Why Strides Should Be In Every Run Program
A non-negotiable if you want to get better and faster
An athlete dropped a great insight in our team chat this week.
And it reminded me why I never skip Strides. And why you shouldn’t either…
“I made an extra effort to be intentional with my Strides this week and last.
Instead of settling in to my mile pace for 30 seconds, I really dug in and gave a true 9/10 effort.
Then in today’s brick, I felt noticeably more burst in my stride”
It inspired me to expand on the value of Strides - and why I include them in every run program.
Especially for beginners and guys with weight loss goals.
Let’s dive in.
STRIDES 101
Short answer: Strides are inexpensive speed training.
Long answer: Strides give your body reps at Z4/Z5 pace and power.
But because they’re short and controlled, they don’t trigger a lactate response or lead to deep fatigue.
Over time, strides help you:
Build tendon and bone strength
Drill down better run mechanics
Get faster and more efficient
My common prescription: 6 x 30 sec strides at the end of a Z2 run
That gives an athlete 3 to 6+ minutes per week of threshold+ pace work (or higher).
And without taking away from any other focuses in your program at a given time.
Pro Tip: Strides are controlled, building accelerations - not all out sprints
They may seem like an insignificant part of a program.
And they can be easy to skip.
But when done consistently, they can result in 12 to 20+ minutes per month of fast, clean, low-cost work.
Quietly and in the background... they're unlocking the Z2 pace progress that many look for in just the Z2 runs themselves going slightly faster run by run.
"You have to run slow to run fast"
That is true in some sense...
But if you never practice running fast, you'll never run fast. Or get better as a runner.
I especially like them for beginners and guys with weight loss goals.
They're more effective for those groups than complex and longer threshold work.
Onward.
— Ryan
P.S.
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