Sometimes I run along the shoulder of the road in the grass or dirt. When I’m running on a softer surface, I notice that I feel lighter on my feet and more relaxed and I feel as if I’m running alot faster. I think I hold back something when I run on the hard asphalt of the road, for fear of injury.
Today, I made up a sort of drill to help me transfer this light and relaxed feeling from the soft shoulder to the road. I alternated ten steps on the dirt, and then ten steps on the road. When I was on the road, I focused on holding that light feeling.
I searched google today for running with light stride, and found =http://tinyurl.com/jns6k]this PDF document written by a coach. It has some interesting drills for developing a lighter, quicker running stride.
Here’s a quote from it:
In elite distance runners, foot-strike contact time with the ground is very brief ? just a few milliseconds of lightly placed, quick and catlike steps. And the foot contacts the ground under the pelvis with a mid-sole to forefoot (not the heel). With these images in mind here?s a few measuring techniques to help you achieve a more economical stride rate.
I saved this document to my hard drive, so if the above link ever goes dead, please email me and I can send it to you.