Coaches Corner: Zip Tips

Zip Tips

by Todd Etters

Adding “striders” after some of your regular distance runs is a quick and easy way to include a speed element in your training. Striders are typically short fast runs (but not “all out” sprints) that are typically about 100 meters long. These type of efforts will improve your running mechanics (your running “form” and running action) and will provide you with some neuromuscular changes that will allow you to run at a faster speed. The key is to concentrate on proper form (square shoulders, eyes straight ahead, active arm swing) and to give yourself enough recovery in between so that you can repeat the previous effort at the same pace.

At Lehigh we typically run 6 X 20 second striders at approximate mile race pace (this means if you can run a mile in at least 5:20 flat, then 20 seconds per 100 meters is right on pace; or 22-23 seconds per 100 meters would be about right for a 6-flat mile runner) with about one minute of recovery in between. These striders can be utilized at any time of the year (in addition to other quality workouts you might do) and I would recommend running them three times per week after your easy distance days. Again, these need not be all-out, edge-of-death sprints; however, for productive results, they should be run at least faster than 5K race pace. There are variations of this workout–even some than can be conducted up and down hills–but I find they work best when run over a flat, semi-soft surface with good footing, such as closely-cut grass or a smooth path.

Todd Etters coaches the men’s cross-country team at Lehigh University. In his competitive days, he was a captain for the Mountain Hawks. Last fall he coached Evans Kosgei to a runner-up finish in the Patriot League championships.