I'm a happy running nerd! 😂

[ForbiddenPlanet]

Today I did the second workout in a Garmin 5K plan aiming for 5K in 26:00

The core of this "Long Easy Run" was to be 35 minutes @ 6:08 - 6:45 min / km.

I was sooo pleased that my average cadence during this part of the workout was 174 spm, which compares to my usual 157 spm before I did the JD 30 Day Challenge on S & F, (although at this pace maybe more like 150 spm).

The highlight was the 3rd km which I completed @ 6:16 min / km and 180 spm. At almost the same cadence on Thursday I was moving @ 4:48 min / km and 179 spm.

Being able to vary speed and cadence independent of each other has eluded me since I began C25K at the end of August 2019!

Of course if I'd tried to explain this "achievement" to myself back then, I'd have thought I was some kind of mad nerd! (Which maybe I am).

Oh well. 😁

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Well then I’m a running nerd too because I have taken a note of my cadence from every single run I’ve done 🙄 I find it interesting to play around with.

Do you consciously think about cadence when you run?

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Pleased to find myself in good company IP! 😀

In my efforts to improve my cadence I have been using the metronome on my watch (Forerunner 245), currently set at 172, and to vibrate on every fourth beat.

I've been doing this for a month or so and think about it less continuously now, relying on noticing "there's something wrong" when I have slipped away from the beat.

I try to think about it as like playing the piano; when I know a piece of music I don't consciously think about the tempo, and I hope that in time running to a beat will also become second nature.

One thing that has helped me is listening to slow blues tunes as I run, as I find it quite natural and fun to sync my footsteps to the drummer's hands. 😁

[nowster Graduate10]

My cadence has naturally increased over the last couple of years. I don't consciously think about it, though.

And I'm definitely a nerd when it comes to looking at figures after a run.

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

I would be really pleased if my cadence had increased naturally, but after 18 months running I was still @ 157 spm.

The James Dunne 30 Day Challenge organised on S & F by Beatlesforever has been a revelation for me.

I was out this morning for an easy run as part of 5K training, and averaged 173 spm @ 6:23 min / km over 7 km.

Those stats would have been impossible for me a couple of months ago!

Yes, I too love to dissect the run, over my post run porridge.