Finished your easy run? Don’t stop yet. Just 100 meters of fluid running is enough to remind your body how to run really well.
- Strides (or pick-ups) are controlled accelerations (80-100m) to be done after easy or medium-paced runs.
- They are not sprints: the goal is fluidity and technique, not maximum speed or exhaustion.
- They help to “clean up” your running mechanics after slow kilometers and make you feel less “stiff” or “heavy.”
- Their purpose is also to gently awaken your fast-twitch fibers without stressing them, keeping them responsive for quality workouts.
- Furthermore, by improving neuromuscular coordination, you teach your brain to run well when you are already warm.
- How to do them: 4-6 times for 80-100m, gradually accelerating up to 80-90% of your maximum speed and recovering by walking.
Finished Your Easy Run? Don’t Stop Yet: Strides Are Missing.
You’ve just finished your easy run. Ten slow kilometers, spent chatting or lost in your thoughts. Your legs are still moving, perhaps with that slightly stiff, “ironing board” elegance that often characterizes the final minutes of a low-intensity run. You feel satisfied; the hard part is done. You’re already visualizing the shower, the couch, dinner.
And just as you’re about to hit “stop” on the GPS, the coach’s little voice arrives (in this case, mine) telling you: “Hold on. You’re not finished. Now do five or six strides.”
I know, it sounds like a minor cruelty. You’ve just finished running slowly, and now you have to run fast? Why ruin the zen peace of the easy run? The truth is, those final five minutes, spent doing a few strides (or pick-ups, as they are sometimes called), are one of the highest-yield investments you can make in your running.
What Strides Are (and What They Are Not)
Let’s immediately clarify the biggest misunderstanding: strides are not repeats. They are not sprints. They are not a test to see if you still have Olympic fire in your calves.
A stride is a gradual and controlled acceleration over a short distance, typically between 80 and 100 meters. The goal is not to reach maximum speed by busting your muscles, but to reach a sustained speed (say, 80-90% of your maximum) while maintaining impeccable form.
Think of a car smoothly and powerfully shifting gears, not a Fast & Furious-style drag race start with smoking tires. The stride serves to run well, not necessarily to run at top speed. You shouldn’t feel the lactic acid burn, and you shouldn’t finish bent over double.
The 3 Benefits of Closing Your Workout with a Bit of “Brilliance”
But why do them specifically after an easy run, when the muscles are, by definition, “slow”? The reasons are primarily three, and they are all related to how your body learns to move.
Improve Your Technique When You Are Already Warm
During an easy run, it’s normal for technique to get a bit “sloppy.” We run slightly seated, our stride shortens, and our feet scrape. It’s physiological. Strides, done when you are perfectly warm (and thus at a very low risk of injury), are the ideal moment to concentrate on form.
They are “neuromuscular gymnastics.” You’re telling your nervous system: “Okay, running slow is nice, but remember how to run well.” You focus on lifting your knees, using your arms, keeping your pelvis high, and placing your foot reactively. It’s as if, after speaking quietly for an hour (the easy run), you do a few powerful vocalizations to remind your voice how to project (the stride).
Awaken Your Fast-Twitch Fibers
Running is democratic, but your muscles are not. We have slow-twitch fibers (the “marathoners,” resilient but not very powerful) and fast-twitch fibers (the “sprinters,” powerful but tire quickly).
Easy runs train almost exclusively the former. Fast-twitch fibers, if not challenged, get lazy. Strides are a gentle “nudge”: “Hey, don’t fall asleep, we’ll need you in a few days for the repeats or the race finish.” You activate them without stressing them, keeping them responsive and efficient.
Feel Looser and Less “Stiff”
This is the most immediate benefit. Often, after an easy run, we feel heavy, “stiff.” The muscles have gotten used to a short range of motion and a mild pace.
Closing with 4-6 strides stretches the muscles, unlocks the hips, and lengthens the stride. It’s a mechanical reset. It’s the difference between getting out of the car after a 6-hour trip feeling like wood, and getting out after stopping for a moment to stretch your legs. You go home feeling loose and responsive, not rigid.
How to Do the Perfect Strides: The Practical Guide (Distance, Speed, Recovery)
Okay, you’re convinced. How do you do them?
- Find a spot: Look for a flat, safe stretch of about 80-100 meters. A straight section of sidewalk, a bike path, a soccer field. You don’t need a GPS: the distance between two streetlights or 100 counted steps works perfectly.
- The speed (the crucial part): Start the stride running very slowly and accelerate gradually. Build speed in the first 30 meters, maintain a fluid, fast but controlled run (80-90% of your maximum) in the next 40-50 meters, and gently decelerate in the final 10-20 meters. If you feel your muscles “pulling” or your breath breaking, you are doing it wrong. You are going too fast.
- The technique: Forget speed, think about form. Push off well with your feet, keep your knees high, move your arms in a coordinated way, and stay upright in your torso. You should feel light.
- The recovery: This is fundamental. The recovery between strides must be complete. Walk slowly and shake out your legs to return to the starting point. This will take about a minute or more. The recovery is not part of the workout; it only serves to keep you fresh for the next stride.
- How many: Start with 4 and gradually work up to 6 or 8. You don’t need to do more.
When to Incorporate Them into Your Training Week
The perfect time is at the end of your 1-2 easy or medium-paced weekly runs.
Avoid them after very hard quality workouts (like long repeats or a marathon-specific long run), because you would be too tired to focus on technique and would only risk injury. Insert them on your “easy” days to add a small touch of quality.
They are ten extra minutes, no more. But they are ten minutes that teach your body to be efficient, to change pace, and to close the door on your workout feeling like a runner, and not just someone who has churned out miles.