Tracking Cadence (Read 222 times)

 

Did someone who knows what they're doing recommend this? Not really my business but this just seems like a bad idea. If your stride is shortening due to a lack of flexibility, it seems to me you should address the flexibility issue (by stretching, mobility exercises, etc.) rather than trying to muscle out a longer stride. Otherwise your'e likely to create some bad form breaks trying to stride longer than your body wants to--by arching your back, overstriding out in front, leaning forward etc. That's a recipe for a whole host of injuries (he said from experience.)

Ha, good question.  No, this is a self diagnosed solution.  But, not entirely delusional.  I am doing a set of exercises designed to increase flexibility in the hip area (they are the myrtl exercises found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLrKr54yA0

And I'm not doing much to length my stride other than concentrating just a little on pushing off with my toes on each step.  So not over striding, just trying to get a little more vertical lift than my typical old man shuffle.

An interesting article related to stride length by Pete Magill: http://running.competitor.com/2014/09/training/fast-40-master-stride_113559

jstorts - it was that article (or something like it) that made me start looking at my stride as an area of improvement.  I noticed that my vertical lift was so slight that my heel would actually scrape the ground as I was landing.  Seeing that, and actually taking stock of my form, I could tell that I really wasn't bringing my toes, ankles, or even hips into play anymore.

So, it's not that I'm trying to simply lengthen my stride;  stride lengthening is a  result of making a effort to focus on bringing all of my flexing joints into play.  It does take some concentration.

At a time I wanted to shorten my stride and increase my cadence, I bought a couple of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-lightweight-portable-Digital-Metronome/dp/B0067WLHB6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1435534026&sr=8-5&keywords=metronome

For the price, I bought two in case one crapped out too soon. never had a problem with them. Hip problems brought an end to the running and never got a good opportunity to adjust cadence rate.

They actually shipped from China so be patient.