Running cadence is an important skill to be mindful of, and when optimal, will improve your running economy. However, despite having high tech watches that calculate this metric, it is often not fully understood what it actually means and how it can affect our performance. This article will try to simplify what running cadence really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT IS RUNNING CADENCE?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your running cadence simply refers to the amount of times your right and left foot collectively touch the ground each minute. A higher cadence is often associated with improved economy and performance. Professional marathon runners run at a rate of around 190+ steps per minute. The optimal cadence often referred to in literature is around 175-185 steps per minute for improved running economy, however, this does slightly depend on the terrain we run on. Trail runners, for example, tend to have a lower average cadence because certain hills are often too steep to run up. However, despite the terrain, running cadence is certainly a metric worth focusing on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY IS RUNNING CADENCE IMPORTANT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we increase our cadence (steps per minute) we increase the speed in which our legs turn over. This is really important because we end up spending less time in the air between our left foot leaving the ground and our right foot touching down. This will directly affect the amount of force that is transmitted through our feet and legs when we land (ground force reaction), and more importantly, where that force is being absorbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we have a higher cadence and a faster leg turn over, our foot tends to land more directly under our body, which from a bio-mechanical standpoint, promotes force being transmitted more through our muscular system. We want our muscular system to absorb most of this force because muscles act like springs that store energy (kinetic energy). This helps to propel us forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our cadence is lower we tend to over-stride and our foot lands slightly in front of us. This acts as a breaking force which slows us down. Furthermore, our forward leg tends to be straighter when we over-stride, which results in greater force being transmitted through our joints and skeletal system. See image below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Runner 1<\/strong> is over striding, has a straighter forward leg and is landing on the heel of the foot. The majority of the ground force is being absorbed into the heel bone, knee joint and hip joint. This is not optimal and will slow you down, create more fatigue and will increase your risk of injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Runner 2<\/strong> lands the foot more directly under the body. The knee, ankle and hip are more bent (greater flexion), allowing the muscles in the leg and hip to absorb the majority of the force. This will improve you as a runner and reduce ground force reaction being transmitted through the joints and bones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FINAL THOUGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing your running cadence to 175-185 steps per minute will improve your running economy, allowing you to last longer and perform better. Like all things though, if you head out tomorrow and try to massively increase your cadence in one go then your body won’t adapt and you may end up with sore muscles and\/or an injury. If your cadence is around 150-160, then aim to increase it by 5-10 steps every few weeks. If your cadence is around 170, then try to add in a couple of 2-4 minute intervals where you increase it to 180+. I put a lot of emphasis on improving the skill of my own running as well as clients that I coach because of the huge gains we can achieve by doing so. Keep running cadence front of mind in your next training session to take your performance to the next level. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More steps, less stress. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training"],"yoast_head":"\n