How do you rate it, and is it useful as a training tool? Thinking about getting a Garmin + footpod and would like to hear peoples’ opinions on them.

I thought they were really on for when you were on a running machine but wanted to record stuff on your Garmin?

I think they can record your foot cadence when you’re running as well. Usually paired with a GPS watch. I don’t think the bike specific GPSs can pick them up.

I haven’t got a running cadence monitor per se but a couple of years ago I overcame my resistance to music in a run and tried out yellings pacing stuff (from audie fuel). Helped me up my cadence and made a massive difference in 14 mile PB.

curiousyellow – Have you tried counting how many times you’re right foot hits the floor in a 10sec period and then multiplying it by 12?

I wouldn’t get one just to measure cadence, it’s a fairly easy thing to count for 1 minute (and a distraction from the suffering). It’s like having one on a bike, once you get a feel for what 90RPM or SPM is then you know if you are going too fast or slow and never really look at it.

Yes, usually I look at the Garmin and count footstrikes for 20 seconds and multiply by 3. However, I don’t have a watch so carrying the Garmin is proving to be annoying.

I can either buy a watch, or buy a GPS watch with cadence sensor. Guess which one I want to do? 🙂

I’ve got a small beeper thing that I can set to beep a certain BPM. I use this every now and again if I want to do some training on cadence. Not sure how useful something that measures the cadence when I’m running would be as it’d be difficult to monitor and run at the same time.

Edit… one of these…

As a training tool I reckon it’s better than something displaying cadence on a watch.

Are you sure the Garmin you have now won’t pair with a cadence sensor?

If it’ll do an HRM (which is probably more useful for training than cadence) it should do all the accessories.

Oh. If you’re just looking to spend money then get a 910XT with a cadence sensor, naturally.

Yeh I’ve got one for my German forerunner 60. The foot pod is great , it’ll tell you mph, min/ mile, distance run and cadence. Its accurate to 10% and can be calibrated but I wouldn’t bother. I find it pretty much spot on. It really is a great tool and I fully recommend it.

I no longer feel the need for hr monitir, got a good handle on how each zone feels now. The only info I have on my watch screen while running is; distance, time , pace and speed. I have my splits set for every mile which is all the info I feel I need. On the end of a run I check my cadence to confirm efficiency. Usually 88 to 94.

I’ve checked. The Edge 800 won’t pair with the footpod Garmin sell.

I know what people mean about training through feel. HR training on the bike I do by feel, but I had to use the gadget to get a feel for the zone first. I don’t know if I could do it the other way around. Same with bike cadence.

I’ve tried the “count for 20 seconds and multiply” method, but it just doesn’t work on the longer runs. I’ve got enough to focus on without trying to make sure I’m counting footstrikes right and remembering which second I began counting from. Simpler to buy the gadget.

The 910XT is crazy money. I was thinking about the 610 + Footpod. Good to hear people are having positive experiences with them.

@mrblobby Isn’t the beepy thing annoying?

Well I use it specifically to do cadence training drills so I wouldn’t have it on for a longer runs (when it probably would be annoying!) And it’s easy enough to turn on and off on a run so you can pop it on periodically for a minute or two just to check your cadence.

I’m not sure what my cadence ought to be anyway.

I’m not sure what my cadence ought to be anyway.

Measure it. Speed it up, slow it down, see what happens 🙂 Depends a lot on running form.

I’m not sure what my cadence ought to be anyway.

Most likely higher than it is.

> 180 spm

3 steps per second?

I have experimented with it, and 3sps seems ok but I find it better to take fewer longer strides. My gait seems better and if my push off foot is further back I seem to put more energy into going forwards rather than up.

With long strides I can’t keep up 3sps.

Should be running from your glutes Molgrips.

Lifting your legs rather than pushing off and landing with your knee in front of your ankle.

For a first pass on your cadence, go to Podrunner and try out some of the cadence podcasts and see what works.

I started at 160bpm, and this works for slow, long runs, but I’m now up to 175bpm mixes for the quicker runs. Surprisingly, it does make a difference to speed (I track speed with a GPS watch).

Lifting your legs rather than pushing off

Hm.. doesn’t feel good to me. I feel quickest when I get my foot far behind me.. I sort of lead with my hips like XC skiiers do.

I don’t know what you mean by running from glutes though. Lifting legs… hmm.. that sounds like some kind of pythonesque silly walk.. I’ll try to video it 🙂

Right.. I think what you mean is what I think of as pushing the ground backwards underneath me…

I wish someone could video me!

I wish someone could video me!

That’s the stuff that dreams are made of!

Think of running as perpetual falling. Definitely don’t want to be leading with your hips, but more leaning forwards from ankle to head.

Is this the POSE technique you’re talking about?

Molgrips, the day after a particularly hard run, where do you feel it? Quads, glutes?

Er.. well.. after a hard run my tendons ache all over the place, my muscles don’t really. But in the hours afterwards it’s my hip flexors that are knackered, and they are definitely the ones that tire first when I try and go fast for any distance.

Leaning forward seems very hard work for me. It works if I go relaly fast but that’s more of a Mo Farrah pace and needless to say I can’t keep it up for more than 20 seconds 🙂

POSE… not really, it’s just good running form. Like what runners do.

If your hip flexors feel knackered and based on what you’re saying.

1) You need to get greater mobility in your hip flexors.
2) You’re relying on them too much to pull your leg through.

Try using your hamstrings and glutes to lift your feet and legs more. This will mean a smaller lever for your hip flexors to pull through.

Yeah that sounds reasonable. I always assumed it was because of too much cycling and being generally too heavy. I have very heavy legs 🙂

I’ve done flexor stretches, they are my favourite stretch and make a big difference to my running – but generally because they allow me to push off further behind me…

I have the Garmin footpod. I got it when I started running because everyone I asked (who knew what they were talking about) mentioned the importance of a high cadence. Keeping it up was much harder than I expected 🙂 but I gradually built up to 90 per foot.

As said above, once you know what it feels like you don’t really need it, although I suppose it’s interesting from a stats point of view, you can see how tiredness/hills/etc, effects your cadence. Also as mentioned it allows you to collect data when used indoors or on a treadmill, personally I’ve never used it like that though.

I also have a clip-on digital metronome as pictured above, basically allows you to do the same thing. It’s a lot cheaper but you get funny looks sometimes when you’re ticking loudly as you run past people!

Molgrips… http://www.kinetic-revolution.com/running-technique-6-ways-to-improve-efficiency/

That’s good stuff, thanks.

I’ve got a cadence sensor for my Garmin Forerunner. Very good for hitting the sweet spot of 90 strides per minute. I’ve been running barefoot style in Merrell Trail gloves for a year or so and getting the cadence up is crucial to running well in these.
Analysing on Garmin Connect is good especially as it shows you how much variation you get in cadence.

Off out for a run now, will experiment with my glutes 🙂

Forerunner 220 & 620s have built in Accelerometers that analyse cadence and gait as well 😕

Right.. no idea how to ‘engage my glutes’ when running but picking up my feet really helps, cheers baby.