I feel that I have a short stride and considering I am right at six feet tall shouldn't I have a bit of a long stride? I am also really slow and don't seem to be getting any faster. I am going to work on the interval training but cut it in half since I am not a seasoned runner. A PJ in my NCOA class was about my heigth and he seemed to have a long stride, he was obviously fast. Is there anything I can do to help increase my stride?

I don't seem to be picking up any speed at all over the past two months. My pathetic mile time is 7:38, mile and a half is 12:20 and it doesn't get any faster from there. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="images/icons/mad.gif" /> Adding distance doesn't seem to be such a hard thig for me but adding speed seems more difficult than it should be. I would be happy if even every week I picked up 5 to 10 seconds a mile because at least then I would be making some progress. That terrible mile time has been consistent for the past four weeks now.

I am ordering Galloways book on Running right now but I sure would appreciate any advice you guys might be able to give me. Thanks in advance for the help.

What has helped me is Intervals/Tempos...I just use the 5K in 22min program in Galloway's book.

Once a week I go to the track to do 400s and have even added 800s lately. My pace for the 400s is 1:30 (6:00 min/mile). My pace for 800s is 3:15 (6:30 min/mile). Last night I ran 1/2 mile warmup, 4x400m with 200m walk recovery, and 1x800m with 400m walk recovery, then ran 1/2 mile cool down.

I have been doing this for about 7 weeks (very conservatively)with much success. This week I started the program over again and can say the speedwork is definately more refined and comfortable. My pacing and acceleration is much better.

Stride length is a result of your strength to weight ratio, how flexible you are, and how long your legs are. You CAN'T make your legs any longer but you CAN stretch to improve your range of motion, thus lengthening your stride, and increase your strength to lengthen your stride.

Having said that, stride length is often over rated. Your body will try to find the most efficient stride for the speed you are running. TRYING to lengthen it usually just results in an artificial and inefficient stride that is COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.
I think you are stuck because you are over training and need a break. If you have been running for 10 or more weeks and especially if youhave been doing speed work for over 6 weeks, you need a break.
Try taking a break for 7-15 days. When you return, try running easy for 20-45 minutes four to five days a week for a couple of weeks. After the two weeks of easy running, try doing a fartlek once a week for two weeks and three to four easy days. Next, add a day of intervals.
This will give you two speed days a week and two to three easy days a week.
Fartleks and Intervals are explained in many books so I won't get into that here. Bottom line, speed work WILL make you faster. Easy days will increase your endurance, and the days off will let you recover.
Your stride will get longer as the speed work makes your legs stronger and your body adapts to the training. Stretching will also help. The most important thing is to let the running schedule make your stride longer, not try to increase your stride artificially.
You can pay somebody to coach you, they can film your stride and tell you haw to improve it, but in the end GUTS and Training will make you fast. And in the end GUTS and Training are what are going to get you through the pipeline and get they are what every operator relys on to get the job done.

Thanks for the info. I tried some interval work today and I actually enjoyed it a bit. The intervals I did were a bit modified basically because I am still working myself up. I was happy with my 220 times, I stayed at 43 sec for those. My 440 was almost tripple that but you gotta start somewhere right.

I will heed the take a break advice and give myself this week off. In a way that kind of sucks because I am on leave this week and will kind of feel like a lazy slob not running any. I hope that is one of the things I need along with the interval work up and the Calloways book that should be coming in this week. I hope the book has some info on fartleks since I don't know what those are but I am in the process of doing some searches on them and have found some stuff to read out there on the www.

Just over two months ago I was the anti-runner. I use to have the mentality that unless you were actually being chased there was no need to run. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> I am liking the challenge of it now and decided to get me some good running shoes three weeks ago. I got motion control shoes since I pronate but oddly after I got new shoes it hurt to run for the first week and I had to build back up to what I was running before that on old crummy shoes.

Once again I appreciate everyones input to me and their advice, thank you.

Don't worry about stride length. It will come once you get stronger and faster both will happen from base training. What you need to concentrate on is a quick turnover rate, 180 steps or 90 one leg cycles are ideal. Once you develop a quick rate your speed will increase. The height and time your in the air decrease which helps prevent injury and allows you to perform more work using less engergy.

Here is some text out of the triathletes training bible....

a study revealed that when running speed doubles, stride length increased by 85 percent buty stride rate increases only by 9 percent. So when speeding from a 10 minute mile to a 5 m/m the lengthl of a single step may expand from 18 to 33 inches while cycles per minute only go from 83 to 90. This means that stride rate must always be high. Reasons for this may be the nervous system has a narrower range of operation thatn the muscular system which governs stride length.

Therefore it is recommended that you establish comfort running with a cadence of about 90 cycles per minute before cerning yourself with length. You will feel like your running with baby steps but with the knowledge that is is more economical to understride than overstride. Long, slow strides have a great energy cost.

Higher strides also lesssen the impact force at the end of each stride, lessening the chance of injury....

Hope this helps...

osprey...

what up...i don't know what your running capability or routine was when you got started a couple months ago, so this may or may not apply, but...if you haven't built a base yet, that may be why you aren't reaping the benefits of your effort...your body requires time to "get into the running groove" and that is done by simply putting in the miles...some of the reading i've done asserts that it can take three months to establish a base before speedwork will start to pay dividends...maybe you are trying to do too much too soon which leads to overtraining, injury, fatigue and negative results...

we're all so different, but i think the basics apply to most of us, so this is just something to consider...make training fun and good luck...djh

I too have always struggled with speed while running. Distance has never been a problem but speed has. I've always thought of myself as a Diesel not a Racecar. (I'm 6'0 and 205), I can do 10 miles in 90 min carrying a 40lb ruck pretty consistently.
For the last few months in an effort to get faster, for the pipeline, I have started using the treadmill ( Yuck! ) <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="images/icons/tongue.gif" /> : as a tool to get faster. My thinking was that whatever pace you set on the machine you had to run or fall off <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="images/icons/shocked.gif" />
So I stared doing intervals. 2 X a week, I would start at a 9 m/m pace for 3 minutes to warm up, then go to an 8:30 for 1 min, then 8:00 for 1 min then 7:30 for 1 min, then drop back to a 9 m/m for 2 min. I added a cycle per week for 3 weeks till I was doing 6 cycles.
Then I added Speed, i.e.: 8:30 for 3 min, then 8:00 for 1, then 7:30 for 1, and then 7:00 for 1, then drop back to 8:30 for 2min. 2 x a week for 4 weeks.
After doing this routine for about 12 weeks adding time and speed I am now doing 3 min intervals, starting at 7:30 for 3min then, 7 for 3min, then 6:18 for 3 min, then 6:00 for 3 and back to 7:30 for 1. For 6 cycles.
I try and do at least 1 double-digit distance run a week
(Have a nice 10 m course from the house). My 10k times have dropped dramatically to a fairly consistent 42- 44 minutes. I still much prefer running outdoors t the treadmill but it sure has helped me get faster. Hope this helps
<img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

Stinnman,
Your technique is interesting and different. I see why you set the treadmill speed and try to keep up but usually this doesn't work. The problem for most people is that when you use a treadmill, you are essentially hopping from foot to foot and not using the muscles that push you forward nearly as much as in a regular run. You end up thinking you run faster than you really do because you keep a fast pace on the treadmill but tire out and slow down on the regular run. The muscles used to push you forward were not exercised as much as the others and thus fatigue faster, slowing you down.
I think that what you have done is push your cardio so that you increased your aerobic capacity, allowing you to sustain a faster pace.
You can achieve the same thing by running a known distance course and timing yourself every half mile or mile to keep up the pace on your easy days. You can do Intervals on a known distance course or track and run Fartleks anywhere.
If you have evaluated yourself on a known distance course and your times are still improving, keep using the treadmill for as long as you want. You may be the exception to the rule. Also, this gives hope to guys in places like Alaska and Wisconsin where it is very hard to run in the winter.

Lots of good ideas listed below. I use a Timex Bodylink, which is a combination heartrate monitor and GPS. You can program times, speed, distance and heartrate info on the watch portion, and it will give silent or audible alarms to let you know if you are within the zone you want to be. I have a laminated set of cards with my LSD-long slow day criteria, intervals, and general Fartlek info. Just change data in a few seconds, and off you go. You can also download the info to your computer to make a neat training diary. I use a POLAR heartrate for my cycling and swimming, so I get lots of info to try to analyze how hard I work vs. how hard I think I worked, if my body is telling me I'm overtrained, and just how much time and distance I log. It works great if you are outside on a track or road, not good in the woods, or indoors. Nice thing is that I use it to run, and to monitor my ruck pace.

sean...

i'm in germany and we're entering the damp season (i don't mind running in the cold, but the cold and wet i try to avoid)...on run days when the weather is non-permissive, would you recommend substituting spinning, finning or other aerobic workout vice a treadmill or are periodic treadmill Workouts fine for those days...i didn't realize there were negative effects to treadmill runs...

as always, thanks for sharing your expertise and opinions...appreciated...djh

If your only option to run (due to darkness, weather, etc) is on a treadmill you should raise it 1 degree to compensate for the lack of foot drive the motorized belt provides. Many elite runners have run solely on treadmills for their training and have done just fine. Cross training such as spinning, pool running, and other aerobic type equipment would be valuable on non running days to avoid injury (stress fractures) and allow the body some type of training or recovery effect. By specificity, the best way to improve your running is to run. Just start out slowly and don't over extend the distances, you can't be a 7 minute miler and try and expect to run 5 minute miles within a short period of time. Some people will respond better than others to the training and will improve at different rates. Just be patient and do the best you can do. Look for running groups and throw yourself in a few 5K's to work on more sustained endurance.

As far as stride length, it is specific to the individual, and will vary according to several skeletal-muscular factors, not neccessarily height or strength. Turnover is important but too short a stride can be detrimental as well. On the treadmill try and use a mirror both towards the front and sides to get feedback on your form. Your foot should land underneath your hips and try to not break the momentum of your stride by landing heal first. Think of your stride the same as riding a bike-smooth, rhythmic, circles, no wasted effort.

Look into running drills (maybe someone can recommend a book that has them) but a running club/coaching would be a good resource. Lunges, butt kicks, high knees, are all valuable drills if you know how to do them.

The propper running gear can make inclimate weather much more bearable. I advise a Gortex or even just a water resistant/wind-breaker outer layer and several layers underneath. Polypro next to the skin in extreme cold and just about anything else on top of that will keep you warm. A hat, gloves, and in extreme cold, polypro socks and a scarf over your face and mouth complete the ensemble.
You have to make the decision on how much to spend and how bad the weather has to be to prevent you from running. I have run in 60 below with wind chill and 130 degrees Farenheit. These were just extremes to see IF I could hack it, but you can run from temps below freezing to well over 100 degrees. I know the snow, ice and mud will also effect your decision. Again, judge for yourself what is too much. The risk of injury is always greater in poor traction, so you have to evaluate if running outside is worth it.
Another factor for me is mental toughness. I refuse to run inside, even in winter in the US or summer in the Middle East because I'm afraid of getting complacent. The tough years of running Cross Country and Track in College and High School helped me make it through the pipeline. Perhaps the challenge of bad weather running and pushing your performance as you prepare for the pipeline will be a source of mental strength for you. You make the call.
All the suggestions made by others are valid, you just have to decide what works for you.

To echo GuardMC's comments, I just wanted to stress that you really can run in ANY weather, as long as you are motivated enough and are dressed for it....

I was stationed in Fairbanks, AK for 3.5 years with the Army and we regularly ran outside, 3 days a week, all winter long. The air temperature (WITHOUT wind chill) in interior AK in the winter regularly hovers around -10 to -20F, and it's not at all uncommon to see it dip to -45F and occasionally even lower. We ran outside for about 30 minutes no matter HOW cold it got.

We typically wore the standard grey Army PT sweatsuit with ECWCS polypro underwear underneath, along with a balaclava and our issued "arctic mittens". Even in those exremely low temps, I would still actually overheat in that much clothing, so I usually wore a thinner, commercial polypro top and nothing underneath my sweatpants.

As far as using a treadmill, this summer I used one for awhile and it worked fine for me. I always felt like I got a good workout with it and my fitness actually impoved during that period; I think because having the 'mill right in my house encouraged me to run more often, and because I could set the speed fast and I was then actually forced to run faster. I also felt that using the treadmill allowed me to run much more often and faster without getting shin splints than I could have outside, since the deck absorbs alot more shock than a paved surface does.

My reason for using the 'mill had nothing to do with the weather; the treadmill allowed me to get my runs in during the day while my 1.5 y/o daughter was napping, as opposed to having to get up very early or wait until the evening to run, which is when I would go swimming or do errands or family stuff....

My advice to buy a treadmill for your pad if you can afford one, and keep running outside as the mainstay of your Workouts, but also experiment with the 'mill to help with speedwork and to get short runs in now and then when you otherwise wouldn't "bother" working out.

Good luck.