Does it seem like you are dealing with constant running-related injuries or nagging pains? Do you feel like you have hit a plateau with your running? Here’s a quick tip on how you can increase your speed with very little additional effort: increase your running cadence. Running cadence is the number of times your foot hits the ground, most often measured per minute. Your natural cadence is going to be determined by height, weight, leg and stride length. The average person is around 160-170 steps per minute. Efficient and elite runners can hit 180-200 steps per minute. Naturally if you increase the number of times your foot hits the ground, you can decrease the risk of injury from overstriding. To determine your cadence, on your next run count the amount of right foot falls in a minute and then multiply that by two. Often times your race cadence will be higher than your training cadence. If you would like to work on increasing your cadence, try downloading a free metronome app and setting it to 5-10 beats per minute higher than your current training cadence. There are also resources like jogtunes (insert hyperlink to: www.jogtunes.com) where you can choose music playlists with a set BPM. It will take some practice to increase your cadence but after a week or two of consistent effort, you will find it becomes second nature.
Tailwinds,
Coach K
