Run Cadence And Its Effect On Efficiency
When
someone asks what your run cadence is, do you know? Just how important is run
cadence? What is a good run cadence? Most runners get asked this question at
some point during training.
Let us first define run cadence.
It is the number of steps (i.e. strides)
at the rate you repeat that action per minute (SPM). There is no right answer to
what that number should be for each athlete. Factors like leg length, body
weight and leg strength come into play. As an example, someone with longer legs
might take longer strides hence a lower turnover.
Cadence Calculator
So let’s calculate your cadence using
this formula. Count how many times your right foot hits the ground for 30
seconds. Then take that number times two for a one-minute total. Then double that
number to get a total for both feet.
Most
of us will have a cadence between 150 – 180. Lower than 150 and you are
probably over-reaching with your stride and heal striking making you inefficient
and susceptible to injury. Whatever your current cadence is, increasing that
run cadence is a proven way of becoming a faster more efficient runner. To achieve
an increase in your cadence, just shorten your stride length. When you shorten
your stride, your feet hit the ground in a different position. Their going to land
below your hips reducing the likelihood of heal striking and having less impact on
your body. Now your using less energy with a shorter stride and the turnover increase will thrust you
forward rather than up and down.
Increasing
your cadence is not something that happens overnight. You have probably been
running at your current cadence for years, and that saying “it’s hard to
teach an old dog new tricks” comes into play. So start out just adding 5%
to your current base number for a couple runs and continue to increase that number every
couple runs. This could take several weeks or months, but ideally, the higher you
can get your cadence the faster and more efficient you will be. I personally coach
my athletes to achieve 180 -185 (SPM). Which is also the same cadence I
recommend when cycling. I have seen them improve their speed and efficiency
when they get to these numbers and they also seem less fatigued as the volume
increases.
During
a training block for your race, you will have different workouts that will call
for different cadences. It is ideal to create a bandwidth for those sessions. You
might have a different cadence for tempo work vs long steady runs. Cadence must be related to speed. The faster
you want to go, the faster your cadence needs to be. I like to see an increase
in cadence for each level at about 5-10%. The faster the workout the quicker
the cadence and pushing off the ground with more force.
Some tips
that can help you increase your cadence
· Do workouts that
are geared to a faster cadence, like track speed work.
· Focus on smaller
strides. Do one minute at a higher cadence and 3 minutes at your base cadence. As
time goes on change minutes to miles.
· If you wear earbuds,
pick music that has a fast rhythm. You can also download a metronome beat to
your playlist and run to the beat.
· If your running
in a group, get behind someone that has a faster cadence than you and try to
run in their footsteps.
· Running on the
treadmill is also a way to focus on your cadence without distractions. The
cadence/speed correlation theory comes into play by setting the speed higher.
If
you want to become a better more efficient runner, check your cadence! Try to add
variety to your cadence and feel the difference. Record your pace and heart
rate with different cadences to compare and find your best cadence. I believe
overtime you’ll increase your efficiency, speed and strength!
If you have questions about your cadence or help improving it feel free to email me at kotriathloncoaching@gmail.com
Be
safe and keep training!
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