How to Lengthen Your Stride

A longer running stride can help you improve both speed and distance, as you'll go further with fewer steps. Whether you're working with a trainer or alone, you may notice that you've experienced a plateau in your running speed or endurance. Sometimes, focusing on one aspect -- such as your form, stride or posture -- can have a large impact on your overall success. Lengthening your stride can also help improve flexibility and leg power. Here's how to lengthen your stride in running.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep your momentum focused in a straight line. Neither foot's prints should touch or cross the other foot's path. Overlapping footprints mean you're wasting energy in a sideways motion instead of utilizing it for forward projection.

2. Improve your muscle strength. Stronger muscles are necessary for the power demanded by a longer running stride. Try hill workouts to add muscle to your legs.

3. Lengthen your stride consciously as you run, evaluating it to keep from reaching too far. Balance stride length with your strength to make sure you have enough power for your strides.

4. Practice running drills and speed training on the track to build strength in your legs and lengthen your stride. Increased muscle power allows you to run with longer strides and maintain the proper propulsion factor.

Tips & Warnings

• Work on your stride rate, or number or strides per minute, as well as your stride length. While the average recreational runner has about 80 strides a minute, Olympic athletes get in more than twice that number.
• Avoid over striding, which can actually slow you down and increase your risk of injury.

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