Before the Gun: Strides are the best way to prepare your body for top performance.

By Ed Eyestone

At the starting line of any race, you're bound to see runners doing all kinds of odd stuff as part of their prerace rituals--everything from jumps and hops to weird breathing exercises. Some of these activities do help prepare the body for a fast performance; others are most valuable as entertainment for interested bystanders. While I don't recommend madly bouncing from foot to foot at the starting line, there is one effective method of preparing your body to run fast: strides.

When done before a race, strides--that is, 80- to 100-meter pickups--give your body a preview of the hard effort that's about to commence. Specifically, race-pace strides activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers that your body will call upon during the race, prepping you for peak performance.

Strides also improve neuromuscular coordination as the bursts of speed stimulate neural pathways. In plain English, that means you will feel less like a klutz when you try to run fast after you do a few strides. As your coordination improves, your running form becomes more fluid, making it easier to maintain that quicker pace. By rehearsing your race pace with four to six prerace strides, you'll also be more likely to settle into the proper pace early in the race instead of going out too fast or too slow.

Practicing strides is easy. First, find a flat stretch of road, trail, grass, or track. Then run your strides in thirds: Accelerate to your race-pace speed for the first third, hold that speed for the middle third, and gradually decelerate for the last third. If you run 30 steps for each third, you will cover about 100 meters. Catch your breath for 60 seconds by jogging or walking, then turn around and run a stride in the opposite direction.

When you do strides, try to run more like a sprinter. Get up off your heels and more onto your forefeet and toes. And rather than trying to lengthen your stride, try to increase your turnover. Pump your arms quickly and your legs will follow.

Of course, strides shouldn't be restricted to your prerace warmup. Once you've mastered strides, you can incorporate them into your training with the workouts on the right, which will give you the practice you need running fast.

The Workouts

Strides before speedwork:

To prepare for any speed workout, long or short, it's important to run at least four strides at or slightly faster than your projected interval pace. As with prerace strides, strides before speedwork warm up your fast-twitch muscle fibers, nerve pathways, and cardiovascular system, making it easier for you to hit your times during your workout.If more than a minute elapses between the end of your warmup and the sound of the starting gun, you've lost most of the benefits of warming up. If you are feeling loose and ready to run, but there are still several minutes before the gun goes off, relax for 30 seconds or so, take a position near the starting line and jog moderately in place to keep your muscles loose and your heart rate up. Your body will thank you, and you'll be thankful for your improved time.

Strides after an easy run:

At the end of an easy effort, try six to eight strides at 5-K race pace to "wake up" your fast-twitch muscle fibers that otherwise remain inactive when running at a relaxed pace. These strides help teach your body to run fast when we all like to run fast--at the end of a race.

Strides as a workout:

For those who find typical speedwork boring, strides are a creative way to add quality to your training. Head to a track and stride on the 100-meter straightaways while jogging the turns. Start with four laps (eight strides). Add two laps every two weeks until you can run eight to 12 laps or two to three miles. This kind of workout builds the strength and endurance you need to run longer intervals.