Bike trainer?
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You can determine a baseline run cadence by counting how many times your left (or right) foot hits the ground for a minute during a run. If you count 80, then your cadence is 160. This is really only informational though and not realistic to do continuously. A foot pod is the only real way to get good accurate data over time. I agree with glevinso though. It is not really a very important number for most people. It can be if you need to do some work on your running form, but that should really involve a coach at that point. Simply increasing your run cadence without solid direction on the form changes this would require, could lead to injury.
I like to use both the bike and run cadences to smooth out my transitions, but you would have to have a cadence meter on the bike and a foot pod on the run for that case.0 -
I used the cadence sensor for the first time yesterday on the trainer. I intentionally kept it in easier gears than I would typically use and still only averaged 62 rpm. Looks like I have another item to add to my *kitten*-to-work-on list this year!0
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Don't overdo it though. People often put too much emphasis on cadence (both running and on the bike), then sacrifice good form to increase cadence, and end up injured. You are not a pro athlete, so you should not expect to have pro numbers. It is just part of the overall picture. For some, cadence might be an indicator of an overall bigger form problem, for others it might not indicate much at all. Two different athletes might run with a cadence of 160, but put in vastly different finish times due to their unique physiology and fitness level. I am assuming that the number you referenced (62 rpm) is for one leg and that your actual cadence is 124, which is pretty low. If I had that number, all it would make me want to do is find a good running coach that could look at my form and see if there is a problem. I would guess that you probably have some improvements that can be made to your running economy (form), but then don't we all.0
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2 great blog posts on cadence from arguably the preeminent coach in triathlon:
http://trisutto.com/come-in-spinner-the-bike-cadence-debate/
http://trisutto.com/top-gear-the-bike-cadence-debate-continued/0 -
^^^ Thanks for the links, Scott!0
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Great links @scott091501 I especially like this paragraph: "So you may ask, why did I train these guys to push higher cadences but at the same time have other pro athletes and most of my age group athletes going down the road in cadences between 66 and 74? Because what works for the individual is what is right."
Interestingly, on my ride this morning I was working higher cadence endurance. For me this was 80-85 cadence at an avg. of 150W. After an hour and 15 minutes I started feeling like I was more fatigued than I should be. I was at my 150W average, which is a low number for me. My HR was creeping up above 150 though. I was working on my HIM pacing strategy and this was not looking good to me at only 1:15 into my ride. So I dropped the cadence down to 75 and switched to a slightly bigger gear. I immediately started pushing out 15W more power, yet my HR dropped by 10bpm and was back into what is a good range for me. I immediately felt more comfortable too. The verdict in my case is that my efficiency sweet spot is still in a lower cadence range. Might even be lower than 75rpm. I'll keep experimenting to find out what it is for me.0 -
Yeah I can't stress that enough. Each athlete is different. I coach athletes that came from a distance running background and can go ALL DAY LONG so what they really need is a ratio of power and speed work to base work that is skewed towards power and speed. I was a power lifter prior to finding triathlon. I've spent YEARS building base so that it could catch up to the amount of power I can put out in an anaerobic state.
I find for people like you @ShawnTX that looking at shorter cranks and maybe Qrings will naturally up your cadence by 5-7 rpm without touching your HR and your power will catch back up in short order.0 -
so all winter i've been on my trainer, following my coach's training plan, doing mostly 90+ rpm on my cadence. i don't have a power meter- that'll be next years big purchase.
i took my bike outside for the first time on thursday for my club's brick workout. i did four loops of the park, 13.48 miles in 47:10 minutes... i didn't track the splits, but i will next time.
i averaged 85 rpms, and average speed of 17 mph, max 29.7. i'm a little upset about the stat for it, and i feel it should be a little better after 5 months of hard work on the trainer.
i mean, granted i had some IT band issues that day, and had done a speed run workout the night before. maybe it's not as bad as i think. i'll track the splits on my loops next time.0 -
Training with power indoors can be as cheap as getting a speed sensor and a TrainerRoad account. No need for a fancy expensive power meter at least when indoors. I find training with power to be the single most effective way to train for cycling. Without it you never know just how hard you are working. When you think you might be suffering mightily on the bike, it will tell you that you actually are slacking.
Also remember that it never gets easier, you just go faster (to quote Greg LeMond). So if you feel like you are riding easy, you probably are. You go faster by pushing harder for longer. You train so that your body is capable of pushing harder for longer, but if it feels easy, it still is easy and it is probably slow.
Also I should add that all winter you didn't have air resistance to deal with. You stayed put in your trainer. Now you fight the wind outside.0 -
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scott091501 wrote: »I find for people like you @ShawnTX that looking at shorter cranks and maybe Qrings will naturally up your cadence by 5-7 rpm without touching your HR and your power will catch back up in short order.
Yeah, I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on that exact combo. Have been wanting to try out Qrings and shorter cranks since they have been creating a lot of buzz. Seems like it might hold some potential for me. My current setup is FSA rings w/FSA carbon cranks (175mm). I like the longer cranks on flats (worked great on the flat course in Galveston), but climbing with them hits my legs hard. Thinking Qrings and shorter cranks may be a better all-around combo for me.
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Training with power indoors can be as cheap as getting a speed sensor and a TrainerRoad account. No need for a fancy expensive power meter at least when indoors.
That's exactly what I did this past winter before I got my power meter. I can attest to the fact that it worked wonderfully. Got much stronger on the bike. The accuracy of the estimated power number (as compared to a traditional power meter) doesn't really matter. It is just a relative number for you to gauge how hard you are working. TrainerRoad does a great job of managing this for you for a very affordable price.
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