Changes

Cadence is a critical part of running, lowering the stress on ankles, knees, & feet, improving [[Running Economy]], reducing injury rates, and enhancing [[Running Form]]. Cadence is how often your feet touch the ground and it's easy to modify.

=Correct Cadence=

=Measuring Cadence=

The cheapest way is to measure your cadence is to simply count how many times your foot touches the ground in a minute. However, it's much easier to use a [[Best Running Watch| running watch]] that displays cadence. Some watches will use a small [[Footpod]] attached to your shoe, but others make use of an internal accelerometer. There's also more advanced options, such as [[RunScribe]] which make Footpods that measure a wide range of biomechanical data in addition to pace and [[Cadence]], including Braking G's, Impact G's, Ground Contact Time, [[Foot Strike]], and more. The accuracy of these approaches is covered in my [[Comparison of Cadence Monitors]].

* Some [[Best Running Watch| running watches]] will display your cadence. The most common source for cadence is a [[Footpod]], but some Garmin watches can get cadence from the [[Heart Rate Monitor]] strap. The watches that provide cadence from an internal accelerometer tend to be less accurate than the other options, but it works if you make some allowances. The best watches will alert you if your cadence is out of the range you specify. See [[Best Running Watch]] for details on which watches have the functionality you want.

* You can [[Remixing Music For Running| remix music]] so that it is a higher tempo.

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* A higher cadence also reduces peak leg deceleration as well as peak impact forces in the ankle and knee joints<ref name="Clarke-1985"/>.

* Higher cadence is also related to a reduction in [[Overstriding]]<ref name="Heiderscheit-2011"/>.

* Not surprisingly, a higher cadence reduces [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness]] and the associated weakness<ref name="RowlandsEston2001"/>.

* One study<ref name="WILLSON"/> showed that as people become tired, their cadence goes up, and with the higher cadence goes lower impact forces. Although a shorter stride/faster cadence results in less landing force, a longer stride length/lower cadence is associated with less of the impact force reaching the head<ref name="Mercer-2003"/>.

* A review of the scientific studies showed consistently that an increased [[Cadence]] reduces shock at the hip, knee, and ankle, vertical oscillation, and ground contact time<ref name="SchubertKempf2013"/>.

* Barefoot running tends to have a higher cadence than shod<ref name="Divert-2005"/>.

* There is relatively little evidence concerning the height or leg length of athletes and their cadence.

** A study of 37 male senior elite triathletes indicated that height did not change Cadence, but taller athletes were faster and had longer stride lengths <ref name="Brisswalter-1996"/>.

[[File:Cadence and Impact.jpg|none|thumb|500px|This chart<ref name="Mercer-2003"/> shows the impact forces for three different cadences at the same speed. The thick line shows the Preferred Strike Frequency (PSF) and Preferred Strike Length (PSL), which was a cadence of 84. The thin line has the runners with a 10% slower cadence of 76 and shows increased impact. The dotted line shows 10% faster cadence of 93 and a reduced impact force.]]

=References=

<references>

<ref name="Brisswalter-1996">J. Brisswalter, P. Legros, M. Durand, Running economy, preferred step length correlated to body dimensions in elite middle distance runners., J Sports Med Phys Fitness, volume 36, issue 1, pages 7-15, Mar 1996, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8699842 8699842]</ref>

<ref name="Cavanagh-1989">PR. Cavanagh, R. Kram, Stride length in distance running: velocity, body dimensions, and added mass effects., Med Sci Sports Exerc, volume 21, issue 4, pages 467-79, Aug 1989, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2674599 2674599]</ref>

</references>