Tie your shoe laces together...

That sounds like a horrible idea!

I'm imagining an elastic band that trips them up every other step or so. Maybe I'm not envisioning it right...

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Eli Curt

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Well if your stride is the "right" length it wouldn't be all that long. I don't know just sitting watching this boring game and just thought about it. Thought the ST crowd would set me straight on the logic (or lack thereof)

Maybe if he was super-coordinated...

That guy all the way on the right has entered Sufferlandria.

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Eli Curt

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You don't need to shorten your stride length at the expense of your leg cycle...look at a runner like mirinda carfrae who gets good knee drive and hip extension both yet runs at least 90 foot strikes per minute (each foot) I increased my cadence this year by just being more aware of it. A few times during a workout I would count foot strikes for a minute and try to adjust accordingly.

Doing technique track drills where you are walking or skipping instead of running can help with this as well as it slows things down

When you try this (and you should), make sure to get ample video of it so that we can observe and critique your new running form. please apply this sound track to the video before posting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg

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sometimes you just have to eat the cake

I'm pretty sure that I have posted this in a Stupid Triathlete Tricks thread, but...

Many years ago now, I was doing a long run out on farm roads. Hadn't seen a car in quite a while. Suddenly, in mid-stride, I somehow slipped my foot into the loop of the other shoe's laces. Splat! Down I go on the shoulder, just as a carload of teenagers rolls past laughing their @sses off. I smiled at them and got a good chuckle of it myself.

Didn't seem to help my stride rate any, though.

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Happy trails,
Chris

I've heard of using a jump rope to help with various aspects of run technique. Haven't tried it out.

It's not a crazy idea, but it's one that's not supported by any solid research. Stride rate and stride length are things that are self regulated and conscious interference in either nearly always results in lower efficiency or slower speed or, most often, both (and this statement is supported by research).

The optimal values of those parameters are affected by many factors including running speed, state of training, terrain, incline, body height, limb length, body weight, limb weight, and on and on. You can never hope to guess what your optimal values are in any condition. The best thing you can do is to just try to run more, run faster more, run in simple low shoes, and get your body as light as practical. This will get your stride length far closer to 'optimal' than any rope every could.

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If you want to increase turnover - do fast strides at the end of a workout, add some hill training and shorten your stride, or do more drills like quick feet, heel over heel steps, etc. Add some fartleks or something but please - don't tie a rope to your feet ... or do, and post pics of the aftermath please!

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@GrizzlyBaird | Strava | Website
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Again, I wasn't planning on experimenting on this....I was just thinking conceptually about some "tool" that would help with a shorter stride. As I read articles re: improving your running efficiency you always see a discussion about shortening your stride. To non-talented runners it is like telling someone to be smarter if you want to make better grades. Not very helpful. So, I was just wondering if you could have some immediate response to a longer stride would it help

Maybe this is what you're looking for (fast forward to 1:40)? http://www.youtube.com/...&feature=related

The best answer is drills. There are a ton out there that focus on turnover.

Any radical changes in running that alter your "natural" running form make you much more prone to injury. Your body has a natural position that works for it, this is why there is no "set" running form, it will vary from runner to runner.

Personally, I think the turnover and length of your stride will only be an issue if you are a heel striker (and I mean a bad heel striker http://www.paleotraining.co.uk/...20heel%20strike.jpeg ). If you want to exaggerate how your foot lands to get a better idea of your natural foot position, find some grass and run a mile or two barefoot. If you are not a heel striker, your stride should naturally get faster as you increase your speed. If you look at the difference between top milers and 10k runners there is a very distinct difference in strides. Even if you look at the same runner (e.g. Lagat) across the 800/1500/5k there is a noticeable difference. On this point, if you are a mid-foot striker or run on your toes, do some speed work like 400's or fartleks to mix your turnover up and you will naturally alter this as you increase your speed.

Again, if you are a heel striker or have a tendency to over stride, the best (and by this I mean the safest) solution is to do some drills. Work on fast feet where you practically run in place and bring your foot up just past your heel and back down. You can also do some of the ladder style drills you see soccer players doing all the time. There is no "tool" for you to learn something like this. The trick is drills and adding some varied turnover to your workouts.

Only question I have is why you specifically want to increase your turnover? This is something that typically has very little impact for runners at triathlon distances - again, I have no idea what your stride looks like.

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@GrizzlyBaird | Strava | Website
My Supporters: QT2 Systems | The Olympic Club | First Endurance | Rudy Project | BlueSeventy | NormaTec

You've got this completely muddled.

It's possible to have an extremely long stride and still not overstride. When people get tired, or try to speed up, they tend to lengthen their stride, when they should be trying instead to increase their turnover. And that's the optimal take away here. As Chris pointed out, you can work on turnover with drills, strides, etc to help ingrain this.

You want to think about having your foot under your center of gravity. Having a slight lean helps this. It doesn't actually matter if your toe, forefoot, or heel strike! That's a myth. What matters is where your foot falls in relation to your knee. If it's in front of your knee, you're overstriding. If it's underneath, and your shin is vertical, you're all set.

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