A few years ago, ABC Sport produced a digital breakdown of the science of running.
By comparing an Olympic runner with an amateur, we broke down the biomechanics of running and discovered how the position of the whole body contributes to our running style and efficiency.
The idea was to help amateur runners become more efficient during their weekly 5-kilometre parkrun.
The advice from the experts boiled down to this:
- Run tall, be light, and don't sink
- Keep your hips high and don't stick out your bum
- Kiss the ground, don't bash it
- And don't think about your feet
That last one was the counter-intuitive message from podiatrist Richard Windybank.
For a foot guy, he wasn't worried about whether runners landed on their heel, midfoot or forefoot. He was more concerned about the body's overall position.
But there was another tip which couldn't be entirely removed from the "don't think about your feet" mantra, which was to shorten your strides by increasing your stride frequency. Or, as runners say, increasing your cadence.
Slightly increasing the number of steps taken per minute is something that many running coaches say recreational athletes could do to improve their running efficiency. With practice, it can help them run faster.
There is also some evidence that runners who improve their cadence can reduce injuries by decreasing the pressure on joints.
So why does cadence effect performance?
Let's go back to look at what we do when we run. Once again our guide will be Dr Aaron Beach, a lecturer in exercise and sport science at Macquarie University.
Each time we touch the ground, there's a brief moment of braking when that foot suddenly stops.
Dr Beach explains it's a bit like slamming on the brakes of your bike. Do it hard enough and your momentum will send you flying over the handlebars.
Each time we land, our centre of gravity shifts over that leg on the ground. But the further forward the leg lands, the heavier the braking force that's applied.
It’s what we do naturally when we run down a steep hill to stay in control.
So, we do need some braking force, but not too much.
"Ideally you want as minimal breaking force and as much vertical force to keep your momentum moving forward," Dr Beach said.
It's why running coaches talk about trying to land your foot under your hips.
One way to keep your landing foot under you is to increase the number of steps you take each minute (SPM).
The idea is that by slightly increasing your cadence, your stride length will naturally shorten. That means you won't be stretching out as far when you land your front foot.
"By forcing your foot to be on the ground less it's encouraging you to get off the heel and bring the steps a lot closer."
Better biomechanics, less energy, finer form
Running coach, triathlete and personal trainer Sarah Watson teaches her clients to be conscious of their cadence.
"For your everyday runner – you want to go outside your comfort zone and you're going to see benefits when you start to increase your cadence," she said.
"It makes you more aware of your gait, the placement of the foot, where the body is directly above it. It helps you automatically correct bad techniques because you're thinking about the stride."
Collis Birmingham is an elite middle and long-distance running coach, who also coaches recreational runners.
He's currently in the United States coaching top Australian athletes including Brett Robinson, Izzi Batt-Doyle, and Rose Davies.
"Looking at cadence, spending less time on the ground and more time moving forward is basically why I want to see our recreational runners improve their cadence."
Where do I start?
So, the experts say quickening your gait is worthwhile — but how do you do it?
Firstly, as Dr Beach points out, there is no ideal cadence. While 180 SPM has become a golden number for some runners, it doesn't suit everyone.
If you're running a kilometre every six or seven minutes, it's virtually impossible to take 180 steps per minute – it's just too fast.
"You'll look like a Loony Tunes character running on the spot," Dr Beach said.
And if you're sprinting, your cadence could increase up to about 250 SPM.
Height and leg length is a factor too. Taller people will need to take fewer steps per minute to run at the same speed as someone with shorter legs.
All coaches stress that increasing cadence takes practice and should only be done in small increments.
And you'll need a decent fitness base before you start trying to change your stride pattern.
Dr Beach suggests to start by measuring your cadence when running at your normal pace.
Modern smart watches or smart phones often have step counters that do this for you, otherwise, just count your steps yourself.
Once you know your regular cadence, you can set about increasing it. If you're running at 160 SPM, your initial goal might be to raise that by five per cent to 168 SPM.
One trick that might help you do that is downloading a metronome app on your phone and setting it to 168 beats per minute (BPM), or searching for a 168 BPM playlist on a music service like Spotify. There are heaps of playlists out there for runners who are trying to hit a particular cadence.
And then off you go, but don't go too hard too early.
Dr Beach suggests trying the new pace for 30 seconds, before dropping back to your normal pace.
It might not seem like a massive increase, but you will notice the difference.
"Instantly making those changes, if your body isn't used to it, it won't be efficient, because you don't have the right conditioning of the appropriate muscles for that specific technique," Dr Beach said.
But while many athletes can benefit from increasing their cadence, not everyone will need to.
"You might already be OK, there might be other things that you need to be doing to improve your running," Collis Birmingham said.
All the coaches suggest simply running more and incorporating speed work and interval training is the first step to improving times.
"One thing I find is that cadence is looked at a lot more by the recreational runner than people who have been running a long time," Birmingham said.
"I think that's because the more you just get out there and run, those things [a faster cadence] will naturally improve."
But Birmingham said improving cadence is one way for recreational runners to work on form and efficiency.
How will you know when you've hit the right number of steps per minute, given the right cadence will be different for every runner?
So, if you want to set a new parkrun PB, working on increasing your cadence might be way to go.
But remember, it's just one aspect of training and — like everything in life — there's no magic bullet except hard work.
ABC Sport is partnering with parkrun to promote the benefits of physical activity and community participation.
