Run cadence off? Try running with a metronome

Q: My running cadence is off. My strides are too long and no matter how hard I try, I always fall back into my bad habits. Is there anything new I can try other than simply being mindful?

A: You’re right to want to shorten your strides and improve your cadence. Long strides put greater impact on the joints and after time, that can hurt you. When you shorten the strides, your form improves, you lessen the impact and pick up the speed. While many people in the running world covet the 180 steps-per-minute rule, try measuring your cadence and then increasing it by 10 percent or so.

There are several apps out there that will help you do this. Have you tried running with a metronome? This might be one of the best ways to adjust your cadence and quicken your steps. When you run to a beep or ticking sound, you can adjust your stride so that your feet hit the ground in time with the rhythm. Apps that will track cadence and allow you to run with a metronome include iSmoothrun, Run Tempo and Running Cadence. Of course, there are several others out there– check them out and see which works best.

If you find a simple beep or ticking of a metronome a little mundane, running to tracks that are 180 beats per minute (BPM) is another option with a similar concept. Simply time your steps to the beat. Your long, award stride will be gone before the end of the song.