running stride rate: Frankenstein vs. Godzilla

[rowland]

Have purchased "The Method" @ironguides for IM. Everything is alot less-but higher intensity than other programs/coaching over the last 20 years. 

Very fresh ideas, now my Treadmill/computrainer room(The Pain Cave) is the #1 user of Beach towels here in Florida.

 My question is on stride rate/frequency.  All the runs are 90+ and ALOT are 96 spm's.
While none are really long I was wondering if this was standard for Team TBB? At first I felt like Frankenstein trying to increase from low 80's.  Things are getting better but to hit and stay @96 I have to visualize Godzilla behind me and chop-chop-chop. My wife probably thinks I'm trying to learn to be a Geisha!!   

Thanks in Advance 
David
p.s.  Mars Bar and Coke rock!!

[doc]

depends on the individual,
but 80  is too low

[rowland]

Thanks Doc

Some specifics: I'm 6' with inseam 36".  IM pr=3:29  Very long legs with short torso.

I have found that cycling rpm of 84 is really comfortable and alot-more power than before: always keeping it 88-92+.

would keeping your stride rate @ 84 or higher be a good rule of thumb or is closer to 90 what you wuold prefer to see??

David

[doc]

the start point for us , is that it must be higher than the bike cadence.
and not forced to lift it
but build into it .
obviously a longer limb 6" is going to have a slower cadence than a 5"8 person .
its all relevent

[Marc]

The 96 stride rate we suggest you run at in training is to ensure that each person, no matter who, focuses on increasing their stride rate during run training. As a rough estimate, I'd say about 90% of AG athletes neglect to focus on training stride rate, and most run well under 90 steps per leg per minute. 96 is not an arbitrary number and it is important to understand that this is a training target, intended to be followed consistently over time, in order to assist you in learning to run with a higher stride - but not necessarily always at 96! It's a great target to "aim" for in training because you can count it easily, and low to mid-90's is a good target for racing. In most cases, you will not be able to hold pace, rate or exertion levels late in a race as what you held in training sessions, but by race day you should have "programmed your red meat computer" to run at a higher stride rate. 96 is the target in training, you'll probably hit a little lower in racing, but because you have trained this way, it'll come more naturally and you will focus on it, rather than running at "any old" stride rate, which when we are tired and depleted tends towards "trudging aka the Ironman Shuffle." And besides - 96 divides by 6, 4, and 3, meaning you can easily track the consistency of your strides per leg per minute over 10, 15 or 20 seconds at a time (ie multiply strides per 10sec x 6 and you get your rate/minute).

Hope that helps. Happy running!

[rowland]

Doc and Marc

A big Thanks!  I recently put on a foot-pod to up my cadence.  Now I'm committed!!( To Belleview)

David