Need help with striders. (Read 1075 times)

Can someone please explain how to do striders? I've been reading about them now for months, and figured someone would come up with a good explanation of what a strider is. I've heard everything from a "slightly longer stride" to a "faster pace". If it's the first, then you are just going a little bit faster. If you just want to run a a slightly faster pace, then just say so. I keep thinking that there is something special here, but I just don't get it.

There's a couple different ways to do them, depending on what you're trying to achieve, and who you ask. Basically, it's running fast for a short period of time. However, the focus is on feeling fluid, not on speed. If you run for 30-60 seconds per, you're working on form and muscle memory. If you run for 60-90 seconds per, you're working on your ability to handle the stresses of running hard. Don't do both in the same training session.

Hmm... So what's the difference between striders and fartleks? I'm wondering if this is a case of "I can't tell you wha it is, but I know it when I see it"?

A fartlek is a specific run, where the goal is to practice changing pace repeatedly over the course of the run. Striders are a specific type of training that can be incorporated before, during, or after a run, and are designed as either neuromuscular training (working your turnover and stride mechanics), or to help deal with lactate. The big thing with striders is to focus on feeling fluid, and maintaining good form.

Hmm... So what's the difference between striders and fartleks? I'm wondering if this is a case of "I can't tell you wha it is, but I know it when I see it"?

Naw, as Scout said, these really are two very different things. As I've heard the terms defined ... Fartlek is a non-structured interval workout. In other words, its a workout where your run bouts at interval-ish paces and interval-ish distances, but you don't plan everything out in advance or make it a track workout. Whereas a traditional interval might call for a specific distance and a specific number of reps (e.g., 6 x 1000 meters, 90 seconds recovery), a fartlek interval might be "from that driveway to that tree, and then run easy to that mailbox" or whatever feels right. The idea is to get a speed workout but not be tied to the track, and perhaps even have some fun by varying the workbout distances. By contrast, conventional strides are a form drill that you might insert as part of a easy or even recovery day. The idea is to run 100-200m (20-45 seconds) as fast as you can while maintaining excellent form. Do not try to lengthen your stride; that's a recipe for injury. Focus on maintaining excellent form, posture, breathing, arm swing, cadence and balance while running fast. Your pace is really irrelevant (its a form drill, not a speed drill), although if you absolutely have to have it spelled out for you, strider pace is probably right around your 1 mile race pace. (Scout also talks about longer strider repetitions (e.g., 60-90 seconds). I don't disagree with his explanation, although I personally don't do strides of that duration or distance.)

By contrast, conventional strides are a form drill that you might insert as part of a easy or even recovery day. The idea is to run 100-200m (20-45 seconds) as fast as you can while maintaining excellent form.

Actually, anything that lasts over ~7 seconds at a fast pace is working on endurance, which is not the purpose of striders. (the ATP-PC system lasts only about 7 seconds) The purpose of striders is to work on speed and form w/o taxing the body, in other words you could theoretically do them almost every day. The distance of striders usually ends up ~50 meters or so or end line to mid field of a soccer field / football field if available. I start at a jog quickly picking up speed until I'm going somewhat faster than mile pace, but slower than all-out sprint, hold that for just a few seconds and then gradually slow down. Going as far as 100-200m or 20-45 seconds and you have turned this into an interval workout, especially if done as fast as you can.

As should be evident from this thread, there are many variations and definitions of strides. My definitions come from Pfitzinger and Daniels, both of whom I'm fairly sure know the difference between strides and intervals. However, as always, you should do what you think works best for your running.

On page 194 of Daniel's Running Formula 2nd Ed. he describes striders as lasting 10-40 seconds at ~mile pace, but he is talking about this in the context of warming-up for a race not as an add-on to an easy run. He talks about accelerations on page 195 as lasting 60-80 total strides (about 20-25 seconds total if taking 180 srides/minute), but again in the context of waming-up for a race. On page 140 he mentions a 3x200m segment at R pace, but as a portion of a specific workout, not as an add-on to an easy day. I could not find where he talks about striders in any other context besides warming-up for a race or workout. Pfitz & Douglas on pages 29-30 of "Road Racing for Serious Runners" describes a strideout workout basically as I did except holding maximal speed for 40-50 meters (which would be in the ~7 second range). However, he describes this in a way that includes doing 16 accelerations and tells us not to do this within a day in either direction of a hard workout, to me that makes it a hard workout in and of itself - In fact he even includes specific "Basic speed" days in his training schedules - I called it intervals, maybe there is a better term. On page 87 he also talks about accelerations of 100-200 meters at race pace (not all out), but here again it is in the context of warming up for a race. So, In the context of warming-up for a race going as far as 100-200m at race pace several times is totally appropriate for striders. For a specific speed workout going all-out for 40-50m several times is appropriate. My issue with what you posted was going 100-200m at an all out pace, I did re-read your post and saw that you said it was probably about 1-mile race pace, but 1-mile race pace is not an all out pace and doing several repetitions of 100-200m at top speed is a not something most people should do unless they are training for very short distance races (800m and below)

The version of striders I initially describe comes from "Run Strong". Start on page 29, and read through to about page 36 or so.

Found this in another thread, describes strides really well, better than anyone on this thread has done so far I think - including myself Thanks to tfontana625:

While you are still doing base training, strides are a good way to keep your fast twitch muscles active and to maintiain good strength for faster middle distance paces. They also make it easier to transition into hill and track workouts. There are a number of ways to do these but, the keys are: -Full recovery between each of them. -They should be roughly 50 to 100m in length. -Start out slow during the first few sessions since your legs are not used to going that fast. If you run them to fast at first your legs will get sore or you'll injure your self. May 3k pace is a good place to start. -Only do about 3 of them the first time and each week add 1 more repetition until you reach 5 to 8. -Start each stride slow and gradually pick up the pace to the very end. -Do them immediately after a run while your legs are still warm -Stretch when you are finished. -FOCUS PRIMARILY ON PERFECT RUNNING POSTURE AND FORM. -It helps to do these on a very slight downhill slope. Over time you will notice that your leg turnover improves and that you can almost sprint comftorbly. These will improve your running economy. Also when running down hill in races you cruise much faster with the breaks off but without any extra effort. DO NOT RUN THESE TO THE POINT OF GETTING TIRED! I stop as soon as I start to breath heavily.