Thursday 6 February 2014

The case for cadence

The more you read, the more you learn. Fact.

I've been nursing a cold since last week, but have maintained my running schedule. During the rest time, I've gotten to read a whole lot more about running and the fascinating physics behind the sport. If you haven't figured it out, I am one of those people that must understand the "why" behind all subjects and projects I take on. Research is vital and the multitude of information available on running efficiency is amazing.

Last weekend, on the advice of my mentor Jeff Nearing, I picked up a Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS running watch, complete with heart monitor and foot pod.

It's an incredible piece of technology and when you upload the data to the Garmin Connect website it unleashes a bunch of really cool charts and graphs. Being a bit of a data nerd, it has been fun to dissect every second of a run.

One of the measurements is cadence.

Have to say, I did not know a lot about cadence until I started diving deeper. It is an important measure of efficient running. By simple definition, cadence is the number of times your feet touch the ground in a minute. There is great debate of what the ideal cadence is, but the most common number used is 180 steps per minute.

I've been reading about the elite runners in the world and how cadence has helped them achieve the greatest feats. Interestingly, the cadence measures I have achieved in the last week (average of 170 steps per minute, hitting a maximum of 182) are around the same as many of the elite distance runners.

Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet, holds the 100 metre and 200 metre sprint world records completing these distances in 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds, respectively. In the 100 metre sprint his average speed was 37.58 km/h. His fastest pace in that world record run came through the 60 to 80 metre portion when he was travelling 44.72 km/h. Absolutely incredible! Watch this video for Bolt's 100 metre world record run.

The difference comes down to the power they are generating when their feet hit the ground. That separates the beginners from the elites. An article by Dave Munger on Science Based Running explains the difference very well. It's technical, but you'll learn a lot by reading it. It dissects an earlier article by Yahoo! Sports on the Bolt running phenomenon.

In any event, I still have a lot to learn as we approach the 10K race at the Blue Nose Marathon on May 18. So far, it's been a blast. I look forward to the next challenge.

DID YOU KNOW: The world record in the 10K distance on track is held by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopa who ran it in 26:17.53 in 2005. The women's world record was set in 1993 by China's Wang Junxia finishing in 29:31.78.

By the way, Usain Bolt's cadence in that 100 metre world record run was 257. The record is safe with me!

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