Great now we know why they show up on training plans, but how do we do them correctly? When someone starts assigning intervals like 8 x 30 seconds, that is no longer a stride.

Strides are done after you finish your run and look like this:

  • short relaxed sprint
  • shorter than .1 mile (yes SHORT)
  • it’s a quick pick up, then back to recovery
  • 85% effort, but everything stays relaxed, no straining
  • you’ll take a full recovery between strides, which could mean 2 minutes of walking or easy jogging
  • think of quick feet, not longer strides
  • think about squeezing your glutes

Don’t think of this as a time where you’re trying to beat a previous time or GET FASTER. This is a drill that will help you to improve speed, but isn’t a workout. Don’t time it, just do the short burst and then recover and go again.

How many strides should you do?

In general, there’s no need to do more than 3-6 strides for most runners. You can start to incorporate them weekly at the end of easy or long runs, once you’ve established a solid running base.

These are different than intervals where you run a set distance for a set time, with a set amount of recovery. Instead, remember you’re focusing on doing a short pick up of speed to practice that feeling and then walking to recover.

When should you do strides?

Most often you’ll see them prescribed as something to do AFTER you finish an easy run. However, some coaches like to include them in the middle of a longer mid-week easy run.

The benefit is the same, just a different way of working out. Doing them during a longer run, can help to simply switch gears and sometimes bring a little life back to your legs if they’re feeling heavy.

All right, short and sweet just like striders!! I hope this helps to explain this running term for you!

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Posted by amanda Categories: running coach

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Hello runners! I’m Amanda Brooks, a certified personal trainer and running coach. I’ve been coaching over a decade and distance running since 2002. My philosophy is that running isn’t about your pace or the distance or your body. It’s about showing up for yourself, loving the process and doing it injury free!

 

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Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might alr A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might already know what’s best for you, but aren’t doing it consistently. That’s the only way we really make changes.
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A PLAN can help, but I often don’t think that’s step one to making lasting change.
//
HABITS AND ROUTINES✴️
-Eliminate the need to make decisions.
-Which reduces brain fatigue.
-Which increases your chance of success.
//
TINY HABITS✴️
This is the smallest step you can take towards your goal. Often so small it seems insignificant, but is easy to make it a habit.
🌟
That leads you to another tiny habit, then another and suddenly it’s just your lifestyle.
👆👆👆
When people ask how I easily kept off 35lbs for over 15 years, while enjoying pizza, taking rest days and not obsessing about food.
👇👇👇👇
When people ask how I stay motivated to run year round and rarely race. Tiny habits.
//
Day one isn’t eat perfect or run for an hour.
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Day one IS drink a glass of water when I wake up. Put on my running clothes.
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Day 30 is then more like after I drink my glass of water, I do 5 push ups. After I put on my running clothes, I do a 5 minute warm up.
//
SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS, it builds momentum and is sustainable.
❔❔❔
Have you ever practiced creating tiny habits???
1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR? M 1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR?
Mine... satisfying.
😊
1900 miles blows away previous years.
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(swipe to see...because yes I love tracking.) Unfortunately I’m not positive what it was 2001-2007 because I wrote it on calendars.
//
SATISFYING
🥰I needed the long miles early on to process my business being thrown for a loop. Bye bye book tour and partnerships.
😊I needed it after that to get away from the news and pretend I wasn’t spending all day alone. Then as my business shifted again to keep ideas flowing.
🌲I loved the time outside to think, get lost in a comedy podcast or audiobook. Otherwise I’m at home working!
🤩Without a single race, I still checked a big goal off my list of running an ultra distance (solo was very interesting!).
//
I’ve seen some posts that make it seem like we’re wrong for talking about what we achieved this year.
.
It was a HARD FCKIN year for everyone, but guess what lots of years are. And not every year is great even without a pandemic.
//
For all the lows this year, I also worked my ass off to make some really good things happen. And I’m extra proud of that.
//
So let’s hear your word for fitness in 2020??
⬇️
Hard, easy, strong, powerful, consistent, cleansing, relaxing, nature, grace, grit, grind, triumph, building...
HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot r HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot right?! Figuring out what to do with it, color it don’t color it, keep it healthy, breakage from ponytails, long, short. And yet a good hair day😃 🔥 🌟
//
POLL:
🥰Love your hair
🤪Frustrated with your hair
1️⃣Natural curls
2️⃣Stick straight
👇👇👇
Curly friends: share your favorite tips!!
Long hair friends: what helps you keep it healthy?
👆👆👆
//
At 7 I could sit in my hair it was so long.
At 10 we started perms.
At 16 I had a full mane of hair I loved.
At 20 I learned I have naturally curly hair 😂after years of perms as a kid.
At 25 I was going blonde blonde blonde.
At 29 I began losing hair and it got so brittle I had to chop it off, due to the hormone issues.😭
At 35 my hair started to recover (as did my body), but never like that mane I loved as a teen.
At 39 I got my first curly haircut! I’m still figuring it out, but was amazed at how it looked.
//
I don’t wear much make up, but I do admit to really caring about my hair and it was a tough time when it felt so unhealthy.
//
I’m still struggling to figure out this new curly style 😂but keep hearing from other curly girls ya just gotta stick it out. So we’ll see.
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#curlygirlmethod #hairtalk
ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just enjoy a day off? Don’t you feel guilty about the time apart?
//
Yes.
It makes me happy.
No, if I’m happy our time together is better.
👇👇👇
MY VIEW IS THIS...
❌If you aren’t working out because of food guilt
❌If you aren’t missing big moments because you must workout
✅If you enjoy it and it improves your day
✅THEN GO FORTH and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for improving your mental and physical health.
//
❓Do you have guilt or get guilted about workouts for n holidays?❓
//
This has been my lifestyle so long that our families just know to expect that I’m gonna sweat. And of course, I’m lucky David wants this lifestyle too.
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BUTTTTT I remember those first trips to David’s family, where it really threw them for a loop. They still find it weird, but I sneak out before everyone gets up or have gotten them to do family things like the rec center.
//
My best advice when asked has always been to try and calmly explain why it matters to you and then just go. They get over it or used to it.
🎁 🎄🕎
TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder this holiday season that we all need to be loved differently...and pizza transcends all.
//
🍕Do you have a favorite local pizza place?🍕🍕
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Yes, I knead to know for when we can travel again.
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Here we fell in love in love with @saucyspizza and I wouldn’t be sad if I got it as a gift 😆
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#pizzamemes #eatlocal #denvercolorado #ilovepizza #lovememes #pizzagram #digiorno #papajohns #foodisfuel #longrun #womenwhoeat #carbsarelife
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Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

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