Let’s talk about the difference between “strides” and “surges” – and why you might see both of them show up at different points in your run training.
First off, they look really similar.
Both are short bursts of speed on an easy run day.
Strides are usually about 15-30 seconds long at something a little faster than 5k pace and you’ll do them at the end of your easy run.
Surges are usually 20-60 seconds long at something a little faster than 5k pace and you’ll do them in the middle of your easy run.
And while they’re really similar, they help create different adaptations.
For strides, you do the short push and then rest.
Like… rest rest.
Not keep running.
Not trot around.
But walk back to the starting point and wait for 60-90 seconds until you’re completely recovered.
Then you do it again.
It can actually be really difficult to get runners to do strides properly because they just want to run and they feel like sitting around is a waste of time.
So instead, they’ll do the short burst of speed and go back to running.
Which means we’ve turned out strides into surges.
Now you may wonder, “Why does it matter?”
Well, for two reasons.
One, surges are technically more stressful.
The lack of rest means you’re demanding more of your body, so you have to be a little more careful about how many you do and where you insert them in your week.
But even more than that, they create different adaptations.
Strides are focused on the strides themselves.
You’re trying to push hard and create power output.
This ultimately improves your neuromuscular efficiency and makes you a better runner.
Which is why the rest matters.
You’re trying to let your body recover as much as possible so you can push hard on every rep and hopefully improve your running economy.
Surges, on the other hand, are focused as much (if not more) on the portion between the surges as much as they are on the surges themselves.
The surge is there to help create a little more fatigue than you would on a normal easy run.
While 30 seconds at a 5k pace shouldn’t feel murderous, it should be enough to elevate heart rate and start to produce some lactate.
Then – because you’re never taking a full rest – your body gets to learn to recover while it’s still running.
It learns to process lactate and clear hydrogen ions and reduce your heart rate…
All while you’re still running.
Strides are about producing more force.
Surges are about recovering after you’ve produced more force.
So if you’re struggling with your top-end power output or trying to improve running form, you probably want to focus more on strides.
Whereas if you’re trying to focus more on consistent running and recovering after a push, you probably want to focus more on surges.
Both are appropriate.
Both have a place in almost everyone’s training.
They just have different places depending on where you are with your goals.
Small details can matter.
If you ever want to chat about this and see what small details matter for you…
Just send me a message.