Why Should I Increase My Running Cadence?

Before we discuss how to increase running cadence, it’s important to cover why you might want to increase your running cadence in the first place.

As mentioned, your running cadence is one of two things that determine your pace. In a nutshell, how fast you run is determined by your stride length multiplied by your stride rate, or cadence.

Running speed = stride length x strides rate

To run faster, you can increase your stride length, cadence, or both. However, there’s evidence to suggest that increasing stride length can increase the risk of injuries because it increases impact or loading forces.

In contrast, research suggests that increasing your cadence by about 5-10% above your current stride frequency can reduce the risk of musculoskeletal stress and resultant injuries by reducing the impact and loading on your hip and knee joints, decreasing the braking force when your feet contact the ground and reducing your vertical ossification (bouncing motion).

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