Increase Cadence to Improve Running Form
Running Cadence
Cadence is defined as ‘the beat, rate or measure of any rhythmic movement.’ In running, cadence is the number of times that your feet strike the ground per unit of time, typically per minute. To measure cadence, simply glance at your stopwatch while running and, over the course of a minute, count the number of times your feet strike the ground.
To simplify the task of ‘counting your steps,’ many runners think of their running cadence in terms of ‘revolutions per minute,’ or RPMs, (similar to cycling) and count the number of times one of their feet strikes the ground per minute. Thus, a running cadence of 80 RPMs would mean that your feet touch the ground 160 times every minute.
As beginner triathletes, it is common for running cadence to fall anywhere between 75 and 85 RPMs. Most runners, with practice, can grow accustomed to a regular cadence of 90 RPM, a rate at which, experts agree, significant running improvement can be realized. Make 90 RPMs your goal, keeping in mind that your effort to increase cadence is not simply an effort to ‘run faster,’ though this will be an immediate byproduct.
By making a conscious effort to increase your running cadence you can also affect the following changes:
Improve Your Running Form
The biggest improvement that increased running cadence will deliver is a significant improvement in your running form. By taking quicker steps, your feet have less time for propulsion. As a result, you will naturally find that rather than landing on your heel (heel strike) between steps, your feet will automatically begin to touch the ground immediately below your center of gravity, landing on the ball of the foot (mid-foot strike.)
Improve running efficiency
Higher cadence, and the resulting improvement in your running form, will significantly improve your running efficiency. At a higher running cadence, your legs will be operating well within their natural range of motion. Getting off of your heels and onto your mid-foot between steps is the equivalent of ‘releasing the brakes.’ Once you’ve become accustomed to higher cadence, you will run faster while expending less energy.
Reduce running injuries
With improved efficiency comes a substantial reduction in the risk of running related injuries. Mid-foot running relieves the ‘jolting’ that a heel-strike inflicts on your ankles, knees and hips. Reducing this impact on your joints and connective tissues will allow you to run farther and longer with less of the discomfort we all tend to associate with running, especially when we’re just starting out or getting back into the sport after a long lay-off.
Improved cadence will change the way you experience running, both during your training sessions and during your triathlon events. The ability to monitor and change cadence is the equivalent of having gears on your bicycle. With this new-found control, you will chip away at hills with a light step that leaves your legs fresh, with plenty of gas left in the tank for the balance of your run. Long straightaways will melt beneath you as you meditate on the quick rhythm with which your feet strike the asphalt. You will marvel at the running distances you will achieve, with fatigue, but without the nagging joint and acute muscle pains that have plagued you in the past.
And for those of us who, up until this point, have considered ourselves ‘running challenged,’ increased running cadence and the resulting improvements to our running form will finally allow us to call ourselves ‘runners.’
