Improve stride power? (Read 864 times)

I was running with my ipod the other day...Ok stop reading if you hate ipods. Anyway, at 180 bpm I was averaging about 7:20 min/mile. According to this chart (http://run2r.com/Technical+linking-bpm-to-running-speed-usa.aspx) 171 bpm averages around a 6 minute mile which implies that I am understriding and have less power output per stride than the normal people I guess. Anyone have any ideas on why there is such a discrepancy between my experience and this chart? I got to thinking, how can I get a more powerful (and so longer) stride. I don't feel like I'm understriding when I run but clearly the length *must* be less than what is listed in the chart. I am 5'4" tall so I don't have a natural leg length advantage. I don't race with an ipod so I don't know what my turnover is when I go at race pace and can't compare. Anyone else think about this before? Could it be the power to weight ratio is slowing me down? Admittedly I could lose a few lbs.

Because the chart is crap.

Thought as much...I wonder if there is any good chart out there correlating this kind of thing?

To improve stride power, do Lydiard hill drills or hill repeats up 30% slope for about 4 min, full recovery on the down. (Hey, that's what worked for me - besides lots of running - surely it should work for the entire world. ) Leg length has nothing to do with it, or very, very little. In fact, shorter people have less dead weight of taller people, which need more infrastructure to support the mass, so they have an advantage in speed. Note that the table was developed from "well-seasoned runners". Do you fit that category? To use the table, I'd strive to become a well-seasoned runner, whatever that is. I agree with Scout.

http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/training/hilltrainingdvd.aspx Particular the second exercise. AKTrail: I wrote my response to your comment at HR vs. pace thread. ;o)

I daresay that I don't look that way when I go up a hill! I'll give the bounding exercises a try. Plenty of hills around me now. Good for the "seasoning" eh? Thanks guys.

Looks like one heck of a glute strengthener!