Strides

Do them!

Do them often!

I would suggest that strides should be done after your easy runs, at a minimum, 3-4 days a week. Barefoot on a quality soccer/football field is my favorite method. There are dozens of different ways to do strides, so go with your preferences and mix things up. I'll cover some suggestions below. Feel free to comment, to let others gain different perspectives.

100m is a typical distance, but feel free to go slightly longer or shorter, or go by time: 20-25 seconds is a decent range for most of you. 8 to 10 strides is a nice range for most of you to shoot for, but start with 4 to 6 and work up. Some things to think about:

1) Form - shoulders over hips, arms parallel to direction of travel (not crossing the body), legs doing the work and upper body relaxed, along for the ride.
2) Turnover - EVERYONE on the team would benefit from faster turnover during races; use the strides to practice quick turnover: pretend you are running on egg shells (light ground strikes) or hot coals (quickness). You will feel the different leg muscles being stressed as you do this.
3) Speed - these are not sprints; however, you should build your speed during the first third of the stride, have high speed during the middle third, and wind it back down during the final third.
4) Visualize - imagine you're in the middle of a race, or getting ready for the final sprint; imagine the race is Counties or Sectionals or the Olympics! Get positive feelings about the hard effort being very comfortable - you can draw on those feelings later, during a race.

Strides seem unimportant, but they can change your leg strength and quickness, and make you a stronger and more efficient runner.