Turkey Toss at Trot, Week 2: Count Your Cadence
You have set a goal and hopefully have already done some runs. (If not, it’s never too late to start !) Now it’s time to take a closer look at how you run. Get in shape now so you can run faster and smoother in the future. Let’s start simple: count how many steps you take per minute.
To count your cadence, use any timer on your phone or watch, if you’re wearing one. Within one full minute, count the number of times your left foot touched the ground. (Counting is easier on one leg than on both.) Double this number to find the total number of steps per minute.
Why are we doing this? Because it is easiest for our bodies to walk with quick and easy steps . The higher your cadence, the better. Everyone is different, but a good rule of thumb is that your cadence for light running should be at least 170 strides per minute.
If your number is much lower, you are not alone. Many runners, especially beginners, are overlooked . This means we run in big, long jumps, usually landing on the heel with the leg extended forward. By the way, a heel kick isn’t automatically bad – it’s okay if you land with your foot under your body. Check out these pro runners and see how they land easily on their feet:
Try some of these exercises to help keep your body in good shape. And then when you hit your next run, try to step a little faster and see how you feel.
As you do this, pay attention to your breathing and the level of your efforts. You have to take tiny baby steps so that even though you walk faster, you don’t work harder. And don’t expect to dial 170 right away; If you have 130, see if you can do 140 instead.
To keep this faster cadence , try to listen to the metronome, like a metronome in iSmoothRun (iOS). If you prefer music, use Spotify Running to create a playlist in sync with your preferred running pace. You can also create your own playlist using Splyce or similar BPM analysis tools.
So try this and let us know how it goes! Feel free to talk about how you were treated in the first week of TTT.