Forums >Running 101>Lengthing one's stride
I was wondering how effective it is to try and lengthen one's stride? I am fairly tall at 6'4". Today I did a 6 mile easy run. For the first 5 miles I was averaging about 8:20/ mile, and then for my last mile I focused on lengthening my stride. For the last mile my pace was 7:11/mile. Significantly faster. We will forget about me wanting to collapse at the very end. I am thinking if I could over time (1-2 years) get accustomed to a longer stride, I could increase my speed significantly.
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How heavy are your running shoes?
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Not sure how heavy my shoes are. They are Saucony ProGrid I think.
Lengthening one's stride is also known as becoming faster.
Runners run
artificially lengthening your stride is a quick ticket to injury, if you want to be faster think about increasing cadence and if anything shortening your stride to make it more efficient. All that said as you go faster your stride length will increase naturally
Jackpot.
If your stride gets longer, you will be running faster because speed is a simple product of stride rate * stride length. Given how fitness works you can't just decide to run faster so if you try to have a longer stride at a given pace then rate necessarily decreases. Generally this isn't a good thing, as it results often in over-striking and a stride without as much as pop
They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. "If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a Board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough" If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. "Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still."
Unless you are over striding or what ever you want to call it.
running faster because speed is a simple product of stride rate * stride length.
Note: Unless you use sport jester math, in which case you have to also multiply by a coefficient that accounts for the rotation of the earth under you if you are running east or west. North and south is cool.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Oh dear lord...I had forgotten about that guy
He's BACK!
We're talking about Kenenisa, right?
He's BACK! We're talking about Kenenisa, right?
I was planning to talk about ostriches and the like but...
Talking about Kenenisa is always okay with me. 2:05:02 with a cramp last 7k is pretty sweet stuff.
Feeling the growl again
Being able to use a longer stride over distance is a function of being fitter. Focus on being fitter and over time you will have a longer stride as a function of it. You will NOT become faster as a function of trying to run with a longer stride.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
DING DING DING We have a winner, folks!
You will NOT become faster as a function of trying to run with a longer stride.
I agree with your sentiment, as usual, spaniel. But I'm feeling pedantic. Since this bloke runs faster by focusing on running with a longer stride then he may become faster because that induces a training effect that most of us achieve simply by running faster. It's just that we cut out the middle man.
Thanks everyone. I don't think I will tinker with my stride. That last mile took a lot out of me yesterday, and I can't believe how sore I am this morning.