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Goals, objectives and targets have all been laid out, but what are you planning to do to get there? Let’s take a quick look at a few things you can improve on your way to becoming a run specialist.

Some of the classic run form issues we see with triathletes are low cadence, sloppy arm swings, over-striding, too much leaning back with a high head position, and heel striking. No excuses. Since we KNOW our sport requires running last (after the swim and bike when we’re most fatigued), it’s even more important to reinforce good run form all the time in training so it’s there on race day. No more mindless training and just going through the motions! Be mindful of what you are doing.

A quick review of basic run form

A key component for performing well in the run (and especially in the run leg of a triathlon) is run efficiency. Maintaining good form is one part of the equation and running cadence is the other.

Elite runners typically take years to perfect their craft and will spend two to three sessions a week working solely on run technique. We may not have time to do this, but there’s still no excuse for running with poor form—something triathletes often do.

Body position: Start with the chin down and eyes looking at about a 30-degree angle to the ground. The head controls everything. The alignment of the rest of the body will follow the head. If the head is up, the torso is up. Then the shoulders go back, the lower back arches and the gait is too long, which leads to over-striding, heel striking and a low cadence. The classic position should have a slight lean of the torso and hips.

Arm position: There should be a 90-degree bend at the elbow with the shoulders in a neutral position. The arm swing should be relaxed but not messy and compact. Hands coming too far forward, too far to the back, too low, or that swing across the front of the torso will affect the runner’s stride and result in a loss of energy and efficiency.

Maintaining proper form and adding in the proper cadence will yield efficient running. Over time this will yield faster running.

Run cadence

The objective in both the run and the bike is to aim for a higher cadence. Target 90 to 100 revolutions per minute in biking and the same number of foot strikes per minute in running. This is very challenging for most triathletes, but the higher the cadence, the more efficient you are. How to do it? Simply count foot strikes on one foot for 15 seconds and multiply by four. That’s your cadence.

Here is the formula that determines your running speed:

Running Speed = Stride Length X Stride Rate (Run Cadence)

Elite long distance runners typically run with a cadence of 95 to 110 rpm. The length of the race does not greatly alter their cadence. Elite triathletes run with higher cadence than most of us would expect—pro triathletes like Tim O’Donnell and Samantha McGlone run at about 96 to 102 rpm. An athlete’s height has very little to do with it: 6-foot-2-inch Olympian Hunter Kemper will run at a cadence of over 100. (It should be noted that all three of these athletes regularly run on treadmills.)

Running on a treadmill indirectly forces you to run at a higher cadence than you would outdoors.

Often triathletes are able to muscle through shorter distances such as the sprint and Olympic distance with lower cadence, but really fall to fatigue over longer distances in half Ironman and Ironman racing. This is attributed to their lack of running efficiency, poor running form, or their reliance on their strength rather than cadence to generate speed.

There are two key benefits to developing your ability to run at a higher cadence without any extra effort. First, you’ll reduce muscle fatigue—if you rely less on your strength, then you’ll resist muscular fatigue longer and this will enable you to maintain your run form for longer durations during distance events. Second, you’ll increase your run speed—if you maintain your stride length but increase your cadence, you’ll run faster.

Cadence is not always easy to develop, but over time, through awareness and repetition, you can improve this component of your running.

Ways to improve your cadence

Strides or pick-ups can be beneficial, but can only be done for short durations. However, on a treadmill you can perform longer intervals or tempo runs at a certain target or goal pace and have no choice but to keep up to the set pace. This indirectly forces you to run at a higher cadence than you would outdoors. Running is a repetitive sport and so the more often one can repeat the motion at a higher cadence the quicker the muscles and the nervous system can be trained to maintain the higher cadence. The treadmill is perfect for this.

Most athletes learn visually, so if you can run on the treadmill for higher intensity tempo runs in a room where there are mirrors, you can watch for a breakdown in your run form. All the technical cues that your coach has barked at you at the track while you hammer through sessions can be applied to your treadmill session. This is also great practice for racing because as an athlete you do not have those external cues on race day; you only have your internal mental cue checklist.

So now head off for your run. Check your form early on, check that cadence at various stages in your session, and most importantly be aware of your running.

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Cliff English has over 15 years of experience coaching age-groupers to Olympians, first-timers to Ironman champions. For more on Cliff’s coaching services or training camps, visit www.cliffenglishcoaching.com.