Runningmonkeys

Everyone is looking for ways to achieve their goals faster.  If your goal is to increase your running speed, then this may be your answer.

There are only two possible ways to increase the speed that you travel at:

1. Travel further in each step
2. Take more steps per minute

Pretty simple stuff really.

The first is dangerous and difficult to achieve.  The second is relatively safe and achievable for most runners.

But how do you take more steps per minute?  In other words, how do you increase your running cadence?  This method is simple, safe and effective.  If you work on it for maybe 4 sessions you will begin to see results.  Are you interested?

The fastest way to increase your running speed is by spending time on your bike.  But not just any old time on your bike, but time “spinning” on your bike.

Spinning is a cycling term for fast and efficient pedalling, that cyclists use to improve their bio mechanical fluidity.  For our purposes,  ”spinning” simply means moving your pedals in fast circles.

The process is simple.  Jump on any correctly sized bike with clip-less pedals or toe clips and head out to somewhere relatively flat.  Pedal at a comfortable speed to warm up and then, by changing your gears, increase the speed of your pedals gradually.  Concentrate on keeping your hips from rocking as you get faster and faster.  At some point, you will start bouncing around and you know you have gone too fast, so you can back off a bit.  Over a short time of adaption you will notice that you begin to sustainably hold higher and higher cadences for longer periods of time.  This is when it starts to pay off for your running.

While the physics of running are very different to cycling, the high leg turn over (cadence) is similar.  What you are aiming for is about 180 strides per minute when you are running.  What you will achieve when you are riding is anywhere from 90 to 120 and beyond.  Remembering that 180 strides per minute of running actually equates to 90 running cycles (the time for each foot to touch the ground once) we have a very good approximation of running cadence when we are spinning on the bike.  If we are spinning above 90 rpm then we will be getting our legs accustomed to firing in precise and controlled ways at that speed.  This will  be largely transferable to our running.  We will be able to coordinate and fire our muscles at the faster leg turnovers as a result.

So how is that for simplicity.  Training on your bike can remove one of the biggest barriers to fast running.  And as a side benefit you can have a great cross training experience while enjoying yourself.