It’s an often debated topic. Does it matter (yes!) Should I change mine? (that depends!)

Your height *can* play a role in these biomechanics. Shorter runners may have to work a little less to get a quicker number, but they also may be able to push their average a bit higher. On the other end, taller runners may be able to get away with a lower average and maintain the same lower injury risk.

So what’s wrong with low cadence? Slower foot strikes increase the time your foot is physically on the ground. That means, more ground contact, which = more chances for injury. It takes more energy to pick that foot back up, making your run simply more effort.

Learning to increase cadence takes time. Common mistakes we see - thinking that picking up your cadence means picking up your pace. The goal here is to maintain a range of cadences at all paces. (Think of yourself as a bike! You can hit a range of cadences within each gear, but they will all produce a slightly different pace result.)

Runners sometimes end up getting too much bounce/ vertical when they try to work on this - especially on a treadmill where your pace is more controlled.

And many who are used to heart rate training get frustrated over their HR spiking when they start to pick up the step rate. We always tell runners to ignore their heart rate when we start to work on this form element - with practice, it will even back out to your goal cadence, but it does take some time!

The key is to work in cadence increases in bursts, until these smaller doses within the runs increase in time. Eventually, you can increase the intervals of focus and over time, your average cadence will settle in where you need it to! Focusing on cadence can also help dig you out from tough places on race day or on long runs - often this little bit of form focus can take your mind off the stress of the race and back into maximizing your efficiency!

For more on cadence, listen to our podcast on @themotherrunner - Episode is AMR Trains: Running Cadence 101!