One of the terms thrown around in running circles is “cadence.” Cadence is the amount of steps you take in a minute (steps per minute = spm)! One of the “magical numbers” that runners aspire to hit is 180 spm. Where did this number come from? From the observations made by Dr. Jack Daniel’s and his wife at the 1984 Olympics counting the stride rate of runners competing in the distance events from 800 meters up to the marathon. Does this mean that this is the EXACT number that you need to aim for? No! More on this later.

How to determine your stride rate? Count the amount of steps you take with each foot in 30 seconds and multiply that number by two. If you use a Garmin or other GPS watch, it tracks it for you and you can even see how your stride rate changes with different types of runs.

Why is it important to determine your stride rate? I find that majority of novice runners tend to have a step rate below 180 spm, usually around, 140-160 spm and this can lead them into murky water as a lower step rate has been linked with increased risk of injury. The slower “turnover” (stride rate), the longer you spend in-air displacing your body mass, the harder you’ll hit the ground upon landing. Chances are that if you have a low cadence, you are over-striding, meaning that you are landing with your leg out in front of you with your knees “locked” and slamming the heels into the ground with every step. This increases the force on the surrounding muscles and bones leading to increased risk of injury.

Should you change your cadence? It depends. We have to remember that your body tends to self-select what’s “best” for you and as such, when we decide to make a change to your cadence we have to keep that in mind. The benefits of changing your step rate come from decreasing your stride length.

Research has shown that increasing one’s step rate by 5-10% above preferred while keeping velocity constant can decrease shock absorption levels at the knee, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia. Not only that, but decreasing stride length has shown to lead to a wider step width, leading to a decreased “pelvic drop” on the opposite side and decreased loads on the IT band.

PT TIP: Although there is not a “quick fix” to address a running-related injury, changing one’s cadence can be one of the “quick” and effective treatment approaches we take to allow us to temporarily off load certain areas WHILE we build them up and address the root of the problem.

When would we change your cadence? One example of when we would consider changing a runner’s cadence is if they’ve been dealing with continual knee injuries and they’ve tried ALL the things. Why? As we mentioned above, increasing one’s step rate has been shown to decrease shock absorption at the knee by up to 20%!

How to change your cadence? Once you’ve determined your cadence simply take that number and increase it by 5% to help you find your target cadence. For example, if your baseline cadence was 150 spm, your target cadence is 157 spm.

Changing your cadence won’t happen overnight, and it can take up to two months to make the change. In the mean time, here’s a glimpse of how I like to retrain someones gait:

• Use a metronome app or a Spotify playlist set at your target cadence

• On an easy run (example: 30 minute run), spend the first 10 minutes running at your baseline cadence, at the 10 minute mark, turn on your metronome/playlist and aim to run at the target cadence for 1 minute followed by 2 minutes at your regular cadence, and repeat that for 10 minutes. Turn off the metronome/playlist and “try” to maintain the target cadence for another 5 minutes. During this 5 minute period, count your steps to see if you were able to stay in sync and maintain the target cadence.

• Repeat this run on alternating days

Tips to further improve your step rate:

• Think small, lighter steps

• Imagine that you are running “over a field of raw eggs and you don’t want to break any of them—run over the ground, not into it” (Daniels, 2005)

• Include “faster” workouts in your training—strides, short sprints

• Include “plyometrics” and running drills into your training

Are you unsure if changing your cadence is right for you? Book a discovery call to learn more about our “Runner Assessment” and how we can help you determine if making a change is right for you! Thank you for taking the time to read!

References

Daniels, Jack. Daniel’s Running Formula. 2015

Edwards WB, Taylor D, Rudolphi TJ, Gillette JC, Derrick TR. Effects of stride length and running mileage on a probabilistic stress fracture model. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Dec;41(12):2177-84.

Heiderscheit BC, Chumanov ES, Michalski MP, Wille CM, Ryan MB. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43:296-302.

Boyer ER, Derrick TR. Select injury-related variables are affected by stride length and foot strike style during running. Am J Sports Med. 2015 Sep;43(9):2310-7.

Gerrard JM, Bonanno DR. Increasing preferred step rate during running reduces plantar pressures. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2017 Mar 27.