Fast Friday

I have been trying to increase my cadence while running. I can't seem to get past 82. I've been running there for a good eight or nine months. I can remember counting 70 and 74 for a while, so I have improved. The running wisdom is that your cadence should be at 90 and Coach Mark wanted me there. This means that your right (or left) foot hits the ground 90 times per minute. I think I've been increasing, but every time I count I still get 82.

I decided to do something about it. Speedwork is good, but I need a measurable, quantifiable thing to work on, not just trying to run "faster". Cadence is that measurable, quantifiable thing. This is my year to get faster on the long runs. This is my sub-two-hour half marathon and my 25 minute 5k year. (There! It's in print! It's real!)

I bought a metronome app. I figured that if I could listen to the beat while running, I could up my cadence. Bill found a podcast where a DJ spins techno music to a specific beat so you can set your cadence, but I don't like listening to music when I run. I thought this would be a good compromise.

I didn't want to set out right at 90 today. If it took a while to increase to 82, 90 isn't going to happen overnight (or it would have already). I set the metronome to 86 beats per minute and put it on the cowbell sound. Why not?

Holy cow, that was some workout!!

I ran two laps around the RV park and I was really pushing it! I ran 1.23 miles in 10:45 for an average pace of 8:44. 8:44!! That is really good for me! I can really see how increasing my cadence is going to make me a faster runner. Let me rephrase that. I knew it would make me faster, but now I SEE how it will make me faster. I bet I could be an 8-minute miler if I can get to 90. That would give me a 1:45 half marathon (!) and a 24:48 5k. There's my goal. That is what I want to achieve this year.

The half marathon training through work will help. The metronome app will help. But what will really get me there is my drive. I really hope I can stay injury free so I can train and get there.