Sunday, January 30, 2011

Cadence


I just read an article at "The Runner's Roundtable" about the average cadence of 6 Kenyan runners who ran at UTEP. Here are some numbers.

Pace per mile Avg. Cadence
7:40 175
6:43 181
5:58 185
5:22 191
4:58 196

I went back and found my second fastest 5k (my pr race didn't have cadence data) and found these interesting numbers. I ran 3.14 miles in 23.26, which is a 7:27 minute mile. My average cadence was 190! The Kenyans are a whole 2 minutes per mile faster at the same cadence.

My average heart rate for that race was 194. My max heart rate is around 210 and I believe my threshold is around 170. So, I was working hard.

Longer distance as a comparison? My fastest marathon 4:07:44 (9:22 pace) average HR 180, my cadence was 182. Fastest half marathon 1:48:20 (8:16) average HR 190, cadence 182!

What does that tell me? I don't think my fitness level is why I am not fast. I think it is my mechanics. I either fix that or I might as well get used to and be happy, being a slower long distance runner.

How much can you change your natural gait?

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