cadence
This post might be a bit boring but I forgot to include it in yesterday’s post and wanted to write it down somewhere because it was a first for me.
Cadence is essentially the number of steps taken in a minute. It is usually expressed as the number of steps taken on one leg during a minute of running. Cadence is a very important part of the Pose Method of running. The reason it is important is how it relates to muscle elasticity/springiness/lightness/contact with the ground. Essentially, the idea is that the more steps you take in a minute, the lighter you are on your feet and the less effort you will waste on the ground. Dr. Romanov suggests that to take full advantage of muscle elasticity, one must run with a cadence of 90 steps or more per minute.
Yesterday was the first time I counted my cadence. It turned out to be pretty much exactly 90 steps per minute at all speeds. That is definitely good news although I find I have a tendancy to get lazy and drop my cadence for slower running.
But good news overall.
Have you ever analyzed your cadence? Are you curious? Why not count your steps next time you are out and about? Of course, you don’t have to count for 60 full seconds. You can count for 10 or 20 and do the appropriate math. You can take it a bit further by trying to increase your cadence without lengthening your stride and analyzing how it feels.
Let me know what you find out!
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Tuesday June 14, 2005 @
I think we measured our cadence at the ChiaPet clinic at 85. Can’t remember. Good that you had the same cadence at all speeds, Mark. That sounds like your natural rhythm, where your body would like you to stay. Probably feels very synchronized to you.