A long stride helps to improve running speed.
Stride length is one of the factors that determine how fast and how efficiently you run. Although runners with longer legs would appear to have a natural physical advantage over shorter runners, race results do not confirm any significant benefit. Shorter runners tend to run with a faster leg action to maintain the same pace as their taller rivals. The emphasis in training should therefore be on running efficiently with a longer stride, rather than lengthening stride for its own sake. Incorporate training techniques to help you get a longer stride, while running naturally.
Instructions
1. Run on a surface like sand or loose dirt to check your stride length and pattern. Run at your normal pace for 100 to 150 yards, then go back and look at the marks you have left on the surface. Your footsteps should follow a straight line if you are running efficiently. If each foot lands on either side of a straight line you are wasting energy and losing ground with each stride.
2. Stride out four or five times over 150 to 200 yards, aiming to run faster than your normal steady running pace. Do this after warming up for 10 to 15 minutes and completing your normal stretches. Aim to run the faster strides as comfortably and naturally as possible. Do not strain or you may risk injury by running in a way that is not natural to you. As you get fitter with more training, you will be able to maintain the longer, faster stride for longer periods.
3. Run downhill to improve stride length. Find a hill that is about 100 to 300 yards long and run down it. You will find that you naturally adjust to a longer stride length to deal with the downhill running action. Repeat the downhill runs four to six times depending on your level of fitness. According to the Do Running Journal website, one or two downhill sessions a week will improve running efficiency after about a month or two. Running uphill will not improve stride length as you will develop a shorter, driving style to cope with the gradient.
4. Exercise the abdominal muscles; they help to support the leg muscles when you are running at a faster pace or extending your legs to lengthen stride. Do a set of sit-ups daily. Start with 20 and increase the number as you feel stronger. Australian distance-running coach Percy Cerruty said that strong abdominal muscles give a runner what he described as lift. Runners who condition their upper body muscles are able to stride out with less effort than competitors with weak abdominal muscles.
5. Train with a group of runners who are faster than you. During the training session, run at a faster pace over a variety of distances. Aim to keep up with the other runners for part of the fast stretch by lengthening your stride. Stay with the group for as long as you are comfortable at the longer stride. Ease off when you begin to strain. As you get fitter you will be able to stay with the group for longer. Running with a longer stride will become part of your natural technique.
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