Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

anon2282 t1_itlepl2 wrote

Did you do anything specific with your cadence to improve your performance? Help to explain that graph to me 😊

2

detalbruh OP t1_itn582d wrote

After doing some research on marathon running and talking to some friends who are advanced runners, I realised that my form was probably a little bit inefficient and my stride length was too long.

I found at a faster pace I could take more steps per minute but not as slower paces. That's why when i pull my pace back in early 2022 there is a big drop in cadence. I then worked (very slowly) for the rest of the year on taking more/shorter steps at slower paces.

2

anon2282 t1_itna1kv wrote

This is so interesting. I suck at running and would love to learn more about how to run properly so I can go faster and not ruin my knees.

2

detalbruh OP t1_itnc1cc wrote

I honestly think with enough training anyone can do it. I'm no expert but I would start by walk/running short distances at a low heart rate. I wouldn't worry about cadence or anything that technically initially.

If you are comfortable with that then I would say that speed is built through interval/tempo runs

2

anon2282 t1_itnn1ec wrote

I'm fine up to 5-7k but my pace sucks... About 6:45/km. This is a comfortable jogging pace... Heart rate maybe 85% of max. Stride doesn't feel natural to me.

Will try the temp runs I knew that was the right strategy for improving cardio capacity but didn't know it was good for speed too.

2

detalbruh OP t1_itnttfq wrote

Interesting, does your stride just feel like its not working? Also have you got proper running shoes? I noticed they made a big difference for me.

Yeah when I started doing interval runs, I noticed that my pace during normal runs started to slowly improve too.

1

anon2282 t1_ito6v8j wrote

What's a good running shoe? I have Nike Flex maybe a couple years old.

2

theshaqattack t1_itpapkr wrote

I run marathons; typically you’ll see elites will high cadences across races (for marathons I’ve heard it’s around 190 for elites). For us mortals, running a higher cadence reduces the force from a long stride going through your legs when impact on the ground occurs. It also promotes faster turnover which drives efficiency in stride.

2

anon2282 t1_itpk80z wrote

That's interesting because I can remember having a longer stride (I think) when I was younger and could run faster. I can distinctly remember running 1.5km in about 6-7 minutes so that's around 4.5-5m/km and I'm way slower now.

So I was thinking my stride seems shorter now and that might be the culprit.

I don't have anything to measure my cadence but perhaps I can do it manually this morning.

1

theshaqattack t1_itrpts0 wrote

It’s likely not your stride at all tbh. It’s probably more fitness than anything right now that determines how fast you run that 1.5km in. But faster speed work as part of a training program generally just pushes your cadence higher anyway.

But manually measuring cadence when you’re talking about 170-190 steps per minute will be extremely difficult. Give it a go though.

1

anon2282 t1_itrq6eg wrote

Counted 80 steps in 30 seconds so my cadence is 160. Should be a bit faster then?

2

theshaqattack t1_itrqpcl wrote

160 is a low cadence when running but so much plays into it. Fatigue at that moment, whether you’re actually interested in what you’re doing, what you’ve eaten and how that makes you feel.

Cadence shouldn’t be measured over 30 seconds and extrapolated though in my opinion. Measuring it over the course of your run, then seeing the trend is really the only concrete way to know what it is. Could you have kept that up over 5 minutes? 20 minutes? Too much plays into that short moment.

1

anon2282 t1_its30ps wrote

Yeah great points. It was just a 2.5 km run with some decent hills. Pace was pretty constant at 6:40/km or so, I'm really shit at running downhill so I think I'm actually faster uphill, about 160 avg bpm.

2

theshaqattack t1_its96yh wrote

Haha I know quite a few people who are much quicker uphill than down, easier on the quads.

At a 6:40 pace I’d be suggesting just to shorten your stride a little, almost feels like skipping along the top of the ground a bit and keep it up, it’s hard to do it at the start. And really just focus on doing more distance but slower. Aim to do 80% of your weekly mileage at a heart rate between 115-140 and see how your body feels.

1