Just what are STRIDES and can they be hazardous?

Triathlon Forum
1

Where I’m coming from: 61 years old, 5’10", 158#, almost rehab’ed from a moderate (no bruising) calf strain on Sept 14.

just prior to the above injury, I decided to add strides once per week and in hindsight I think they made a contribution to my injury.

My understanding is that strides are short runs at 90% speed, say 100 meters. To do that I ran them on the balls of my feet whereby I could take my final quarter mile speed in a 5k race from a 7:15 pace to a 6:15 pace. But these 6 x 100m strides I ran were not part of a 5k, just strides ran after a 10 minute warm-up and spaced with 100 meter walks (sorry, did I confuse everything?)

In the back of my mind, I think I was emulating the 67 year-old who blew me away in a 400 meter race a few months ago. He was wearing track spikes and I was wearing regular distance running shoes. I can remember from high school if I didn’t run on the balls of my feet in track spikes - - a mid-strike would hurt the rest of my foot bc there was/is no padding for the entire sole like there is in running shoes. So I concluded that this old guy had no problem running on the balls of his feet while I was punishing my calves as I did so.

So is it actually more difficult for your calves to keep you up on the balls of your feet if you are NOT wearing track-spike shoes? Could that increased slippage challenge your calves and make them vulnerable? (My calves were definitely sore after that 400 m race but the injury did not happen until 2 days later in a 3 mile easy run at a 9:00 pace.)

I would like to strengthen my calves to lessen the chance of calf re-injury. I have just incorporated a few exercises to do so. But should running strides be part of my workouts? And what running form should I use to run strides? (I can’t see wearing track spikes for these workouts). TIA.

2

Striders

2 to 4 times a week finish your run with a set of three to six 50 meter striders. This is a short fast run (but not a sprint) where you concentrate on form to the best of your ability. The theory behind striders is that at higher speeds your body self corrects it form and teaches you to run more efficiently.

I don’t know why you would ALTER your running mechanics (balls of your feet) when running strides. They should be fast paced, ie 5k pace using good (but, normal) form.

What is your normal running program? How often, how much, how fast?

3

My experience from training with an athletics club is strides are indeed 90% of your full sprint effort so you are up on your toes, not 5k pace. I guess terminology might be different amongst different groups but that’s how it was at our club. They inevitably became a 100% effort because the group ended up racing each other!

4

My experience from training with an athletics club is strides are indeed 90% of your full sprint effort so you are up on your toes, not 5k pace. I guess terminology might be different amongst different groups but that’s how it was at our club. They inevitably became a 100% effort because the group ended up racing each other!

Yeah, they’re intended to be 90% effort over the designated distance. Strides and long hill repeats (~60-90sec) can really be useful in improving your running form, particularly if you video yourself doing both on a treadmill. But you should definitely be WELL warmed up before doing them.
Most importantly, why are you doing them? Just to improve calf strength? There are probably more succinct and specific ways to accomplish that. Make sure that your intention aligns with what they’re actually likely to accomplish.

5

Striders

2 to 4 times a week finish your run with a set of three to six 50 meter striders. This is a short fast run (but not a sprint) where you concentrate on form to the best of your ability. The theory behind striders is that at higher speeds your body self corrects it form and teaches you to run more efficiently.

I don’t know why you would ALTER your running mechanics (balls of your feet) when running strides. They should be fast paced, ie 5k pace using good (but, normal) form.

What is your normal running program? How often, how much, how fast?

Not 5k pace. Mile pace or slightly faster. And you should use a different form than a crappy tri runner form because strides are a form drill.

6

Where I’m coming from: 61 years old, 5’10", 158#, almost rehab’ed from a moderate (no bruising) calf strain on Sept 14.

just prior to the above injury, I decided to add strides once per week and in hindsight I think they made a contribution to my injury.

My understanding is that strides are short runs at 90% speed, say 100 meters. To do that I ran them on the balls of my feet whereby I could take my final quarter mile speed in a 5k race from a 7:15 pace to a 6:15 pace. But these 6 x 100m strides I ran were not part of a 5k, just strides ran after a 10 minute warm-up and spaced with 100 meter walks (sorry, did I confuse everything?)

In the back of my mind, I think I was emulating the 67 year-old who blew me away in a 400 meter race a few months ago. He was wearing track spikes and I was wearing regular distance running shoes. I can remember from high school if I didn’t run on the balls of my feet in track spikes - - a mid-strike would hurt the rest of my foot bc there was/is no padding for the entire sole like there is in running shoes. So I concluded that this old guy had no problem running on the balls of his feet while I was punishing my calves as I did so.

So is it actually more difficult for your calves to keep you up on the balls of your feet if you are NOT wearing track-spike shoes? Could that increased slippage challenge your calves and make them vulnerable? (My calves were definitely sore after that 400 m race but the injury did not happen until 2 days later in a 3 mile easy run at a 9:00 pace.)

I would like to strengthen my calves to lessen the chance of calf re-injury. I have just incorporated a few exercises to do so. But should running strides be part of my workouts? And what running form should I use to run strides? (I can’t see wearing track spikes for these workouts). TIA.

Yes, strides/striders/reps or what ever you want to call them-are short, quick, fast bursts that help with your running ‘economy/form’. NEVER do these when on the verge of an injury. The goal is to help ease into speed workouts or to keep the fast twitch fibers going. You do not sprint these, but ease into the pace by going slightly faster and faster. Kevin Beck used to say ‘turn the screws’ and amp the intensity-for 20-30 seconds and then float back into recovery. Doing these several times a week can get the body ready for faster running. There are always a few changes when you run much faster-higher cadence, more of a forefoot landing…everyone’s unique ‘form’ is different.

Dr. Daniels advocates 6-10 of 20-30 seconds easing into a ‘fast pace’ followed by a full recovery at Rep pace (*see book) a few times per week, total should be < 5% of weekly mileage volume.

I would never, never do these coming off a calf injury.

7

Striders

2 to 4 times a week finish your run with a set of three to six 50 meter striders. This is a short fast run (but not a sprint) where you concentrate on form to the best of your ability. The theory behind striders is that at higher speeds your body self corrects it form and teaches you to run more efficiently.

I don’t know why you would ALTER your running mechanics (balls of your feet) when running strides. They should be fast paced, ie 5k pace using good (but, normal) form.

What is your normal running program? How often, how much, how fast?

TO: OP

I think that after your calf heals and you start doing striders again, you should do more of letting “your body self it form and you to run more efficiently.” Any concentration on form should be about little tweeks, not major changes to your normal style. And yes, forcing your style to a forefoot landing during striders will put a stress on your calves. If you want to try to move your landing forward on your feet, I would recommend a gradual approach. You won’t be able to get it as far forward at a recovery run pace as a sprint, but if you can get it to move just a little forward there, your body will naturally move it more forward in a sprint. BTW, lots of the wisdom on ST is to be cautious about consciously trying to change your stride.

8

Yes, strides/striders/reps or what ever you want to call them-are short, quick, fast bursts that help with your running ‘economy/form’. NEVER do these when on the verge of an injury. The goal is to help ease into speed workouts or to keep the fast twitch fibers going. You do not sprint these, but ease into the pace by going slightly faster and faster. … Doing these several times a week can get the body ready for faster running.

This is correct, but please don’t call them “striders,” that would be people who do strides.

9

Thank you very much to all for your replies. I blame my pride, stupidity, and on-line blurb articles for my calf-strain injury. Most helpful is the concept, which several of you expressed, that strides should be in the same form, but a bit faster, than the the form one uses in the race for which one is trying to increase speed for (naturally this may induce certain adjustments to form like moving the foot-strike a bit forward and running a bit more on the balls of the feet).

And thank you for the insight that this focus on good form is key to improving speed.

I also learned that if one does switch to a sprint form it is really a switch to a different sport and must be undertaken gradually and with prudence and it is a switch I don’t need.

I do want to run a seven-minute mile which plenty of other 61-year olds can do but I can see that it will take me a few months of training (eventually including judiciously conceived strides) and never any sprinting.

Any books that might help me?

10

Yours is a classic case of too much, too soon.

If it was me, this is how I would have structured my build to 6x’s 100 mtrs @90%

WK1 - Two days of 3x100mtrs at 50% speed
WK2 - Two days of 3X100mtrs at 60%
WK3 - Two days of 4x100mts at 60%
and so on…

It would have taken me at least 8 weeks to get to 6x100@90%.

You completely left out the intensity component as part of your thought process…You started at 90% and paid the price.

When building think #'s of reps AND intensity of the reps.

11

You’re probably right that this is what happened to the OP. Too much too fast. But at the same time i think that if you are approaching strides from the right philosophical perspective, you shouldn’t need to worry so hard about programming them.

As many posters here have said, they are really about teaching (or rather, re-teaching) your body how to run again, to get that feeling of running fast, letting your body self-correct, and helping your brain start to understand how fast you can go. Being like a kid again running across the soccer field. So, it should be fast, but it should also feel good.

So unlike an interval, you really shouldn’t need to worry about what percentage of pace you are working at. Just go out and run. Start out each one slower, gradually push it up, but each time it should feel good. You shouldn’t feel like you are forcing the pace or grinding out the interval. Naturally your form may change, but that’s a good thing.

Do as many as still feels good. Rest as long as you need to in order to feel good.

OP, maybe you were pushing it hard like you would an interval workout and you did too much too fast. Maybe also you just got unlucky, were dehydrated that day, or something along those lines. That happens too. But if you go out and just run and let your body be your guide, then there shouldn’t be any real danger associated with these, assuming your’e healthy.