Cadence

nomadic

I've been working on my running cadence the last couple of weeks and its been going well. I understand the 90-95 for optimal cadence bit but should I be doing all my runs at this cadence? I was doing an easy run today and was generally hitting 90-92 but that was with putting effort into keeping the cadence up. My usual easy run cadence would be lower. Is 90 - 95 the optimal cadence for all runs?

RoyMcC

Good question. I hit about 90 in track sessions but I don't know about easy runs. I suspect it's not much lower as stride length reduces along with forward momentum.

I'll let you know after the weekend but no doubt others have an answer.

dna_leri

Some good stuff here about running cadence.

One often hears the magic number of 180 strides per minute thrown around these days as being the optimal cadence for a runner... I believe this number can be traced back to famed coach Dr. Jack Daniels observation that elite runners tend to run at a stride rate of 180-200 steps/minute. I’m not sure that we have any conclusive data saying that the 180 number is optimal for every person, but Heiderscheit et al. 2011 showed that running with a faster cadence/higher stride rate (5-10% increase) reduced loading on the knee and hip, allowed for a more level carriage of the center of mass (less vertical oscillation), shortened stride length, and created less braking impulse... All seem like reasonably positive outcomes if you ask me, and this paper might be a useful guide in that a mere 5% increase in you cadence might be all that is necessary to realize some benefit. It turns out that the 170-190 range would probably be where most people would land if they increased cadence by 5-10%.

RoyMcC

Got a link to the full article?

dna_leri

RoyMcC wrote: »

Got a link to the full article?

Try:
http://www.runblogger.com/2011/02/gait-retraining-and-treatment-of.html

nomadic

Cheers,

I got this from a link from that article that I think suggests that slower runs should be at a slightly lower cadence but > 85.

"To minimise ground reaction force, energy loss and injuries while maximising stride efficiency, it is preferable to keep your stride rate over 170 strides/min. Quality workouts (intervals, race pacing) should be done between 180 and 185 strides/min."

DULLAHAN2

Sorry for the silly question but How does one measure Cadence? Do you count your steps for a minute?

RoyMcC

DULLAHAN2 wrote: »

Sorry for the silly question but How does one measure Cadence? Do you count your steps for a minute?

Yep, just that. Count one foot only

RoyMcC

RoyMcC wrote: »

I'll let you know after the weekend

About 82 at my slowest pace so, for me, a range of 82-90.