Today, I want to share something that was brought to my attention by Coach Jen Steele of Misadventure Coaching: incorporating running drills into the middle of your easy mileage. I interviewed her last year on The Wrinkled Runner Podcast, and when she was talking about assigning mid-run drills to her athletes I was intrigued.

Why Drills During Easy Runs?

First, let me explain the reasoning. Easy runs are meant to build aerobic capacity without taxing your system, but that doesn’t mean they can’t serve double duty. By inserting short drill sequences into your easy runs, you can:

• Improve running form and neuromuscular coordination without the fatigue of a hard workout

• Break up the monotony of longer easy runs

• Practice efficient movement patterns when you’re warmed up but not exhausted

• Get more value from your training time without adding extra sessions to your week

The key is keeping the intensity appropriate. These aren’t sprints or high-intensity intervals—they’re focused movement exercises that enhance your running mechanics.

The Structure: How to Insert Drills

Here’s the framework I’ve been using with my athletes since starting to do this:

Easy Run + Drills Structure:

• Warm up with 15-20 minutes of truly easy running

• Stop and perform 3-5 drill exercises (30-50 meters each)

• Return to easy running for 10-15 minutes

• Optional: Repeat the drill sequence once more if your run is longer than 60 minutes

• Finish with easy running to complete your planned distance

The drill session itself should only take a few minutes, including recovery walks between each drill if you need them. You’re not trying to get your heart rate up—you’re working on form and coordination.

Five Essential Drills to Include (start with one drill during a run/once a week and if you want to add more drills as you progress, go for it!)

I am going to refer to Chari Hawkins, an Olympic runner who does a FANTASTIC job of explaining how to do various drills.

1. High Knees

Drive your knees up toward your chest while maintaining an upright posture and quick cadence. Focus on landing on your mid-foot with each step. Keep your arms moving in normal running motion. Do this for 30-40 feet a few times before resuming your run.

2. Butt Kicks

Bring your heels up quickly toward your glutes while keeping your knees pointing down. This drill emphasizes the recovery phase of your running stride. Stay light on your feet and maintain good posture. Again, 30-40 feet. This is a great warm up drill, so you can place this towards the beginning of the run.

3. A-Skip

This classic drill combines a skipping motion with a marching action. Skip forward while driving one knee up, then alternate. The key is to be rhythmic and land on the ball of your foot with each skip. This builds coordination and power in the push-off phase.

4. Strides

Coach Jen recommends doing a stride every mile or every 5 minutes. Pick up the pace (not a sprint, but running fast) for 20 seconds. You are just running fast. That’s the drill. Recover with a walk if you need to.

5. Quick Feet (Fast Cadence Drill)

Run forward with extremely quick, short steps. You are aiming for your fastest turnover possible. This can help your legs to fire quickly and can help improve your natural running cadence. Do this for 20-30 feet, a couple of times. There is a whole “thing” with cadence, but generally speaking if you running slower than 150-160 steps per minute there is an increased risk for overstriding which can lead to injury and also affects how fast you can run.

Coaching Tips for Success

Start with just one drill in the middle of a shorter easy run (30-40 minutes). As you become comfortable with the movements, you can add them to longer runs or include a few more drills.

Focus on quality over quantity. Three drills done with excellent form are better than five done sloppily. I’d rather see you do fewer repetitions with purpose than rush through a checklist.

Don’t force the pace on your easy running portions. Some runners get amped up after drills and start pushing the pace. Resist that urge and remember the purpose of an easy day. Your easy days need to stay easy to allow for recovery and adaptation.

You don’t need to incorporate drills in every easy run (unless you are using them as a warm-up…if so, please do)! Running a full run easy with nothing else is also beneficial, especially if you are training for a race or distance.

Finally, listen to your body. If you’re particularly sore or fatigued, skip the drills that day and just enjoy your easy run. These drills are an enhancement tool, not a requirement.

Making It Work for You

The beauty of this approach is its flexibility. Running with a group? Take a quick break together and make drills part of the social experience. Training solo? Use the drill breaks as mental checkpoints that divide your run into manageable segments.

Over time, you’ll notice improvements in your running economy and form. Your stride will feel smoother, your turnover might quicken naturally, and those race-day mechanics will be sharper. All from just a few minutes of focused work in the middle of runs you were doing anyway.

Give this structure a try on your next easy run. Start simple, focus on form, and enjoy the process of becoming a more efficient runner.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​