Cadence

[miker]

Hey all,

I've a question on the cadence thing. I think I'm supposed to be at like 180 beats/min. Which I think is 90 w/each foot. Is that right?

Okay, maybe two questions. How the heck do you run slow, or fast. That 180 seems pretty quick. Since I can do the 180 running in place, am I supposed to lean forward and let gravity pull me along? (yeah, I know that was 3 questions...work with me!)

The mental picture I have is of one of those Segway things...

Just trying to get this "form" thing down...

 

[DNEchris]

YesMove your hips forward to

Yes

Move your hips forward to increase speed



Yes

 

[Blind Boy]

If you're up for it, have a

If you're up for it, have a look at this, a very technical explanation of how good form works: http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/08/how-to-run-running-with-proper.html

Also, don't get too hung up on any one detail, if you focus too much on one thing you're likely to create a problem elsewhere. I'd say just relax and run, posture is more important than cadence.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Instead of counting your

Instead of counting your cadence steps with your feet, try counting with your elbow instead, except count it when your elbow is in front of you not in back of you. Otherwise, like Ken Bob says, if you count your cadence with your feet, you will be more likely to stomp your feet as you run, and as barefoot runners, we shouldn't stomp anything.

(Not the same as the BRS's Stomp of Approval though. ;-))

 

[miker]

Ya know...sometimes I'm glad

Ya know...sometimes I'm glad I run (mostly) on a 1/2 mile loop that is hidden from the public eye. I was pumping my arms so fast that if anyone had seen me, they would have thought I was being attacked by flying insects! I like counting the elbows though...definitely wasn't thinking about the feet, just thinking about killing bugs.

 

[jschwab]

When I check I am usually

When I check I am usually running 180 cadence, but I'm very slow (recent times - 9:01 for the miles; 33:00 for the 5K). It has to do more with form than swiftness. If it's real hot out I'll drop down to 165-170. And only count one side - if you try to count both sides, you will miss some.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

A friend I ran with last

A friend I ran with last night said she read that when running in heat, your heart beat increases by 10-20 and if it's humid add another 10-20. I definitely sweat more in the hotter months than the colder months, and I'll be I burn more calories in the hotter months too.

 

[saypay45]

Here's my two cents.  I used

Here's my two cents. I used to give out a lot of form advice, but I realize that I run like an orge with a sprained ankle. It works for me. Run in a way that works for you and all of that technical stuff can come in later as you're trying to improve.

Beginning the barefoot journey should start with just getting your flow and feeling the ground. You don't have to think about anything except how much fun you're having.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

DITTO!

DITTO!

 

[swedishpimple]

I could be wrong... but I

I could be wrong... but I think that the idea behind using a high cadence for BFR is simply to help ensure that you don't over stride.

Maybe it's a flaw of mine, but I personally lack the ability to accurately count my cadence... so I have no clue how fast or slow I am going in those terms. I choose instead to focus on taking shorter steps as I run... trying to keep my feet under me as I go rather than reaching out.

I have no idea what this looks like or if it is even remotely correct. But it seems to work for me.

S. Pimp.

 

[paraganek]

OK, here is my piece of

OK, here is my piece of experience:

I started running barefoot just 3 months ago. I read about the ideal cadence 90 (180 bpm) but that was too fast for me at that time so I decided to get there gradually.

I started at 160 bpm. After a month I switched to 170 bpm and just a couple of days ago I first tried running at 180 bpm.

(The way I measure it is I always run with an mp3 player playing those running loops from podrunner.com)

I was quite shocked, switching from 170 to 180 BPM made a huge difference to me.

I just felt great almost like jumping into the right form right away, I just could not believe it !

Since then I have been running at 180 bpm only and everything works much better, smoother, I can run longer, faster and more comfortable and I am enjoying it much more.

Hooray ! arty: