Graphs and Speed podcast - take 4

[iain-strachan]

I'm quite enjoying the SPEED podcast, and as I get better at it the intervals show up better on the graphs!

So here Strava has shown up six bumps in speed and six bumps in the cadence as it went between 165 and rests of 150.

How was the run? Well, strangely I found that the later intervals were easier than the earlier ones. Does anyone else find this?

Also you'll see a fast burst at the end - I have this bit of music that is at 180 bpm, and thought I'd finish up with a burst of it. At the end I was going hell for leather (for me!) and I think I found the 180 less tiring than the other.

We'll see in a later run how long I can keep going at this cadence rate.

Not going to try it out on Parkrun tomorrow, however. I just want to complete it in the usual way before trying something too new. Keeping 180 steps per minute is fine for 3 mins, but 35 might be pushing it! Or at least I need to convince myself that it really is a better pace to run.

I've yet to try STAMINA, which sounds like a slightly longer and faster version of Stepping Stones.

Can anyone give me their impression of STAMINA?

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

If you were running at a parkrun at 180 steps a minute, I think that would be sub 25 minute pace, experts here might know the exact time for someone running a 5k at 180 cadence/steps a minute, it's fast. 😊 🏃

[iain-strachan Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

I don't think there is an exact time for someone running 5k at 180 cadence, because it also depends on the stride length.

My reason for experimenting with a higher step rate is because I have read that you take shorter, lighter steps, and that this reduces the risk of injury.

The Strava graph for this run shows that when I was doing 180 steps per minute that my pace was 6:45 per km, which would correspond to a 5k at 34 minutes. Still much faster than I do at the moment (best ever was 36:30 ish). That was 2 years ago, and this time round my two parkruns have been 39 ish.

So I'll need to build up gradually. My "normal" step rate seems to settle at 164, which is close to the interval pace on SPEED, and the fast finish on STAMINA. The difference, though is that you push harder on the intervals than you would on a long run as you know it's only for a minute.

I view the 180 steps per minute experiment with shorter steps as a bit like riding my bicycle in a low gear - the legs are whizzing round but the speed isn't particularly high. But when I do this it is definitely less tiring than using a higher gear.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to iain-strachan]

I have a metromone beats app on my Smartphone, it does help a little, but as you say, stride is important, I have used it at several 5k runs I have ran, but strangely enough all the sub 33 minutes 5k's I have ran I did not have that metromone app with me, last Wednesday I ran a 5k with the metromone at 172 steps a minute in a time of 35.01, this morning at parkrun, WITHOUT the app with me my official time was 32.01, so as you say stride is very important.

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Good luck with Parkrun Iain! 😊

Yes, stamina is exactly that a longer, faster version of stepping stones..all good training tools.😊x