I need to lengthen my stride, any tips?

To get a faster and more efficient stride, you would generally do speed work. Before doing any speed work, you should have at least 6 if not 12 months of regular (3 or more days/week) running under your belt. Runners generally settle naturally into their most efficient stride.

Runners world took a look at workouts usually performed by Kenyans, who are known for having some of the fastest and longest strides out there to see if they could recommend some new speed workouts (see the first link below for details - I don't want to copy everything from Runner's World or infringe their copyrights). 1) Run a repeat hill workout once every 2 weeks. You find a big hill and then do some speed drills using that hill and some hopping on one foot up the hill.2) ll fartlek every 10 days.

Find a running path on hilly terrain. Run on those hills for 30 min after a warmup and run faster up the hills than on the rest of the path.3) In the middle of your regular workout once or twice a week, bound for 30 meters (only on grass or dirt). 4) Toe sprints (only on grass or dirt).

Also refer to the second linked Runner's World article for other form tips. Doing anything weird or tight with the rest of your body could result in shortened strides. Really, the key with running is to practice.

The more you run (making sure not to increase effort or distance more than 10% per week), the more efficient you become. Sometimes, if you've run for a long time or suffered from a lot of injuries, a break might be the best thing to improve your running. I recently took a year off from running (and instead kickboxed, used the elliptical, biked, walked on hills on the treadmill, lifted weights regularly, took some dance classes and took tai chi).

I'd been dealing with a number of nagging aches that weren't quite injuries, but annoying. Amazingly, as I'm returning to running with a run/walk program, I'm running a LOT faster than I was before and none of those aches have returned. I assume that's because I improved my strength and fitness base and might have even resolved some muscle imbalances.

That said, I highly recommend using a heart rate monitor for training and also highly recommend cross training.

There are 2 exercises in particular I learned about in high school that helps you to develop a longer stride: 1. Kick butts Set yourself a distance to do kick butts (ie. Define a start and an end point).

Give yourself a time frame (say a minute) to do kickbutts. You do kickbutts from the start to the end point for the minimum of whatever time frame you set. For instance, if you said a minute, you'll reach the end point after a minute (so you have to pace yourself).

Now kickbutts are done as follows: switching from leg to leg, you basically kick your butt so that your heel hits your butt. You do this as quickly as possible. I was told that kickbacks help your legs get back to the starting point (imagine when you're running, one leg is always trying to return forward) 2.

Kick ups Again, same thing as kick butts. Define a start point, end point and a time frame. These are done as quickly as possible as well.

Kick ups are when you have your hands held in front of you at mid - low chest position and you kick your legs up so that your knees touch the palms of your hands. This is the exercise that will lengthen your stride I believe (one that will train your legs to kick up as much as possible, thus giving you a longer stride). I think doing both of these exercises will help you see improvements in your running.

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