You know, I have long been advised and have espoused higher turnover in running, and more recently to the point where I advise folks that they should be in the 90-95/min range (counting left foot strikes). I derived this from the numerous coaches, books and even studies which often cite facts like Ndereba's 105 avg run cadence during her WR effort. But if we think about it, does that really make sense to apply some number to all runners? I'm sure Ndereba's cadence isn't 105 at an easy pace. What I mean is that if you are running sub 6:00 miles, well of course you are going to have a high turnover. My current 5k speed is about 5:15-5:20/mi at a 102 cadence. My Z-1 easy pace is about 8:00/mi and holding a 90 cadence makes me feel like I'm purposely chopping steps, even after a year of trying to focus on faster cadence. So what about those people that are training at 10:00 miles in training? Is 90+ the right target cadence at that speed? That's damn hard to do and you'll look silly trying to do it.

I do think that most runners I see are running at too slow a cadence, relying too much on leg strength and not enough on their aerobic system. But what cadence is best for them at a given speed, and how to determine it without all kinds of testing, well, I'm not so sure. Mr. Smith who runs 5 miles 3 times a week to be in shape and only does an occasional tri or 5/10k isn't so keen to strap a HR monitor on or run on a treadmill to find out. But what do you tell them when they ask the question? Answers? Coaches?

A higher than normal HR is completely normal for a new Pose runner, or when adapting to any new technique for that matter (high cadence cycling, bi-lateral breathing, etc). Your body simply has not had the time to grow accustomed to this new way of running, and as such is under a bit more stress as you try to ingrain this new movement pattern. In time, your HR will drop to "normal".

As far as cadence goes, the best thing is to count every once in a while. Look at your watch and count left footstikes over 15s - multiply by 4 and voila! I target 95 at race pace, and have been known to run at over 120 for short races (5k). I just try to keep my cadence as high as is comfortable for slower/longer efforts. I found that keeping Pose form was especially difficult for recovery runs, as the pace is much slower. It does get easier, and if you do some of the drills fairly regularly (strides, hops, mirror stuff) it will get easier faster.

I personally like to make as few "drastic" changes between racing and training as possible - and would thus lean towards training in the same shoes you plan to race in. There is nothing wrong with training in lightweight trainres and racing in flats, but make sure that you have a few good runs in your flats before race day. Depending on your estimated finish time, I'd suggest a +-90min run in your flats beforehand.

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thanks for the info guys. y'all are the heat!

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