Posted By Al Truscott on 26 Apr 2012 09:55 Al Truscott.
Expecting to be able to develop a longer stride (once you have arrived at optimum fitness) after age 40 is like expecting to be able to see up close without bifocals.
I cannot disagree with you Al your thoughts and comments are always well considered and respected; but reflecting back on the context...which was "what is a better way to improve running economy...especially in the IM marathon"...I simply still suggest that many of us would benefit more from increases to stride length (even minor)...v. stride frequency or cadence....and that this information supports that contention...while not minimizing any other of the excellent comments & information on this thread....I'm not suggesting that we can increase our stride lenght/strenght to compare to our performance of our 30's but that minor improvements to stride lenght (which would be possible) are more effective than increased cadence....
As always...I do believe that improvement can come from both approaches... as for me...I think my best ROI given my current fitness and cadence etc. is via stride lenght/power....and believe that others may be in similar situation so this information is simply worth consider...
Also...I believe that Treadmill running exacerbates both a short stride and reduced power...helps/maintains cadence but the power generation piece is not balanced...does this make sense?
We're going to have to agree to disagree here. My personal preference is more lighter steps. You seem to prefer fewer harder steps. For a given speed, faster turn over with a more compact stride requires less force being generated per step shifting things in favor of slowtwitch fibers that have massive endurance compared to to fast twitch fibers that are juiced quickly despite being able to generate larger forces. Obviously running isn't all one or the other type of muscle fiber but if I can shift the balance even 1% towards slow twitch I know I'm in a better position for running IM, particularly when already significantly fatigued from riding 5hrs. Along with a shorter stride comes other efficiencies regarding foot strik, decreased contact time, and decreased "float" time where you aren't generating any propulsion what so ever.
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