21/08/2026
Strides: The Small Addition That Can Make a Big Difference to Your Running
If you're a runner, you've probably seen strides written into a training plan.
Maybe you've done them. Maybe you've skipped them because you thought,
"They're only 20 seconds, how much difference can they really make?"
Quite a lot, actually.
Strides are one of the simplest tools in a runner's training toolbox. They take only a few minutes, create very little fatigue, require no special equipment and can be used by everyone from beginners to experienced runners.
But there's one important distinction:
Strides are NOT sprints.
When performed correctly, they're short, controlled accelerations designed to teach your body to run faster, smoother and more efficiently without turning an easy day into a hard workout.
So, what exactly is a stride?
A stride is a short acceleration, usually around 15–30 seconds, where you gradually increase your speed before smoothly slowing down again.
Think of it as:
Easy → accelerate → fast and relaxed → gradually slow down → recover.
You aren't trying to run all-out.
A good stride should feel around 8–9/10 effort, or roughly 85–95% of your maximum speed, depending on the runner and the purpose of the session. You should finish feeling fast, smooth and controlled, not exhausted.
The pace itself isn't particularly important.
In fact, trying to hit an exact pace can actually make strides worse. The goal is quality of movement rather than chasing a number on your watch.
What are the benefits of strides?
1. They improve running economy
Running economy is essentially how much energy you use to run at a given pace.
Better economy means you can run at the same pace using less energy, or potentially run faster for the same effort.
Strides give you regular exposure to faster running and can reinforce efficient movement and coordination at higher speeds. The evidence for direct improvements in economy is promising, although the size of the effect varies between studies and runners.
For distance runners, that's hugely valuable.
Imagine making your 4:00/km pace feel just a little easier.
Over 5 km, 10 km, a half marathon or a marathon, those small improvements can add up.
2. They improve neuromuscular coordination
Running isn't just about having a strong heart and lungs.
Your brain and nervous system have to coordinate hundreds of movements every minute.
Strides give you a chance to practise producing force quickly and efficiently while running fast.
Over time, faster running can become something your body is more comfortable with rather than something that feels foreign.
3. They help maintain speed during high-mileage training
This is particularly useful for runners doing lots of easy running.
If almost all of your running is slow, your body doesn't get much exposure to faster turnover.
Adding a handful of strides gives your legs a little reminder:
"We still know how to move quickly."
You don't need to turn every week into a collection of hard interval sessions to maintain some speed.
4. They reinforce good mechanics
When you accelerate, good running mechanics tend to become more obvious.
You naturally become more upright, your arms become more purposeful, your cadence increases and your foot strike becomes quicker.
The key is not to consciously manufacture a huge stride.
Instead, think:
-Tall posture
-Relaxed shoulders
-Relaxed hands
-Quick, light feet
-Smooth arm drive
-Controlled acceleration
Don't try to reach further out in front of yourself. Let your stride length increase naturally as your speed increases.
Overstriding and trying to "look fast" defeats the purpose.
5. They prepare you for faster running
Strides are an excellent bridge between easy running and proper speed work.
They can make the transition into a threshold or interval session feel smoother because your body has already experienced some faster movement.
They're also excellent before races.
A few strides after your warm-up can help you feel awake, sharp and ready to race rather than going from jogging straight into race pace.
6. They add very little fatigue
This is one of my favourite things about strides.
Six × 20 seconds is only two minutes of faster running.
That's a tiny amount compared with a normal interval session.
When done correctly, strides shouldn't leave you sore or compromise tomorrow's training.
That's why they can be such a useful addition to a well-structured training week.
How do you actually run a stride?
Here's the simple version.
Step 1 — Start relaxed
Don't explode from a standing start.
Begin at an easy jog and gradually accelerate.
Step 2 — Build the speed
Over the first 5–8 seconds, progressively increase your speed.
Think smooth acceleration, not sprinting.
Step 3 — Run fast and relaxed
Once you're up to speed, hold the fast pace briefly.
You should feel powerful but relaxed.
Your face shouldn't be grimacing.
Your shoulders shouldn't be tense.
And you shouldn't feel like you're fighting to survive.
Step 4 — Gradually slow down
Don't slam on the brakes.
Ease off the pace and allow yourself to slow naturally.
Step 5 — Fully recover
Walk or jog easily until you're ready to do the next one.
The recovery should be long enough that each stride is high quality.
How many should you do?
For most runners:
4–6 × 15–30 seconds is plenty.
Beginners can start with just 3–4.
More experienced runners might use 6–8 depending on the training phase and purpose.
The important thing is that quality comes before quantity.
If your final repetitions start looking like tired sprinting, you've probably done enough.
When should you do strides?
There are three particularly useful places to put them.
After an easy run
This is probably the most common option.
For example:
8 km easy + 6 × 20 sec strides
You finish your aerobic running, take a short easy recovery, then complete your strides.
This is a great way to add a small amount of speed without turning your easy run into a hard session.
Before a workout
After your warm-up, you can use 3–6 strides to prepare your body for faster running.
For example:
3 km easy + drills + 4 × 20 sec strides → interval session
The strides act as a bridge between your easy warm-up and your first hard repetition.
Before a race
Strides can be particularly useful during a race warm-up.
After your easy jogging and mobility/drills, complete a few controlled strides so your legs have experienced faster running before the gun goes.
This can be especially useful for shorter races such as 5 km, but they can also be used before longer races.
How often should you do them?
For most runners, 1–2 times per week is plenty.
You don't need to do them every day.
And remember that strides are a supplement to your training, they aren't a replacement for easy mileage, threshold training, long runs or properly structured intervals.
Think of them as the seasoning rather than the main meal.
Strides vs sprints
This is where many runners get it wrong.
Strides:
-Short
-Fast
-Relaxed
-Controlled
-Gradual acceleration
Full recovery
-Low overall fatigue
Sprints:
-Much higher intensity
-Maximum or near-maximum effort
-Greater muscular and mechanical demands
-Much greater injury and fatigue considerations
If you finish a set of strides thinking:
"That was hard, I need a minute to catch my breath."
You're probably running them too hard.
If you finish thinking:
"That felt quick and smooth."
You're probably much closer to the intended stimulus.
What pace should you run them?
Don't obsess over pace.
A 5 km runner might naturally run their strides considerably faster than a marathon runner.
And even the same runner might use different speeds depending on the purpose.
Instead, focus on effort and movement quality.
As a general guide, think:
Fast enough to feel quick, but controlled enough that you could immediately do another one.
For many runners, that will be somewhere around mile–5K effort, or approximately 85–95% of maximum speed, but the exact pace isn't the point.
Common mistakes I see
❌ Turning strides into sprints
This is probably number one.
You don't need to hit maximum speed.
❌ Not recovering enough
Strides aren't meant to become an interval workout.
Take enough recovery to maintain quality.
❌ Focusing on pace
The watch isn't the goal.
Smooth, efficient movement is.
❌ Overstriding
Don't deliberately reach your foot out in front.
Think quick and powerful, not huge.
❌ Doing them when exhausted
If you're too fatigued to maintain good mechanics, skip them.
❌ Doing too many
More isn't automatically better.
Four excellent strides are better than ten sloppy ones.
❌ Doing them on unsuitable terrain
A flat, predictable, safe surface is ideal. Avoid slippery surfaces, busy roads, sharp corners and steep hills.
Strides during a taper
This is another reason I love them.
During race week, we're trying to reduce fatigue without making the legs feel flat.
A few short strides can provide that little bit of faster movement without adding the workload of a proper speed session.
For example:
-Friday: 5 km easy + 6 × 20 sec strides
-Saturday: 15–20 min very easy + 4 × 20 sec strides
Sunday: Race
That's a very different stimulus from doing a hard interval session two days before a race.
You're not trying to build fitness at that point.
You're trying to arrive at the start line feeling fresh and sharp.
The bottom line
Strides are simple.
But simple doesn't mean ineffective.
They're a low-fatigue way of regularly exposing your body to faster, more efficient running while reinforcing coordination, rhythm and relaxed mechanics.
-You don't need to be fast to do them.
-You don't need a track.
-You don't need a GPS watch.
And you certainly don't need to sprint.
Just find a safe, reasonably flat stretch, accelerate smoothly, run fast and relaxed for 15–30 seconds, ease off, recover fully and repeat.
A few minutes of quality work, consistently applied, can become a very useful part of your training.
And perhaps the biggest lesson:
Don't run strides to get tired.
Run them to get better at running fast.
Haaije
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