What are strides? I get this question ALL THE TIME so I thought it would be helpful to explain exactly what they are and how to use them in your training.

I also surveyed runners on Twitter – you can follow me @JasonFitz1 – to see if they ran strides. I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves them so much!

Strides – or accelerations – are a staple of almost every high school and university track team. But the majority of recreational runners never do them despite a host of benefits.

This is fascinating because they only take a few minutes, help you dramatically improve your training, and they can be done anywhere.

What are strides?

Strides are about 100m accelerations where you start at a jog, build to about 95% of your max speed, and then gradually slow to a stop. One stride should take you about 20-30 seconds.

You can start with four strides and after 3-4 weeks increase that to six. Take about 45-90 seconds of walking or standing in between each stride to catch your breath. Running strides is not an aerobic workout so don’t rush them – you get zero additional benefit by shortening the recovery period!

Keep in mind that strides are very short and you’re only running really fast for a few seconds, so they shouldn’t be too difficult. Always remember to stay relaxed during a stride – at no point should you be straining or racing.

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