The Great Cadence Debate


September 21, 2012












When Bekele responded to Sihine's surge from 400m out, their respective forms were visibly different: Bekele called to mind the cartoon character Road Runner, his legs a blur of rapid turnover; Sihine and Mathathi looked like sprinters, using an exaggerated arm carriage to lengthen their strides while maintaining their cadence. Neither approach was right or wrong. "Those three guys, they maxed out the opposite of what they had been using for the majority of the 10K," says Magness. "When it's time to go, you use what you haven't used yet."




Because Bekele had maintained a long stride throughout, Magness hypothesizes, changing to a faster turnover rate allowed him to recruit fresh muscle fibers capable of producing a final sprint. Only practice makes this possible. That's one reason the Oregon Project athletes receive weekly doses of speed training. "It teaches that nervous system to fire and apply force in a quicker amount of time," says Magness, explaining how speed work teaches the body to push off against the ground more powerfully in a shorter period of time. "You can ultimately get the stride length that you want with a quicker cadence."

For runners more like Sihine, extending your stride length the proper way is vital. "The key is to lengthen it out the back side, not by reaching forward," says Larson. "Use your glutes and hamstrings to create that propulsion." This will keep you from slamming on the brakes with each step, as often happens to runners who lengthen their stride out the front. Several ways you can work on maximizing your cadence and stride length include:

PLYOMETRICS: Explosive exercises like depth jumps and hurdle hops teach you to produce more force with less ground contact time. For a distance runner, this would translate to a more powerful stride accomplished with a faster turnover.

BOUNDING: Exercises like single-leg bounds increase your running economy and teach you to extend your stride out the back.

LESS SHOE: The less weight you carry, particularly at the end of a lever, the faster you'll be able to go without increasing your energy cost. Dropping one ounce off a pair of running shoes will save you lifting 675 pounds during an hour run.

LESS OVERSTRIDING: While playing with your cadence can be a fun way to try and shave a few seconds off your PR this fall, staying healthy all year is probably your best bet for long-term development. In this instance, what the "180 steps" myth lacks in truth, it makes up for in practicality. If you're way lower than this number, take it as a warning sign. "It gives you a decent indicator," Magness says. "You can use it as an easy cue to sometimes fix a complex problem." How low can you go? "It's tough to give a number because it is so individual," he says. "But what I'd say is if your frequency is around 160 or lower when you aren't just trotting around, you should check to see if you are overstriding."

Overstriding is chief among the problems associated with low cadence. Most nonelites who overstride tend to reach with their lead leg, locking out their knee and slamming their heel into the ground with each step, says Larson. In addition to slowing you down, this puts undue stress on your joints and can lead to injury. Lessening this risk can be as simple as upping your turnover rate 5 to 10 percent. "As you increase cadence, you tend to bring your landing foot closer to the center of mass," says Larson.

Overstriding also occurs when natural heel-strikers attempt to hold their form while running fast, says longtime coach and retired Running Times columnist Roy Benson. "When heel-strikers go to kick, it's painful because you see that heel way out in front, the knee locked, their legs straight–they're braking, and they have no idea why it feels so choppy."

Increasing your cadence is the easiest and most efficient way to cut down on overstriding, our experts agree. If cueing yourself to take more rapid strides fails to help, Magness and Benson suggest taking a top-down approach:

First, consider the angle at which you carry your arms. A 90-degree angle at the elbow might seem ideal, but Benson often has overstriders pull their hands up higher. This creates a smaller arc for the arms to swing through, forcing the legs to turn over quicker.

If that fails, consider running barefoot on a track or grass field for several minutes. Immediately after finishing, put on your normal running shoes and mimic the shorter barefoot strides.

Finally, run in place for a minute, bobbing up and down on your forefoot. Slowly let yourself jog forward. As you increase the pace, have a friend or coach watch the speed at which you transfer from a quick, bouncy gait to an overstriding heel strike. Once that pace is identified, try running it again, this time emulating the quick, bouncy stride you practiced earlier. If you find yourself heel striking again, come to a stop and practice jogging in place once again.

While there is no magic cadence number, learning to increase your turnover can help you close out races and become a more efficient runner. It might even save you a trip to the doctor's office.