{"id":51460,"date":"2016-08-08T07:15:22","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T11:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=51460"},"modified":"2016-08-13T00:15:55","modified_gmt":"2016-08-13T04:15:55","slug":"run-faster-strides-running-drills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/run-faster-strides-running-drills\/","title":{"rendered":"Hey Runner, Are You Doing Strides?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were packed like sardines in the start corral for the Soldier Field 10-Miler in Chicago, as a group of five racers whizzed back and forth before joining the herd. The woman in front of me looked on skeptically.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, why are those runners running before<\/em> they\u2019re going to run?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a fair question. After all, we were gearing up for a 10-miler \u2014 why the heck would you want to add more time on your feet?<\/p>\n

Turns out, those runners were doing strides, which are quick and super-short accelerated runs. Often, strides are a key part of a warm-up routine<\/a>. \u201cThese warm-ups are vital for preventing injury to muscles, tendons and joints, and prepare the body to run at a faster pace,\u201d says Nicole Gainacopulos, C.S.C.S., a certified strength and conditioning specialist, marathon runner and owner and founder of Momentum of Milwaukee<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s preparing the body for the hard work that\u2019s about to occur without shocking the body,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 50 Best Half-Marathons in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n

Doing strides specifically helps to elevate your heart rate and increase blood flow to your legs. And doing a high intensity warm-up like this has been shown to boost race performance, according to one study<\/a>. Tack them onto a training run<\/a>, and they also provide an opportunity to work on your form<\/a>, add speed work and boost variety to keep your workout fresh<\/a>, adds Gainacopulos.<\/p>\n

For those reasons, all runners \u2014 both newbies and vets \u2014 can benefit. So no you don\u2019t have to be in the elite start corral or a member of your high school cross-country team to do them.<\/p>\n

Stride Right: The Basics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to strides, it\u2019s not as simple as getting out there and sprinting<\/a> your heart out. Follow these five golden rules from Gainacopulos and you\u2019ll see the payoff at the finish line.<\/p>\n

How long? <\/strong>Each stride should be a distance of 60-100 meters.<\/p>\n

How fast? <\/strong>Start out slow and build speed<\/a> during the stride. Form is important, so if you are breaking form, you may be going too fast.<\/p>\n

How much rest? <\/strong>It\u2019s best for your body to fully recover after each stride, which can take as long as one to two minutes.<\/p>\n

How many? <\/strong>For those new to strides, Gainacopulos suggests building up slowly. Start with 3-4 strides your first time with a goal of hitting 8-10.<\/p>\n

How often? <\/strong>Newbies should aim for 1-2 rounds of strides per week. As your body adapts, you can do them more often. Experienced runners should add them in 4-6 times per week.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>50 Running Resources for Speed, Strength and Nutrition<\/a><\/p>\n

When Strides Matter Most<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether you\u2019re on a one- or six-day-a-week running schedule, there\u2019s a time and a place to hit your stride. Here are the three instances Gainacopulos recommends her runners do strides.<\/p>\n

During a Workout
\n<\/strong>Why: <\/strong>Strides prep your body to transition to more intense exercise<\/a>.
\nHow:<\/strong> Complete a normal warm-up<\/a>. (Gainacopulos suggests running one mile at an easy pace, followed by dynamic stretches<\/a>.) Then follow up with strides. You\u2019re ready for your planned run now.<\/p>\n

After an Easy Run
\n<\/strong>Why: <\/strong>\u201cThis will increase your range of motion, improve form and improve muscle recovery<\/a>,\u201d says Gainacopulos.
\nHow: <\/strong>When you\u2019ve finished your run, don\u2019t just head straight for the\u00a0showers. On a day that you\u2019re not crunched for time, take a couple extra minutes to end your workout with a few strides to shake out your legs.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Expert Tips for Proper Running Form<\/a><\/p>\n

Before a Race
\n<\/strong>Why: <\/strong>Like doing strides before a workout, you\u2019ll get your body ready to work, and it will also sharpen mental focus so you can go after that PR<\/a>, says Gainacopulos. Just don\u2019t do them for the first time before a race! Give your body the opportunity to adjust by first incorporating them into a workout.
\nHow: <\/strong>Just like with a workout, run one mile at an easy pace and finish with a round of dynamic stretches<\/a>. Line up to the start \u2014 and go get \u2018em!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Haven\u2019t quite hit your stride? Become a faster, better runner by working strides into your running workouts and pre-race warm-up routines. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[288,108,341,357,143,100],"class_list":["post-51460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-cardio","tag-running","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2running","tag-warm-up","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}