Increased running cadence = increased efficiency and pace

Running cadence is the rate at which leg turnover occurs, how many steps are taken per minute.  Before you go out and try this I recommend that it be done only for a few minutes within a run, and increase the amount of time working on cadence slowly.  Anytime you change something with your form or speed it must be done gradually and on occasion until your body is strong enough to handle it for a longer period of time.

Why would you want to increase your running cadence?  Check out some of the benefits to an increased cadence:

1. Improved running efficiency and form - the body doesn't have to work as hard
2. Minimized vertical movement - running should be a horizontal movement rather than a vertical movement
3. Minimized breaking force -breaking forces slow you down; if the foot is too far ahead of the hips upon initial contact the breaking forces on the leg are increased; when the cadence is increased, the foot lands more under your body and your muscles have better control of the landing of your foot.
4. Minimized ground contact time - ground contact time is the time that a runner's foot spends on the ground with each step; you want less ground contact time for increased efficiency
5. More efficient use of muscle energy (glycogen) - since the body doesn't work as hard, glycogen in the muscles isn't used up as fast

To start, count the number of times your right foot hits the ground in one minute.  When you do this don't change anything.  This is where you are at right now before you try to increase your cadence.  When I did it I was around 75-80.  From what I read online, 90 is a good cadence, probably for hard workouts and races.  I'm sure keeping that cadence for a long slow run would be difficult.  Maybe after working at it for a while one would naturally be around 90 all the time.   

Once you know your cadence count your steps again for one minute, this time increasing your cadence a bit.  Notice how your heart rate goes up and you are working a little harder.  This is how it will be in the beginning.  Once your body is used to the quicker cadence it will adjust and you will 'feel' more efficient. 

A great way to work on increasing your cadence would be to incorporate it into your speed workouts.  For example, the next time you do repeats pick one repeat (maybe a 400 meter) and think about taking quicker steps.  Remember, don't over do it!  Do this with one repeat the first time. 

Count your cadence on each run, going a little further with that pace each time, until you get a feel for that faster pace.  Before you know it, you'll be 10 seconds faster on your 400 repeats!

Source: http://www.easternregionalelitedistancecamp.com/pages/articles/BiomechanicsOfRunning.pdf