Firstly, what on earth is cadence? It's the number of times your feet hit the ground in 1 minute of running. It's measured in steps per minute (SPM) and if you have a running watch it will likely measure this data using an in built accelerometer.
The figure of 180 SPM being the "ideal" cadence for runners is bandied about quite a lot. But is is a bit of a “myth” that came from a study that had a few flaws in it, it’s been debunked a bit recently and it’s certainly doesn’t reflect what I see in normal cadence variations in the runners I work with day to day.
Our cadence naturally varies person to person and with speed and the hills. Higher cadence, generally, as we go faster. It also varies with your height, very tall runners or those with longer legs understandably have a lower cadence, on average.
Lower cadence (I usually class this as less than 160 SPM) can be linked to over striding; where your foot lands so far our in front of your hips that the leg acts like a break and means higher landing forces go up that leg. If this is the case for you you’d perhaps hear that you have a louder landing than other runners when your feet hit the ground. In this case, or you have a history of running related niggles or injuries, I'd perhaps suggest a technique review (I offer these in the Reading and South Oxfordshire area!). These reviews can check your technique, including cadence, to see if any tweaks might help you run more consistently with lower injury risk.
I summary though if you don’t have any injuries or niggles and you don’t have that loud landing then I wouldn’t worry too much about what your cadence number is!
Comentários