The Importance of Cadence

 

While downloading my latest results from my Garmin 620, I noticed that it gave cadence data. I have never really thought about a running cadence before, I only worried about my pace per mile. But I do know that I have a pretty long stride when I run which apparently is not a good thing. And the fact that my cadence or stride rate is only in the 160s is not that great either. According to multiple sources on the Internet, when I am running at such a low cadence, I spend too much time in the air and eventually land with a greater impact, which can lead to injury over time. Well, everything I am doing right now is geared towards getting through an injury, and I definitely want to avoid any additional injuries, so I decided to get a little more information about the importance of cadence and what it all means.

What I learned is that the magic cadence is 180 steps per minute (spm) which helps to:

Reduce impact forces

Decreases risk of injury

Reduces overstriding

Creates greater running efficiency

Improves race times

If a 180 spm cadence will help decrease my chances of injury, I am willing to give it a try (http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Cadence gives a little more information and the science behind cadence).

One way to measure cadence is by counting how many times one foot hits the ground for one minute and multiply that by 2 or you just might have a watch that measures it for you. I counted the cadence myself and  compared it to the information from my Garmin 620, and I found that the correlation was pretty accurate.

Another tool that can help keep the cadence while running is called a metronome.  The ideas of running cadence and using a metronome have been around for quite some time; I just have been out of touch with the running community and wasn’t aware of them.  There are many types in the app store, and I tried a couple but the one I liked the most is the Run Tempo-Runners Metronome (RT).

This is a very simple, basic and easy to use metronome. The feature I like most about it is that it has a setting of high/low beeps that was helpful in keeping track of my cadence. I strike the ground on my right foot with the high sound.

So I gave it a try. I went out with my RT set at 175 (180 is a bit aggressive to start). Being that I am just returning to running, I wasn’t 100% committed to this because, again, I do not want to make my injury worse. I am now running 3 minutes out of every 5 minutes, so on the running portion I started the RT and set myself in motion. It was soooo hard and it felt soooo awkward. I was really out of breath and struggling. I was able to keep on pace fairly closely, but it may have been too aggressive given where I am in my training. What I did like was that I didn’t sound like my feet were slapping the ground; it felt like a more controlled style of running (except for the out of breath part!).

I am one of those runners that strike the ground really hard (probably because of overstriding?). When running on the treadmill in the gym, the sound of my running is so loud that I just turn the music up so I can’t hear it because it is so embarrassing. Maybe changing my running form to accommodate a faster cadence is the answer? Other questions that I was asking myself throughout this short trial were:

How important is cadence if I have just started running?

At what point in my running form am I considered overstriding?

How do I run a slower or faster pace when I am keeping the same spm?

How do I incorporate that in training for a marathon?

I hope to find the answers to these questions in the near future as I continue on this journey. Any input is always appreciated! In the meantime, I think along with considering cadence, I need to work on my form. So, stay tuned as the saga continues.